"He’s given more than his share back": Stephen A. Smith applauds Deion Sanders for his loyalty to HBCUs
In the latest episode of "The Stephen A. Smith Show" on YouTube, the outspoken sports personality gave props to Colorado coach Deion Sanders for his loyalty to HBCUs.
In the episode, Stephen A. Smith talked about Coach Prime and visiting Boulder for the Buffs' game against Nebraska.
Smith mentioned that he wasn't exactly there to see the team, but Deion Sanders, while talking about how much the Buffs' HC has recently represented HBCUs.
"HBCUs opened doors for Prime Deion Sanders, and I've been on record saying he's given more than his share back in droves, actually, to HBCUs. You can't measure what he's done for HBCUs," Smith said.
Stephen A. Smith also mentioned how Deion Sanders reacted to a reporter calling him a 'Nole (as in Seminole, from Florida State), to which he replied he graduated from an HBCU.
Coach Prime's remarks were met with mixed reactions, with some fans even going as far as calling him disrespectful against the team that gave him his college football laurels.
For those who might not know, Sanders never graduated from Florida State. He instead got his Bachelor's degree from Talladega College via an accelerated program. Smith said:
"We're talking about a man that starred at Florida State. But when interviewed a few weeks ago, and they were talking about his alma mater, he said, 'Hey, my alma mater, I come from an HBCU.'
"We know he coached at Jackson State. We know HBCUs is what ultimately assisted him in getting his degree. We know coaches at Alabama State and others all played a role in assisting him ultimately capturing getting that degree and being able to coach football."
Deion Sanders and HBCUs
Representing Talladega College is far from the only time Deion Sanders stood up for HBCUs. That's because before moving to Boulder, he coached Jackson State--another HBCU.
JSU is one of the largest of its kind in the United States, and Sanders' stint as a head football coach there was quite good. After starting 4-3 for the team in a pandemic-shortened season, he coached them to an overall 27-7 record. This also includes a SWAC title in 2021 and the school's first-ever Celebration Bowl berth.
Coach Prime turned around a faltering Jackson State program into a contender, which is more or less what he's doing at Colorado at the moment as well.
Currently, the Buffaloes are second in the Pac-12 after going undefeated through its first two games--punctuated by a celebrated upset win over TCU in its season opener.