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Deion Sanders, a man of many nicknames – “Neon Deion,” “Prime Time,” and now “Coach Prime” – has always been someone who’s gone against the grain. In his athletic career, he dominated in both football and baseball, becoming the only athlete in history to play in both a Super Bowl and a World Series. He’s also considered by many to be one of the best NFL cornerbacks of all time. In 2020, in the height of the COVID pandemic and civic unrest regarding George Floyd’s death, Sanders turned his sights on Jackson State University (JSU), an HBCU in Jackson, Mississippi, whose flagging football program hadn’t won a conference championship since 2007.
Launching his new program in 2021 at JSU under the motto #iBelieve, Coach Prime led his team of Tigers to their first SWAC conference championship win in over a decade. JSU had a program record of 11 wins and an undefeated regular season. After throwing an #iBelieve Gala for the city of Jackson, Coach Prime convinced NFL recruiters to hold a historic HBCU Pro Day on campus, giving his players the best possible opportunity to reach the NFL.
Step by step, Coach Prime built a foundation for greatness and success at Jackson State University, paving a new path forward for HBCU football programs nation-wide and giving his athletes a shot at chasing their version of the American Dream.
“I expect to be great. I expect to do what hasn’t been done. I expect to provoke change.”