Showing posts with label Jackson State University. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jackson State University. Show all posts

Sunday, December 04, 2022

Jackson State University statement on Deion Sanders leaving for University of Colorado

Jackson State University Athletic Director released the following statement thanking Coach Deion Sanders for his achievements and time spent at JSU.

Click picture to enlarge.

Deion Sanders Named Head Football Coach at Colorado

Deion Sanders, known as "Prime Time" during his Hall of Fame playing career and has since transitioned into "Coach Prime," has been named the 28th full-time head football coach at the University of Colorado, athletic director Rick George announced Saturday evening.

Sanders, 55, joins the CU program from Jackson State University (Jackson, Miss.), where in three seasons the Tigers compiled a 27-5 record and won back-to-back Southwestern Athletic Conference championships competing on the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) level; that mark includes a 12-0 record this season. Jackson State defeated Southern, 43-24, in the SWAC title game on Saturday.

"There were a number of highly qualified and impressive candidates interested in becoming the next head football coach at Colorado, but none of them had the pedigree, the knowledge and the ability to connect with student-athletes like Deion Sanders," George said. "Not only will Coach Prime energize our fanbase, I'm confident that he will lead our program back to national prominence while leading a team of high quality and high character."

At Jackson State, Sanders achieved tremendous success on and off the field as a fierce advocate for additional exposure and a level playing field for all Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Sanders brought national attention to HBCUs, pushing for opportunities to highlight its talent and the culture. In March 2022, Sanders held a Pro Day featuring athletes from four other schools in the state of Mississippi to provide a platform in front of 22 NFL teams and the Canadian Football League. In April 2022, Jackson State became the first HBCU to have its spring football game televised live nationally on ESPNU.

"Deion Sanders' stature transcends sports, and his hiring elevates not only the football program but the university as a whole," said CU Boulder Chancellor Philip DiStefano. "I'm thankful Deion has chosen to join our Buffalo family and I applaud Rick George for a truly inspired choice. This is an exciting new chapter in the long, storied history of Colorado football and I look forward to standing shoulder-to-shoulder with our students, supporters and fans to cheer on "Coach Prime" and our student-athletes next fall."

Sanders first game as head coach for the Buffaloes will be next Sept. 2 at TCU, currently ranked third in the College Football Playoff standings. His first home games follow on Sept. 9 against long-time rival Nebraska, with in-state rival Colorado State on tap the following Saturday. Those two foes open the 100th season of CU's historic Folsom Field.

Monday, October 17, 2022

Watch the full Deion Sanders 60 Minutes Interview

Deion Sanders, aka Coach Prime, is altering the landscape of sports once again, this time as head football coach at Jackson State University, an HBCU looking to compete with Power Five programs. Watch his full 60 Minutes interview in which he discusses coaching at an HBCU, what he wants to do for HBCUs, and whether he would lead to take a Power 5 coaching job.

Tuesday, December 14, 2021

Jackson State coach Deion Sanders wins 2021 FCS Eddie Robinson Award

 One of the biggest coaching hires in FCS college football history has paid quick dividends.

Jackson State University certainly “believes” in the results under Deion Sanders, who on Tuesday was named the 2021 recipient of the Stats Perform FCS Eddie Robinson Award, which is presented to the national coach of the year in the Division I subdivision.

One of 17 finalists for the award, which is named for legendary Grambling State coach Eddie Robinson and celebrating its 35th anniversary season, Sanders will be honored at the FCS National Awards Banquet on Jan. 7 in Frisco, Texas.

Just over a year after the school made the legendary cornerback a first-time head coach, the Tigers have set a program record with 11 wins and captured the Southwestern Athletic Conference title for the first time since 2007. The Tigers have qualified for the Celebration Bowl for the first time, set to face South Carolina State on Saturday in Atlanta.

“This is a team effort, it’s a valiant effort, it takes a lot, it does not just take me. I know it takes a visionary, but people have to really support the vision. And that’s what we did,” Sanders said.

After Jackson State hired Sanders in September 2020, he quickly instituted an “I Believe” mantra to suggest positive days were ahead for a program that didn’t have a winning season since 2013.

In his first campaign this past spring, the Tigers went 4-3, but one win was a forfeit. This fall, they’ve left no doubt, losing only once by five points to an FBS opponent, even while the 54-year-old Sanders, who’s known as Coach Prime, coached in and around a three-week hospital stay.

With Sanders’ son Shedeur, a freshman quarterback, leading the offense as the 2021 Jerry Rice Award recipient, and the defense ranking as the SWAC’s best, Jackson State has gone 11-1, including 9-0 against conference opponents. While it’s unfolded, an average of 42,293 fans flocked to six home games – a single-season record for an FCS school.

Monday, November 29, 2021

Deion Sanders named SWAC Coach of the Year

In just his second year as a head coach Deion Sanders was named the South Western Athletic Conference Coach of the Year on Monday.

Sanders led the Jackson State University Tigers to a 10-1 overall record and a perfect 8-0 mark in SWAC regular season play. Under Sanders' leadership the Tigers are currently ranked in the top 15 of the FCS Coaches Poll and are also ranked in the top 25 of the Stats FCS Poll. The Tigers claimed the SWAC East Division title for the first time since the 2013 season. For his efforts Sanders has been named a finalist for the Stats Perform FCS Eddie Robinson award.

Monday, September 21, 2020

Deion Sanders Named Jackson State University Head Football Coach

Jackson State University is excited to announce Deion Sanders will become the 21st head football coach in school history.
 
"I am truly blessed to be the 21st Head football coach of Jackson State University," said Sanders. "This amazing HBCU has always enjoyed a high level of commitment academically and athletically. It's my desire to continue this storied tradition and history of JSU and prayerfully bring more national recognition to the athletes, the university, the Sonic Boom of the South, and HBCUs in general. I am TRULY proud to be a part of the JSU Tiger family. 'I BELIEVE'"
 
JSU Vice President and Director of Athletics Ashley Robinson is excited to introduce Sanders to the Tiger family.
 
"I am thrilled to welcome Deion Sanders to Jackson State University, the City of Jackson, and Mississippi," said Robinson. "Coach Sanders is student-athlete centered and cares about young men and their wellbeing beyond the football field. We expect to compete for and win championships at Jackson State, and Coach Sanders will help us achieve those goals."
 
JSU Acting President Thomas K. Hudson is pleased Sanders will lead the program into the next decade.
 
"Jackson State is excited to bring in Coach Sanders to lead our football program," said Hudson. "He understands the legacy and history of football at JSU. I am confident Coach Sanders will solidify the brand of JSU football."
 
An eight-time Pro Bowler, and two-time Super Bowl champion, Sanders played 14 NFL seasons for the Atlanta Falcons, San Francisco 49ers, Dallas Cowboys, Washington Redskins, and Baltimore Ravens. Sanders is the only player to have played in a Super Bowl and a World Series.
 
A two-time All-American at Florida State, Sanders was the first-round draft choice of the Atlanta Falcons in 1989. In 2020, for the NFL 100th Season, Sanders was named to the NFL All-Time Team.
 
In 2011, Sanders was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He was also one of 14 players and two coaches to be named in the National Football Foundation's 2011 College Football Hall of Fame Football Bowl Subdivision Class. Sanders, who holds the NFL record for career return touchdowns (19 by kickoff, punt, interception, and fumble), has recently joined the Barstool Sports team where he is making appearances on various programming including on the Pro Football Football Show, Pro Football Football After Show, and his very own podcast, 21st and Prime, which debuted last night.
 
Sanders originally began his broadcasting career with CBS, co-hosting the NFL Today pregame show from 2001-2003. He spent the next 14 years as an analyst for the NFL Network, headlining popular shows like GameDay Prime and Thursday Night Football.
 
While this is Sanders' coaching debut on the collegiate sidelines, he has been coaching for over a decade. Sanders is the offensive coordinator at Trinity Christian School in Cedar Hill, Texas, and has led the Tigers to three-straight Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools (TAPPS) titles. Trinity Christian is 42-3 since Sanders has been the team's offensive coordinator.
 
In 2019, the Sanders-led offense totaled 6126 yards of total offense and averaged 437.6 yards per game. TCC Quarterback Shedeur Sanders blossomed and accounted for 3477 passing yards and 47 touchdowns and only four interceptions. On the ground, Emari Matthews rushed for 1169 yards and 15 touchdowns.
 
Sanders has been part of the coaching team for the annual Under Armour All-America Game for the past ten years. Most recently, Sanders and Team Pressure earned a 30-24 victory over Ed Reed and Team Savage in the 2020 Under Armour All-America Game. The contest featured dozens of college football's top recruits and also included several much-anticipated commitments.
 
Success – both on the field and in the classroom—has always been at the forefront for Sanders. In 2007, upon retirement from the NFL, Sanders founded TRUTH, a youth organization serving over 1100 kids throughout Dallas, Texas and Memphis, Tennessee, utilizing sports and education as a platform for success and leadership. 
 
Sanders is taking over a program with a strong history and tradition.
 
The JSU football program sports a 462-302-15 overall record and a .603 winning percentage. The winning percentage ranks in the top 25 of all-time in NCAA Division I.
 
The Tigers have produced 99 NFL draft picks, and 150 players have played professionally in the NFL. Among the most notable JSU alums are four Pro Football Hall of Fame inductees: Walter Payton, Lem Barney, Jackie Slater, and Robert Brazile. The four inductees are the most among universities in Mississippi.
 
JSU has won 16 Southwestern Athletic Conference Championships, seven division championships, and three HBCU National Championships.
 
Part of the JSU tradition is its supportive and loyal fan base. In 2018 and 2019 JSU led the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) in average attendance per game. In 2019, an average of 33,762 per game and over 100,000 people visited Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium.
 
Following through on a long-standing goal, in 2020, Sanders graduated from Talladega College with a bachelor's degree in Business Administration with an emphasis on Organizational Management.
 
He is the proud father of five children: Deion Sanders Jr., Deiondra Sanders, Shilo Sanders, Shedeur Sanders, and Shelomi Sanders.
 
Deion Sanders continues to be represented by Constance Schwartz-Morini at SMAC Entertainment and Tabetha Plummer of Plummer Law Group. Jordan Bazant of WME was instrumental in the development of this partnership.

Sunday, April 24, 2016

Michelle Obama Gives Jackson State University Commencement Speech

The First Lady flew from London to Jackson, Miss. to give the address to Jackson State University's Class of 2016. Mrs. Obama spoke for nearly 30 minutes, covering topics from Mississippi "Religious Freedom Act," to gun violence and poverty, to Mississippi's Jim Crow past, but she also highlight how far Mississippi and the United States have come thus far.