"My mother would not have to work another of her life": Deion Sanders cherishes biggest memory from his NFL Draft

Deion Sanders was a name to be feared during his professional playing days in the NFL. During his 14-season stint in the league, he won two Super Bowls and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2011. After retiring, Coach Prime decided to dedicate his time and experience to helping young talents flourish on the gridiron at the collegiate level.

After ending his second campaign with the Colorado Buffaloes with a 9-4 record, Deion Sanders appeared on the 'Late Show with Stephen Colbert'. During his conversation with Colbert, Coach Prime was asked about his memories from his draft day in 1989 and what was going through his mind.

Deion Sanders became emotional after reminiscing the memory. He shared that, at that moment, he knew he could finally bring financial stability to his family and also take care of his loving mother Connie Knight, and retire her from working.

"We' weren't going to be broke no more," Coach Prime said. "That was it. We weren't going to be broke no more. And my mother would not have to work another day of her life, and life would never be the same. That's what I remembered."

"But I wanted to be the greatest. It wasn't about the money. It was about being the greatest and being dominant. Because when you're greatest and you're dominant, and you perfect your craft, the money's going to find you. You don't ever have to chase money when you perfect your craft."

After four seasons with Florida State in college, Deion Sanders was drafted fifth overall by the Atlanta Falcons in the 1989 NFL draft. He played with them for five seasons before joining the 49ers in 1994 where he won the Super Bowl XXIX.

Sanders played just one season with the 49ers. He then signed a lucrative seven-year contract with the Cowboys for $35 million along with a $12.99 million signing bonus. Coach Prime went on to win the Super Bowl XXX with the Cowboys during the 1995 season. He also played for the Washington Redskins (now Commanders) and the Baltimore Ravens before retiring in 2006.

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Deion Sanders talks about his relationship with 100yo Buff superfan Miss Peggy

On the show, Deion Sanders also discussed his relationship with Colorado superfan Peggy Coppom who turned 100 last year. He talked about Peggy's personality and also about her influence on the program and the players.

"Miss Peggy is 100 years old," Coach Prime said (0:32). "She's the OB: the Original Buff. She's awesome. She's unbelievable. Separate generations, but she has embraced me, loved me, guided me, and supported me in every facet and I have supported her."

"Our goal was not to do this and that this season. Our goal was one thing, we had to get Miss Peggy to a Bowl game and that's what we did. We achieved that. She's so awesome. I love her life."

Deion Sanders did manage to help the Buffs qualify for their first bowl game since 2020. Unfortunately, their season ended with a 36-14 loss to the BYU Cougars in the Alamo Bowl showdown.