From wading into the HBCU football world to devising a game plan to make a difference beyond the sport, Jackson State coach Deion Sanders explained his winning philosophies on and off the field in an interview on “60 Minutes” Sunday.
Early in the interview, journalist Jon Wertheim asked Sanders about why he, a Pro Football Hall of Famer, was at a place like Jackson State.
“I truly believe with all my heart and soul that God called me collect and I had to accept the charges,” recalled Sanders during the interview with CBS. “I had to accept the charges. But understanding when you accept those type of charges, it’s gonna cost you something.”
Wertheim then asked what sacrifices did he have to make.
“Lotta sleep. But I can’t say I don’t love it. I love every durn minute of it,” he said.
In three seasons at Jackson State, Sanders has led the Tigers to a SWAC conference championship, won FCS Coach of the Year and invited a national audience — whether through a YouTube docuseries or daily social media content — along for the ride.
Another topic of the interview was the economic disparities between HBCU athletic programs and those found in the Power 5 ranks.
“Horrible,” Sanders said about the condition of the JSU football facilities when he first arrived, now made anew with private and personal investment. “And I’m sitting up there thinking, even to this day, how can a public high school in Texas look better than a college. Forget the durn football facility. The whole durn school. That, that shouldn’t be right.”
Lastly, Wertheim asked Sanders about how his influence in being able to attract the attention of blue-chip recruits and what would happen if HBCUs like Jackson State would garner the same financial resources as the powerhouse football factories.
“It makes me feel good because we were right there neck to neck with Alabama,” he said in reference to nearly landing a top prospect away from the SEC power. “And we broke. So, so what if? So what if? And I’m hopin’ a political figure or someone, some billionaire out there sayin’, you know, what? I’m gonna bet on Prime, man. Let me go help that program, because I just wanna see what it would be like if he had the resources these other schools would have.”
