"That's why I do this": When a 42y/o Coach Prime confessed his love for guiding the youth

Coach Prime came a long way from the modest house at 1625 Henderson Avenue in Fort Myers, Florida, becoming a star in his playing days and then a mentor to young kids. Inheriting his mother’s work ethic, he made good on his promise to achieve success, and the world came to know him as Prime Time.

After Sanders left the NFL in 2006, he turned to coaching. His love for guiding young kids has been a well-known fact, and as he wrote in his letter to his younger self in The Players’ Tribune:

“It will be a difficult choice. But God has you covered. He will always send somebody to guide you — to lead you in the right direction — when you need it the most.”

True to these words, he became the guiding light for countless young athletes.

In a 2010 ESPN article titled “The curious case of Deion Sanders,” writer Seth Wickersham shared a telling story that captured Sanders’ heart for mentorship.

While driving through Dallas, Sanders received a call from a single mother. She had called about her 10-year-old son Kirby (one of Sanders’ youth football players), who had lost two winter jackets she could barely afford. Hearing her predicament, Sanders didn’t hesitate.

Dressed in white warm-ups, he drove to the boy’s school, offered quiet encouragement, and promised his mother he would buy him a new jacket.

"That's why I do this," 42-year-old Sanders had said. "Knowing that boy is going to apologize to his mother. And that his mama is going to call me and say, 'Baby, I don't know what you said, but it worked.' That's what it is."

Syndication: The Coloradoan - Source: Imagn. Coach Prime with his athletes

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Coach Prime on teaching his athletes financial literacy

Coach Prime has brought renewed energy to the Colorado Buffaloes. Apart from teaching his athletes their way around the field, Sanders also places strong importance on teaching them financial literacy.

Looking back on his own youth, Sanders said he didn’t know much about managing money. According to Forbes, the coach said in April:

“I didn’t have any financial literacy and didn’t even think of it. Back then, (as an athlete) you wanted to be a millionaire but had no idea what to do with it.”

This inspired him to help young people understand finances. After he partnered up with Chime Financial, a company known for its fee-free banking services, to help his athletes plan out their financial future, he said:

“Thank God we have a company now that invests in our youth and invests in the fact that people want to know more and know the intricate details about finances. … This is what I bring into the work with our kids at Colorado all the time—people to talk to them about financial literacy. How could you have a football or basketball coach but not have a financial coach?”

Coach Prime will guide his team in his third year with the Buffaloes as they face the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at home on Aug. 29.