Social Media and public commentary and definitely “Black Opinion” have been a buzz ever since Jackson State Head Football Coach Deion “Prime Time” Sanders announced he was leaving the “SWAC” and Jackson State to take another head coaching position in the PAC 12 at the University of Colorado.
Even before it became official and was simply a rumor everyone has had an opinion. I have seen things floating around social media like “Sold Out or Sell Out”, “He doesn’t need the money” and “why would he do that to those kids”? (Who gave anyone the right to count this mans money?)
For those of you who are critics of Deion and question his decision, all I can say to you is STOP IT! Deion Sanders did nothing wrong. In fact, he did everything right. He took a job at an HBCU that was mid-level within the SWAC at best and took it to the top of the league. He brought national attention not only to Jackson State but to Black College football everywhere like we have not seen since legendary Grambling Coach Eddie Robinson roamed the sidelines for the GSU Tigers.
Not only did Deion shine a bright light on HBCU football, but he trailblazed a path into becoming a head college football coach that no one prior to Deion Sanders ever thought about or considered taking. Once Deion took the head job at JSU, Tennessee Titans star running back Eddie George followed the path that Coach “Prime” laid out and soon became the head football coach at Tennessee State University (another HBCU). When longtime NFL Coach Hugh Jackson was dismissed as the head coach of the Cleveland Browns and who had formally served as the head coach of the Oakland Raiders found himself out of football, he has now made his way back into coaching by taking on the position as the head coach at Grambling University.
The reality is that “Coach” Deion Sanders has done more for the Black College Football game than any coach who has proceeded him. I hear the conversation about “He ain’t SWAC”. But, what is SWAC? Now I don’t profess to be SWAC, but I do profess to know a little something about college football and college football coaching. And what I do know is that almost every HBCU college football game before Deion Sanders was more about the Battle of the Bands than the Battle on Grid Iron.
Since Deion Sanders took over at JSU, we now have Black College Football games televised every week, which is far different that life before “Coach Deion”. Yes, Deion used his notoriety to bring attention to himself as a coach, but he also uplifted all of Black College Athletics on his way up. He also brought accountability and discipline to the Jackson State Program which is what made a tremendous difference not only for the football program, but in the lives of the young men he coached.
Coach Sanders did not just go to JSU as a steppingstone for his coaching career, which is what a lot of coaches do, and we are far less critical of other coaches desire to climb as we have become about Coach Sanders as he has now moved up the ranks.
The truth is that he poured his heart and soul into that program, and I have confidence that when he left, he gave Jackson State and their athletic administration a recipe for continued success. Will they follow the recipe? That is still to be determined.
What I am going to do and what I hope everyone who has an opinion about Coach Deion “Prime Time” Sanders will do is celebrate the man. Not only for his victories on the field, but for his unwavering commitment to uplifting not only himself but the Black students and the Black universities that were uplifted by his success.
What everyone should realize is that he took Jackson State to highest level he could. An undefeated season, and a chance to play in an HBCU Bowl Game. The truth is Jackson State is never going to get the opportunity to play in the Rose Bowl, Sugar Bowl, Cotton Bowl, Orange Bowl, or any of the other big bowl games we watch on New Year’s Day. College football and the NCAA is just not set up to give them the opportunity, that is why despite an undefeated season there is no discussion of them in the FBS playoffs, the top 25 or any other of the major polls we see on ESPN on almost a weekly basis.
So, let’s simply say Thank you Coach Sanders for all your hard work and let’s get behind him as he climbs the next mountain in his coaching career and let’s wish him well because whether you become a University of Colorado Buffalo fan or not, we should all be and we should all root for Deion “Prime Time” Sanders to keep on succeeding. Go Buffaloes!