The Real Story Behind Deion Sanders' Famous Nickname

Deion Sanders being known as Coach Prime goes far beyond his coaching career or even his NFL career! Sanders originally got the name all the way back in high school when it was bestowed on him by a childhood friend. He explained the origin of the nickname during an appearance on "The Tonight Show

Deion Sanders being known as Coach Prime goes far beyond his coaching career — or even his NFL career! Sanders originally got the name all the way back in high school when it was bestowed on him by a childhood friend. He explained the origin of the nickname during an appearance on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" in February 2022 after Fallon asked why he didn't go by Neon Deion. "I'd already earned Prime Time in high school. I dropped, like, 37 that night, had two dunks back-to-back, curl was wet, looked dry. We were on our way home on the bus, and my Homie says, 'You know what, man? You're Prime Time.' I said, 'You're right.'" And the rest, as they say, is history — and something the football legend is pretty proud of. "I'm from the inner city. You can't just give us a nickname, you've got to earn that thing, and I earned it. Prime Time," he added. For those unaware, Prime Time is a TV term that describes the main hours people are tuning in (usually between 8 p.m. and 11 p.m., per Nielsen) when all the biggest and most entertaining shows are on.

Of course, the nickname followed Sanders throughout his incredibly successful career and eventually morphed into Coach Prime when he became a coach after retiring from his playing days, something he insisted continued on with him.

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