Why Is Deion Sanders Called Coach Prime?

Deion Sanders’ coaching epithet, Coach Prime, is related to his popular nickname when he was an athlete in his own right. 

When Sanders was a high-profile athlete in the 1980s and 90s, his most popular nickname was Prime Time. Thus, when he became a coach, he wisely branded himself as Coach Prime. 

Rumor has it that he will not respond to reporters’ questions if they are addressed to Deion or Coach Sanders, rather than his preferred title of Coach Prime.

Sanders famously played in the NFL for 14 seasons, where the mythology of Prime Time bloomed most prominently. But Sanders also found a fair amount of success playing baseball and running track, too.

It was away from the gridiron that Coach Prime was originally given his most famous nickname. Like most elite athletes, Sanders played both football and basketball in high school, and after a particularly dominant basketball showing, his teammate Richard Fain christened him as “Prime Time.”