In his second year as defensive line coach at the University of Colorado, Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinee Warren Sapp is shaping a distinct style of coaching. Known during his playing days for a brash and intense presence on the field, Sapp has shifted that energy into mentoring student-athletes and building connections.
“I tell more jokes and see if I can give them a laugh when I’m going at them,” Sapp said. “We’re not just teaching football. We’re teaching life. I want them to be well-rounded young men when they leave here.”
Working alongside fellow Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinee Marshall Faulk, Sapp emphasizes both discipline and enjoyment of the game. He explained, “It doesn’t get any smarter or tougher than him (…) Let’s play the game the way it’s supposed to be played. Let’s do right, and you know, 60 minutes of football. Let’s see what we had at the end of it. Let’s have some fun.”
Sapp values repetition and attention to detail as essential aspects of his method: “We are a pack. We are together. We live together. We drink together. We sleep together. We eat together. We win and lose together. That’s the way we’re going to be (…) Once it gets to me, it’s going to get a little while.”
He also highlights his excitement about preparing for the upcoming season with his team: “I’m rolling to this place, man (…) They’re ready to work. We’re ready to get to a season, and I know the whole of Colorado is ready for it.”
Sapp’s role extends beyond football instruction—he acts as mentor, sharing advice received from other Hall of Famers after attending recent events in Canton: “I send personal messages from John Randall, Lawrence Taylor, Ricky Jackson, and the Super Bowl MVP from Chicago Bears, Richard Dent (…) I just soak it up from them, and I bring it back to the babies because just hearing it from me, they hit me all the time, you know what I’m saying? They hit me all the time. But when John Randall’s talking, and I could see their eyes pop up, I got a whole new message, and I invite some of my Hall of Fame friends out here, too. Trust me, we gonna get them right. I promise you we’re gonna get them right. You can’t be the source of information and not give it to them. I’m gonna give them everything I got. It’s not normal, but when you’re first ballot, it is.”
As he continues in his coaching role in Boulder, Sapp remains focused on guiding young players both on and off the field.
