On Saturday night, the worst-kept sports news of the week became official when Colorado announced that Deion Sanders was their new head football coach.
It immediately became the most triggering sports moment since LeBron’s decision in 2010.
The wave of emotions ranged from happiness, appreciation and sadness to disappointment, anger and contempt.
Why Colorado? They haven’t been relevant for decades.
Who is he going to get to come out to Boulder?
How could he leave Jackson St.?
He’s a sellout.
It became so intense that HBCU-related conversations grabbed three of the four top trending spots on Twitter.
Yet Sanders’ move was in no way a surprise.
He made it clear in an interview with “60 Minutes” in October that he would evaluate offers from P5 schools if it made sense for him and his coaching staff.
“What happens when a Power Five school says, ‘Give us a number. Weāll make it work.’ asked host Bill Owens.
“Iām going to have to entertain it,” replied Sanders. “Yes, Iām going to have to entertain it. Straight up. I would be a fool not to.”
That interview laid the groundwork for his move west less than two months later.
At that moment, despite all that accomplished for the program, some began to question his motives, preachings and loyalty to the university and HBCUs since arriving in Jackson two years ago.
The Arrival of Coach Prime
When Sanders arrived, he facilitated change immediately.
He transitioned the school from Nike to Under Armour.
He reached out to his network to get the team a new practice field as the old one would flood when it rained, forcing the team to practice at a high school. Then he got a new locker room built for the players.
When their football facility needed additional funding for completion, he donated half his salary to the effort.
And when the water crisis in the city affected his team, he jumped in to get them access to clean water and safe bathing facilities like hotels.
But Deion did more than bring physical resources to the school.
He brought change to HBCUs, institutions steeped in tradition and pride, qualities which both strengthen and sometimes limit these institutions.
Like a true capitalist, Sanders wanted to bring financial stability and growth to Jackson St. and HBCU football programs as a whole.
He understood that programs could no longer do things the way they had always been done. To grow and flourish, they had to change their perspective and strengthen their financial foundation.
They needed to secure bigger media rights deals and larger paydays for “pay for play” games.
āCan we get together, and form a committee, or something and say āweāre not doing it unless we get a million,’ā said Sanders about the payday games. āNegotiate up, but donāt negotiate down.
āAnd that money should go directly to the football department.ā
He even suggested that the MEAC and SWAC merge to form a superconference.
To Sanders, if growth meant negating tradition, so be it.
That’s why he ended Jackson State’s participation in the Southern Heritage Classic. It was great for fans and local businesses in Memphis. But according to coach Sanders, it didn’t benefit the program financially.
“So by the time you take seven buses for the band, four buses for the players, couple (buses) for people, assistants, hotel accommodations, food, youāre out of that. That $180-200 grand, youāre out of that. So you didnāt make nothing,” said Sanders at the time. “You really came up there on a blank trip. We gotta stop that foolishness. The first thing we need to take care of as HBCUs is the business aspect of everything, and thatās something weāre changing right now.
“Weāre taking care of business.ā
And that’s something that many HBCUs have, unfortunately, had trouble accomplishing.
Tennessee State has been deprived of between $151 million and $544 million in state land-grant funding over a fifty-year period.
The athletic department at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff (UAPB) is facing a $3 million deficit. The university faces an additional hurdle in that athletic funding for colleges and universities in Arkansas must be supported by private donations, so they canāt come from public sources.
So while the Razorbacks don’t have that difficulty, the Golden Lions face a much steeper climb to profitability.
These are just some of the injustices and issues Sanders recognized during his tenure.
The Coach Prime Effect
Sanders brought change to the team, school, conference and landscape over three seasons condensed into two years.
Although he was hired in September 2020, he didn’t begin his first season until February 2021 due to the pandemic. He went 4-3 that spring and 11-2 in the fall. This year he led the Tigers to a 12-0 record, back-to-back SWAC titles, and a return to the Celebration Bowl.
In two short years, he inherited a 4-8 team and transformed it into a 27-5 program.
Under his leadership, Jackson State averaged an FCS attendance record of more than 42,000 fans at their home games in 2021.
He rejuvenated the campus, program and the overall HBCU football landscape, convincing ESPN to carry Jackson St. games across their networks.
He even got College Gameday to show up on campus.
But now that he’s moving on, many are piling on him.
These detractors are slamming Sanders, accusing him of everything from being a sellout to a pimp.
That’s harsh and unfair.
Considering what he accomplished in two years, and what he and the university got out of each other during their short yet impactful relationship, he should be appreciated.
I wanted Deion to stay at Jackson. I believed he could have transformed the program and institution of HBCU football in a way that no one had.
He would have facilitated proper sponsorship support, athletic department profitability, expanded program offerings and fiscal independence.
Now, did Sanders’ presence suddenly make HBCUs relevant? Absolutely not.
The SWAC, MEAC, CIAA and SIAC existed before Sanders and they’ll continue to do so while he’s in Boulder.
But what he brought during his short time in HBCU athletics is something all conferences and teams definitely benefitted from.
The Decision’s Triggering Effect
Some in the HBCU community are upset over the way his departure to Colorado was handled. They feel it was unfair to the players and could have waited until after the SWAC Championship.
Others accuse Colorado of purging a Black talent to recruit Black talent because they were unable to. When you look at the history of SEC programs and their refusal to play HBCUs like Grambling and Tennessee St., choosing instead to desegregate their programs and steal Black talent away from these once dominant institutions, that theory carries historical weight.
Some are mad at Sanders because his decision conveys a message about HBCU football programs that they’re simply stepping stones to “better opportunities” rather than viable opportunities for talented athletes.
But you can’t claim that Deion “wasn’t SWAC” or that he didn’t represent all of HBCU football yet simultaneously accuse him of hurting HBCU football coaching opportunities by leaving so soon.
Some are telling the Black PWI community to butt out as this is an HBCU-family-only issue.
I understand and respect all of those sentiments.
My PWI degree aside, my sports media career gives me a different perspective.
Many times I was the only person of color in the room during HBCU-focused discussions.
I heard the disrespect and jokes and fought for coverage when there was very little support for and understanding of HBCU athletics.
In 2008, I was approached by two HBCU football icons in history to discuss creating a Black College Football Championship. I presented it to management and they passed on it. That idea ended up becoming the Celebration Bowl.
I know that HBCU students and alumni have a special connection to, and love and passion for, their school.
But that unabashed affinity should not diminish the reality of what Deion Sanders accomplished.
Because of Sanders, the doors to HBCU programs have opened a little wider to coaches and players who might not have previously considered an HBCU.
And programs are feeling more comfortable and confident when recruiting that same talent because of what Deion did for Jackson St.
“[HBCUs], they never recruited me. Thatās why I never considered HBCUs,” said Sanders to 60 Minutes. “HBCUs just started recruiting the four and five star players just recently, because they never thought they could get them. Now, they believe.”
His success opened the doors for NFL talent like Eddie George and Hue Jackson to become head coaches at Tennessee St. and Grambling.
Now, hopefully, others will follow with sincere intent to effect change and build something special at an HBCU institution.
Just like Deion Sanders.
“Iāve been around stars before. This is the first time that Iāve been around a superstar, and I really did not realize the difference,” said SWAC commissioner Dr. Charles McClellan in that 60 Minutes interview. “A superstar can enter any room, can enter any board room. Coach Prime is a business person. Coach Prime has opened up doors for the Southwestern Athletic Conference that we could not get into.”
Sanders opened the doors for sponsorships with American Airlines, Pepsi and P&G.
His presence and success convinced the Jackson City Council to support a resolution for the construction of a new stadium for Jackson St.
Most importantly, Deion recognized the need for Jackson St and HBCU programs to achieve overall financial security. Tradition is important, but it cannot compete financially or in recruiting.
Don’t Hate, Appreciate
Most who are frustrated with or venomous toward Deion will probably remain that way for some time.
I really hoped he would stay because his impact on HBCUs would have been far more significant than the financial compensation he’s going to reap in Colorado.
But the P5 financial windfall is over fifteen times his JSU salary, so it’s hard to resist.
And that presents another challenge for HBCU programs; how do they compete compensation-wise to attract top coaching talent?
While its true stardom attracts attention, it doesn’t always translate to coaching success.
In Deion’s case, it did.
That’s another reason to appreciate the job Sanders did at Jackson St. He didn’t just talk a big game; he backed it up with results.
That’s not pimping. That’s delivering.
And maybe he’ll do the same at Colorado, where he’s the fourth Black head coach in program history. If he puts Colorado back in the national spotlight, which he’s already done in three short days, he should be applauded.
The debate about whether Deion did JSU dirty will rage on for some time, but it shouldn’t.
Instead, let’s applaud Deion for what he’s accomplished, for who else could bring national attention and immediate change to both Mississippi and Colorado at the same time?
