Deion Sanders, widely known as “Coach Prime,” has quickly become a standout figure in the sports world as the head coach of the University of Colorado Boulder football team. His leadership has transformed Buffaloes games into must-see television events.
Colorado’s recent come-from-behind victory over Colorado State, with a final score of 43-35 in double overtime, propelled Coach Prime’s Pac-12 squad to an impressive 3-0 record in 2023. Despite early skepticism that Deion Sanders’s tenure as head coach, guiding his star quarterback son Shedeur Sanders and the rest of the Colorado players, would not succeed, the Pro Football Hall of Famer continues to defy his critics.
One notable admirer of Deion Sanders is four-time NBA champion Shaquille O’Neal, formerly of the Los Angeles Lakers, who even drew a comparison between Sanders and legendary basketball coach Phil Jackson.
Shaquille O’Neal shared with TMZ Sports, “I know exactly what the kids are going through because when you are standing in front of someone that has an impressive résumé and you’re trying to get to the level that he gets to, everything you say is golden.” He went on to add, “I felt that way when Phil Jackson first came to the Lakers. Before he got there, me and Kobe [Bryant], we got swept all the time. But when he stepped in the locker room, we saw he didn’t panic, so it told us not to panic. We know that this guy knows what he’s talking about.”
Phil Jackson, renowned for coaching the Los Angeles Lakers to five NBA Championships between 2000 and 2010, also secured six NBA Championships between 1991 and 1998 as the leader of the Chicago Bulls.
Shaquille O’Neal further commented, “When [Colorado] was down 15 [points], a camera panned to Deion’s face, and it reminded me of Phil Jackson. I’ve always said, ‘If the general doesn’t panic, the troops don’t panic.'” He concluded by asserting, “Deion, right now, is the best coach in college football.”
Notably, Deion Sanders’s influence has extended beyond the sports realm, as he has welcomed Hip-Hop culture to The Centennial State, with prominent figures like Lil Wayne and Offset in attendance to witness Colorado’s victory over Colorado State.
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Written by:
Dana Sterling-Editor