"I get up and they do something stupid": Deion Sanders reveals his Ikigai moment that kickstarted Coach Prime journey

After retiring from the NFL in 2006, Deion Sanders began his new journey as a football coach. He initially began as a high school coach before getting his first collegiate gig as the coach of Jackson State.

In three seasons, Coach Prime led them to two back-to-back SWAC Championships before joining the Colorado Buffaloes in 2023.

After a disappointing 4-8 debut, Deion Sanders and the Buffs finished with a 9-4 campaign and an Alamo Bowl loss to the BYU Cougars. During an appearance on 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,' Sanders talked about the exact moment in his life when he found his purpose and drive to become a football coach.

"I was retired and I just wanted to be a dad," Coach Prime said. "I'm sitting at home and I'm taking my seven-year-old to football practice. And I wasn't going to two different practices so my five-year-old, we lied and said he was six so I could get him on the same team.

"And I'm out there and I'm watching them have these kids collide. So I get off my lawn chair amd say, 'Let me go do this coach, you can't do this.' So I sit back down ... I get up and they do something stupid again. So I get up and next thing you know I'm running the whole practice. And I thought to myself, If I'm gonna do this, I'm gonna do it my way."

Deion Sanders then explained how this Ikigai moment in his life sparked the idea of starting a youth football league. It also led to the formation of Prime Prep Academy to help hone these young talents.

"So I called some of my friends that played in the NFL with me that was retired. And I said, 'Let's start this youth football league.' We had 1,200 kids try out. And the rest was history.

"So, it started from them on from ages 5 to 14 and we just started this unbelievable youth program with football, baseball, basketball, track, cheer, everything. And that's how all of this started. So I was Coach Prime before you knew I was Coach Prime."

After co-founding Prime Prep Academy in 2012, Deion Sanders remained as the head coach for two seasons before being hired by Triple-A Academy in 2015. Two seasons later, he became the OC of Trinity Christian High School where his sons Shedeur, Shilo and Deion Sanders Jr. played.

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Deion Sanders shares word of encouragement with son Shilo ahead of East-West Shrine Bowl

Both of Coach Prime's sons, Shedeur and Shilo, were invited to play in the 2025 East-West Shrine Bowl. Despite attending the practice week and interacting with several NFL teams and coaches, Shedeur has decided not to participate in the all-star bowl game.

On the other hand, Shilo Sanders is a part of the west team in the East-West Shrine Bowl scheduled to be played on Jan. 30. Ahead of the game, Deion Sanders shared some words of encouragement on social media to boost his son's confidence.

"@ShiloSanders Proud of son keep on balling! @DeionSandersJr has the receipts. #Dad #EastWestShrine," Coach Prime wrote in the post.

Unlike his brother, Shilo is not considered to be a first-round pick in the draft. He has a difficult journey ahead of him to be successful in the NFL. But his father believes in his capability to follow in his footsteps and make a name for himself as a professional footballer in the coming years.