Colorado head coach Deion Sanders is one of the most scrutinized personalities in both college football and the NFL due to his legendary status and outspoken nature. Sanders, aka Coach Prime, has dealt with the spotlight ever since he was a two-sport athlete in the NFL and MLB and after he stepped into an FBS head coaching job with the Buffaloes.
Deion Sanders Sends Emotional Message on Father’s Day
Away from the field, in a clip posted on the “Well Off Media” YouTube channel, Coach Prime spoke passionately about his appreciation for both his biological father and stepfather, who raised him.
“I want to get a little personal today because I’ve had two tremendous fathers,” Sanders said. “Mims “Daddy Buck” Sanders, my biological father, and Willie J. Knight, my stepfather, which were tremendous fathers. I’m saddened because both of them have gone to be with the Lord. But I’ve never had the opportunity, or I wasn’t mature enough to say ‘I love you’ or ‘Happy Father’s Day.’”
“Stepfathers, just because you stepped in and you ain’t the biological father, that don’t mean you ain’t the father,” Sanders added. “Because I had one of the best that ever lived. Willie J. Knight, I love you. Mims “Daddy Buck” Sanders, you weren’t perfect, but you tried your best. You tried your best through all your trials and tribulations to be there, and I love you for that.”
The two-time Super Bowl champion was born in Fort Myers, Florida, to Connie and Mims Sanders, who divorced just two years later. The Buffs’ head coach was then raised by his mother and stepfather, Willie Knight.
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Over the years, Coach Prime has been an outspoken champion of family values and famously coached his sons, Shilo and Shedeur Sanders, at both Jackson State in the FCS and Colorado in the FBS. In addition, his daughter, Shelomi, first played for the Lady Buffs before entering the transfer portal and transferring to Alabama A&M.
His eldest son, Deion Sanders Jr., also moved to Boulder with the family in 2022 and was in charge of the Buffs’ booming social media activity.
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Analysts in some quarters have credited Coach Prime with Shedeur’s unprecedented slide in the 2025 NFL Draft after his comments about his son choosing the franchise that he would play for in the league went viral before draft night.
In addition, Coach Prime has been criticized by some for his intense involvement in his son’s NFL career, which has him battling to be the Cleveland Browns’ QB1 next season with Deshaun Watson.