Colorado, ‘Coach Prime’ make Moon landing before heading to WVU

By: Chris Harlan
Saturday, November 8, 2025 | 6:48 PM

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Moon’s football stadium welcomed a “Prime Time” visitor, or as Deion Sanders is better known nowadays, “Coach Prime.”

The high-profile Colorado football coach and his team held a walkthrough practice Friday at the high school stadium in advance of their Big 12 Conference game Saturday against West Virginia in Morgantown. Moon athletic director Alan Alcalde, who described Sanders as “extremely thankful,” said Colorado’s visit was in the works since early October.

“They were fantastic,” Alcalde said. “Just a first-class operation, all of their personnel, and even meeting Deion Sanders was unbelievable.”

The school largely kept news of Colorado’s visit under wraps to avoid unwanted attention and possible distractions for the team. Alcalde said the Buffalos had first considered holding the walkthrough at West Allegheny, but after those plans didn’t work out, Moon stepped in.

The school’s location next to Pittsburgh International Airport made it ideal.

“We already host a number of teams that come into the area for walkthroughs,” Alcalde said. “Since Robert Morris is right down the road, a lot of teams will reach out to us (to use the field) for maybe an hour or two. We’ve done that for years, but we’ve never had anything with the size of Colorado and Coach Prime.”

A retired All-Pro cornerback and member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Sanders is in his third season as Colorado’s coach. Former NFL stars Marshall Faulk and Warren Sapp, assistants on Sanders’ coaching staff, also visited Moon.

Alcalde said support personnel with the Colorado program and the team-branded tractor trailer arrived around 8:30 a.m. while the players showed up at 11:15. The group practiced for a little more than an hour.

Sanders took time during the visit to chat with Alcalda, Moon superintendent Jason D’Alesio and school board member Adam Gill, who gathered for a group photo.

“He took a moment to step away from his practice to come over and say hello,” Alcalde said. “He thanked us for hosting him and his team. What an experience.”

Colorado ultimately lost to West Virginia, 29-22, but Alcalde said he’ll remember the Buffaloes’ visit fondly.

“It’s special for Tiger Nation and Moon Area,” he said, “to be able to say we had someone like Deion Sanders on our field”

Chris Harlan is a TribLive reporter covering sports. He joined the Trib in 2009 after seven years as a reporter at the Beaver County Times. He can be reached at charlan@triblive.com.

Tags: Moon