By Dr. Jessica Johnson
Guest Column
Deion Sanders has rumbled through the college football landscape this season with the power and tenacity of a Buffalo stampede. In his first Power 5 coaching gig at the University of Colorado Boulder, Sanders has brought back the kind of excitement that was rampant on the Boulder campus during the ’90s before the Bowl Championship Series era.
The Buffs shared the national championship with Georgia Tech in 1990 and were a formidable squad in the then-Big 8 conference that decade. Those glory days have long been sealed in the NCAA archives, and with Colorado’s eventual slide to the bottom of the Pac-12, there seemed to be little hope for the Buffs to regain their gridiron prominence after winning only one game last year. This changed in an instant when Colorado took a leap of faith and hired Sanders away from Jackson State University. Now Sanders, known as Coach Prime, has changed the culture of the Colorado football program, and he’s quickly making believers out of those who doubted him.
I have been a fan of Sanders from the start of his NFL playing days, and I root for him even more now since I found out several years ago that he was a college teammate of one of my cousins when they played together at Florida State during the mid to late ’80s. While following Sanders’ pro career, I loved watching his classic battles as a cornerback lining up against the NFL’s greatest wide receiver, Hall of Famer Jerry Rice. This was must-see football with the legendary broadcaster John Madden calling games.
Sanders was one of the most decorated and outspoken athletes of my generation, but the “Prime Time” personality he crafted made him polarizing to many. People either loved or hated the swagger of his self-confidence in postgame press conferences, often claiming that he was smug and selfish, a sporting stereotype that has followed talented Black male athletes. Many folks still think Sanders is arrogant in interviews today, but from watching videos of his interactions with his players, he pours nuggets of wisdom into them while still strategizing the Xs and Os of game preparation. For example, a recent YouTube clip I saw of Sanders in a meeting with his players showed him explaining the importance of respecting women. He brought in several female Colorado students and told his team that if a player were found guilty of assaulting a woman, then football would be “a wrap.”
I believe the success that Sanders has found in coaching thus far is due to how he views his job as a divine calling. While he was at Jackson State, he talked about how he wanted to impact the lives of the young men he coached as a mentor. In a moving interview Sanders gave two years ago for Celebration Baptist, he opened up about how he hit the nadir of his life. Sportswise, he had the “receipts,” as the kids presently say. He had played in a World Series and won two Super Bowls. He had all the material things anyone would want, a fleet of luxury cars, designer suits and shoes, and a gorgeous home, but was restless and had no inner peace. Sanders described how Christ wondrously transformed his life when he got on his knees one night in a Cincinnati condo. “That’s how I went to God,” Sanders poignantly explained. “Why (continue to fight) a fight that’s already (been) fixed?” Jerry Rice Rookie Cards: Values and Collectability in 2023
During the time that has passed, Sanders has embraced what he calls a ministry on the field, and his personal testimony combined with his vision for Colorado football has got to be an influential recruiting tool. Winning is important to Sanders, but he is also looking at the endgame of winning in life. He has mentioned how he wants his sons who play for him, as well as all his players, to become outstanding men and eventually great fathers and husbands. He wants his players to be successful in their chosen fields, to be industry leaders, even if they don’t make it to the NFL.
As of this writing, the Buffs have won three games and only need to win at least three more to be bowl eligible. The media hype has been off the charts for Sanders this season, but he’s not swayed by the plethora of news headlines. His strength and confidence now is in doing what he does for the glory of God. That’s the difference between Coach Prime today and the Prime Time persona he created years ago.
Dr. Jessica A. Johnson is a lecturer in the English department at The Ohio State University-Lima. Reach her at [email protected] or on Twitter @JjSmojc. Her opinion does not necessarily represent the views of The Lima News or its owner, AIM Media.
