Atlanta Falcons legend Deion Sanders shocked the nation today by defeating Texas Christian University in his head coaching debut at University of Colorado.
Sanders led the Buffaloes to a shocking 45-42 win against a team that played in the National Championship game last season. Prior to the game, Colorado was 20.5-point underdogs were expected to experience growing pains after only winning one game in 2022.
However, Sanders had over 60 new players transfer to the school, creating an entirely different culture. Two of those players included Travis Hunter and Sanders’ son, Shedeur Sanders.
Both transferred to Colorado after Sanders accepted the job following his stint at the HBCU, Jackson State University.
In today’s game, Hunter played both sides of the ball, logging heavy minutes at wide receiver and defensive back. He finished the game with 119 yards receiving and one interception on the defensive end.
Shedeur remained calm as quarterback, throwing for over 500 yards and four touchdowns.
Deion Sanders, also known as coach Prime, proved his naysayers wrong after he faced a backlash for leaving JSU to sign a $29 million contract at Colorado.
During his tenure at Jackson State, Sanders was able to shed light on the issues that HBCUs face when it comes to funding and resources. He was also able to attract big name recruits such as Hunter who was the No. 1 defensive player coming out of high school and shunned traditional power schools for to compete at the HBCU.
Sanders’ received a major salary increase after receiving $300,000 annually at Jackson State.
Initially, many believed Sanders would face an uphill battle due to Colorado’s consistent lack of impact on the football field. The program has only had two winning seasons in 23 years and multiple head coaches who could do nothing to turn the school’s team around.
Some questioned Sanders’ decision to leave Jackson State and the opportunity to help raise Black students for a job that appeared to be dead end. He’s also faced backlash for leaving after players such as Hunter chose Jackson State and eventually transferred.
During a team meeting where he announced his decision to leave, Sanders said that his decision was not based on money, but about the lack of opportunities given to Black coaches at prominent colleges and universities.
Currently, there are only eight Black coaches at Power 5 football programs.
“I feel like I have to do something about it,” Sanders said prior to leaving JSU. “There’s been four or more African American coaches at the next level that have been terminated. I haven’t heard not one other than a candidate like myself to replace them. So to me, that’s a problem that many don’t think about. But that’s a problem, if someone doesn’t step up and step out, that’s a problem.”
Sanders’ will always be remembered for his attempt to bring attention to the needs of HBCU athletic programs. But now that he’s competing at a Power 5 school, he can now bring attention to the lack of diversity when it comes to coaching a sport that features predominately Black athletes.
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