EXCLUSIVE: Mike MacIntyre excited to see Deion Sanders' progress at Colorado
Deion Sanders came to Colorado with a renewed outlook toward the state of the Buffaloes program. The former Jackson State head coach was ready to compete and definitely brought his Louis luggage with him. But, in many respects, the foundation built for Coach Prime's arrival in Boulder was done in the Mike MacIntyre era.
The former Colorado Buffaloes coach who moved on to Florida International University was recently asked about his time in the Pac-12. MacIntyre gave a candid response about the job he did at CU and explained how he left the program in better shape when he was fired in 2018.
"I look back fondly at what our coaches and players did," MacIntyre told BuffsBeat. "We took a program that was the worst FBS program in America, and four years later, we were ranked as high as ninth in the country. We did a lot of great things there. We were able to build new facilities and help elevate the program and show that it can be done."
When MacIntyre took over at Colorado, it was the equivalent of putting a puzzle together in the dark. A lack of resources left over by the Big 12 exit and plans for the Champion Center in the works but needing a significant fundraiser to bring it to fruition. Mac inherited a one-win program just the same as Sanders did this past December. Except for the state-of-the-art facilities and everything that came with those upgrades, they were already in place for Coach Prime.
As someone who covered the program during that time, I remember MacIntyre going around campus openly recruiting new players. He didn't have a transfer portal to pull talent from, and in a lot of ways, Mac's situation from a decade ago mirrors the one Deion is currently facing with a few differences. Obviously, MacIntyre doesn't carry a Hall of Fame resume like Coach Prime.
"We were down," MacIntyre admitted. "We had to raise money to pay for coaches. We had to raise money for the new facility. We raised money for equipment and different things like that. So, we were working hard, and there's a lot of great people there in Boulder."
The path for MacIntyre and Sanders has crossed with both having ties to the Dallas Cowboys. Oddly enough, the two share a connection to longtime NFL defensive coordinator and current CU assistant Mike Zimmer, who used to coach Deion. Also, with Mac at FIU, he's now coaching in Prime's home state.
"I hope Deion does a great job (at Colorado)," MacIntyre said. "I'm excited for the hype for him." He went on to say, "I wish everyone the very best at Colorado."
MacIntyre enters his second year at FIU after replacing Butch Davis in 2022. He'll lead the Panthers into an opening weekend battle at Louisiana Tech on August 26.
