Atlanta, GA — People tend to hold one another to a different set of standards. In this instance, we have two former HBCU Head Football Coaches who have moved on to continue their football coaching careers for Power5 programs.
Coach Deion Sanders the former Head Football Coach for the Jackson State University Tigers, became the Head Football Coach of the Colorado University Buffalo after losing the Celebration Bowl in December 2022 against North Carolina Central.
Deion Sanders brought a fresh outlook to HBCU Football. Being a marketing genius along with his direct approach and ability to foster relationships with companies was an eye-opener, compared to how many assume HBCUs continue to do business the same as they did 40 or 50 years ago.
We can all agree that he is appreciated for opening the eyes of many to the idea that business needs to be done differently for HBCU institutions to receive a bigger financial gain, especially when they are invited to be a part of events. Keep in mind HBCU football teams that schedule themselves to play money games, must be willing to negotiate higher because the HBCUs are the product everyone is coming to see, especially if that HBCU band has a great halftime show.
When Coach Sanders decided to leave Jackson State, the lines were crossed with the negative narratives from those who looked up to the MLB player, 2 Time Superbowl Champion, and NFL Hall of Famer, especially when he speaks people listen and will interpret and embellish what’s being said to generate more intriguing narrative to gain more attention from others who are willing to listen.
The Former FAMU Head Football Coach was with the Rattlers program for 6 years. Coach Simmons took a different approach in making sure he was transparent with the fan base and loyal supporters when he sat down with Mr. Vaughn Wilson at HBCU Gameday to shed some light on why he decided to move on to further his college football coaching career at Duke University, providing the FAMU Rattler Fans and supporters the opportunity to hear directly from him, why he was moving on.
Coach Deion Sanders provided his transparency through his Coach Prime Docu-Series letting the world get a glimpse of different daily events that went on at Jackson State, while he was the Head Coach.
It’s fair to say that both Jackson State and FAMU have loyal fan bases that hold their former Head Coaches to a standard that is totally different, than what an avid fan could ever understand.
All we can do now is wish both Head Coach Deion Sanders and Head Coach Willie Simmons the best and continued success.