"My hero is gone" - Coach Prime heartbroken as he mourns Rickey Henderson's death, recalls time they spent together
On Sunday, legendary multi-sport athlete Deion Sanders, who also goes by the nickname "Coach Prime", sent a message mourning the death of Rickey Henderson.
A ten-time All-Star and two-time World Series champion, "Man of Steal" was 'the man' for many kids who grew up watching baseball in the '80s, Sanders being one of them.
Sanders posted pictures of Henderson, including a couple of the two of them, along with the following message on Instagram:
"Rickey Henderson is my Baseball Hero! I wanted to play like he played, I wanted the patience at the plate he had & the understanding of the art of base stealing. He taught me so much and answered Every-time I called & he showed me love every time I seen him.
"Wow my Hero is gone. Wow!!! God please bless his family, comfort them and protect the hearts of his loved 1z. This hurts. In Jesus name Amen. #Prime"
In a big league career spanning 25 seasons, Henderson batted .279, accumulating a total of 297 home runs and 1115 RBIs. His most dangerous trait, though, was undoubtedly his blistering speed between the bases, which is how his nickname came about.
Though Deion Sanders did not win the kind of silverware that his idol did on the diamond, he is arguably one of the finest multi-sport athletes. Sanders spent 14 seasons in the NFL and nine in MLB, often extraordinarily playing a game each within 24 hours of the other.
Sanders won the Super Bowl twice in his career, with the San Francisco 49ers and the Dallas Cowboys. Though he never won baseball's biggest prize, he made it to the World Series with the Atlanta Braves in 1992, making him the first-ever athlete to play in both football and baseball's showpiece events.
Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry pays homage to Rickey Henderson
With the news of legendary left fielder Rickey Henderson's unfortunate passing away recently having surfaced, numerous fans are currently mourning the 65-year-old's demise. Per numerous sources, it has been reported that Henderson allegedly passed away after battling pneumonia.
Like Deion Sanders, it appears NBA superstar Stephen Curry was also a fan of the speedster. He was pictured paying homage to Henderson, imitating one of his iconic pictures holding a base bag in his hand.
Curry's team, the Golden State Warriors, took to X (formerly Twitter) to post about the same.
"Stephen pays homage to the 'Man of Steal', Rickey Henderson 💚" the Golden State Warriors captioned their post
Curry and the Warriors are currently having a tough season, as they find themselves sitting in the middle of the Western Conference standings with 15-12 record.