Deion “Prime Time” Sanders is arguably one of the best football players and all-around athletes of all time. There is more to Deion Sanders than many of you know beyond what you are aware of from his accomplishments on the football field and baseball field. Here are 10 facts you probably didn’t know about Deion Sanders:
The Only Athlete to compete in a Super Bowl and World Series
Unbelievable but awesome statistic: Deion Sanders is the only professional athlete to compete in both a World Series and a Super Bowl. Sanders’ World Series appearance came in the 1992 season when the Atlanta Braves won the National League Pennant and reached the ‘Fall Classic’ where they squared off against the Toronto Blue Jays. Unfortunately for the Braves, the Blue Jays ended up winning the series in six games. Sanders played in four games in that series, scored four runs, had eight hits, and had 15 appearances at bat. Sanders may not have won a World Series, but he has the great distinction of also having two Super Bowl wins with the San Francisco 49ers in the 1994 season at Super Bowl XXIX and the Dallas Cowboys the following season at Super Bowl XXX respectively.
The Origins of Primetime
We all know Deion Sanders by his two nicknames: Coach Prime, and Primetime, but there’s a great story behind how Sanders earned his iconic nickname. He was first called Primetime after dropping 37 points in a basketball game. Sanders revealed he was almost called ‘Neon Deion,” but did not want to be called that. ‘Primetime’ sounds cooler and is much more iconic. Coach Prime comes from the start of his coaching career which spans back from his time coaching high school football at the Prime Academy in Texas.
Hitting a home run and scoring a touchdown in the same week
In 1989, ‘Primetime’ Sanders became the only athlete to score a touchdown and hit a home run in the same week. On Sep. 5, 1989, while signed with the New York Yankees, Sanders snagged two home runs in a 12-2 victory over the Seattle Mariners. On Sep.10, 1989, Sanders scored a punt return for a touchdown in a 21-31 loss to the Los Angeles Rams. To this day, no one in professional sports history has ever been able to achieve something like this- a long-standing achievement in the record books.
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Sanders had his very own reality TV show
Primetime Sanders made it onto reality TV in 2008 with the show ‘Deion & Pilar: Prime Time Love’ on the Oxygen Network. The reality show showed viewers what Primetime’s home and personal life were like. However, the show only aired for one season, and consisted of eight episodes, and was not renewed for a second season.
Sanders released a rap album
Back in 1994 when Sanders was playing for the San Francisco 49ers, Primetime released his first and only rap album- not surprisingly called ‘Prime Time’. The album included songs such as Must Be The Money, House of Prime, Papa San, and other names. Unfortunately, the album did not receive wide acclaim and was negatively reviewed by critics. Thankfully Neon Deion stuck with sports over music.
Deion appeared in countless movies and TV shows
When your name is as huge as Primetime or Neon Deion, you’re bound to have cameos in a few movies and shows. Sanders appeared in Celtic Pride, The League, MC Hammer music video 2 Legit to Quit, and Draft Day to name a few. Sanders’ iconic performances on the baseball diamond and gridiron helped gain these cameo appearances. Surely a good agent did not hurt. Now that he’s the coach of the Colorado Buffaloes, hopefully, we get a documentary including his time coaching at the collegiate level in the future!
Sanders enjoys helping others succeed
During his playing and coaching career, Primetime Sanders’ gift has been uplifting the spirits of people and entire communities throughout the years. During his tenure at Jackson State University, Sanders and his connections helped upgrade the college’s football facilities as well as Sanders donated half of his own salary to help Jackson State’s football team. Sanders poured his heart and soul into Jackson State as well as what he is currently doing with the Colorado Buffaloes.
Sanders has joined a list of all-star athletes who have had success at coaching
Sanders isn’t the only former elite athlete who has also had success at coaching. Sanders joins the likes of Larry Bird, the late Bill Russell, Mike Ditka, Jason Kidd, Bart Starr, Ted Williams, and plenty of others who have found similar success at coaching the next generation of athletes in their respective sports. If Sanders continues his success at Colorado University, maybe a coaching role in the NFL will open up for the Hall of Famer.
Sanders’ swagger and style became iconic
Whether it was his bandana or his Nike Sneakers, Sanders’ own style became iconic and his iconic looks are still represented in sports and fashion today. When he was the coach at Jackson State University, Primetime brought the athletic brand Under Armour to the school. Since Primetime has been with Colorado, Sanders returned to Nike and saw his iconic Diamond Turf sneaker/ cleat return to the gridiron being worn by many Colorado athletes on the field.
Sanders has overcome many challenges
Sanders has overcome tons of challenges in his life. Most recently, the new Buffs head coach has had surgeries that cost him a couple of his toes amputated from his left foot to save his life. Sanders recently had foot surgery to avoid having his foot amputated. Despite these surgeries and life-threatening blood clots, Sanders is a fighter and overcame that challenge to continue his coaching career with Jackson State at the time and so forth with Colorado.
All of this and much more confirms Deion Sanders’ selection to any list of elite athletes!
