"Guess I have to give him 100% credit": When WWE legend Goldberg jokingly credited Coach Prime for helping him become a professional wrestler

Deion Sanders, otherwise known as Coach Prime, and WWE Hall of Famer Bill Goldberg go way back. Now the head coach of Colorado men's football program, Sanders joked in May 2024 that he could take at least a small amount of credit for Goldberg, his former football teammate, switching to the career he's more known for.

Goldberg is known for going undefeated in World Championship Wrestling for over a year, posting a record of 173-0 while beating notable wrestlers such as Big Show and "Mr. Perfect" Curt Henning. No Atlanta Falcons were looking to mess with Goldberg during his time as an NFL defensive tackle.

"We used to have wrestling matches every Friday in the middle of the locker room," Coach Prime said in a video posted on YouTube by Well Off Media last May. "I was like the Don King ... and we were promoting different guys, and I used to always say, 'Who wants Goldberg?' Everybody would put their head down. Nobody wanted him, and then he becomes a wrestler."

Comments begin at 8:08

Goldberg cheekily responded to Coach Prime's comments, saying:

"I guess I have to give him 100% credit for me being a professional wrestler because I never would've done it."

How did Coach Prime and Goldberg become close?

In the same video, Sanders explained how he became friends with Goldberg during the pair's time with the Falcons.

"Let me tell you the legacy," Coach Prime said. "I ran a punt back. They hit me out of bounds. Goldberg was my dog. They didn't understand who Goldberg was gonna become, but we already knew. He ran from one end of the sideline to the other end and slammed the cat."

Goldberg pointed out that he was fined $10,000 for defending Sanders. For someone that didn't have the same contract as Coach Prime did, it was no easy payment.

"Basically three of my checks," Goldberg said. "When he (Sanders) was making that every 15 seconds. But that shows you it doesn't matter who you are or what you are. It matters what you stand for. He was my brother and he'll always be my brother and I'm always there for him."

Goldberg was a two-time All-SEC defensive tackle for Georgia, lettering in Athens each year from 1986-89. He was a Bulldogs captain for his senior go-round, pacing the team with 121 tackles that year. As of last September, Goldberg ranked ninth in the program's lore with 348 stops. The Los Angeles Rams drafted him in the 11th round of the 1990 NFL Draft, but never suited up for the team.

Goldberg played in 14 games for Atlanta from 1992-94, then was picked up by the Carolina Panthers in the 1995 NFL expansion draft. An injury to his midsection closed the book on his gridiron career.