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In a society that only pays historical Black colleges and universities a fraction of the respect they deserve, there is a graver divide between the resources acquired between schools with this status and predominantly white institutions (PWIs). However, the ranking within the HBCU category, as some more notable schools garner greater attention, and thus more funding, whenever the spotlight happens to swing this way, is even more to consider. It is a conversation Black Twitter stirs up almost as frequently as the HBCU v. PWI debate, and Coach Prime choosing to coach at lesser known Jackson State University combated not only the PWI to NFL pipeline, but HBCU elitism as well.
Deion “Prime Time” Sanders Chose Jackson State
When NFL Hall of Famer Deion “Prime Time” Sanders made the declaration to coach at Jackson State University, many were surprised for a twofold reason, showcasing deeper sentiments regarding schools seen as “notable.” An all-time great like Sanders took the less traditional route to post-career coaching by not joining a Big Ten football school, but also by choosing an HBCU that is outside the “Black Ivys,” traditionally Hampton, Howard, Spelman and Morehouse.
These more “elite” HBCUs accumulate 80% of collective endowments granted to these specific schools, marginalizing the smaller colleges, such as JSU, even further. When schools on the lower end of the rankings receive so little to strengthen their programs, Coach Prime taking JSU’s football team under his wing seems like an overdue miracle.
On joining on JSU’s football department, newly named “Coach Prime” spoke to Good Morning America in 2020 of the decision:
“If you give us the resources, if you give us the same resources that these other schools have, we’re going to prove that there is a highway that takes you from Jackson State all the way to the NFL.”
Coach Prime embarked on this journey to break the mold of the traditional NFL pipeline. HBCUs have not been able to attract the (usually Black) talent necessary to compete on a grander stage, despite being institutions created for Black collegiates to thrive on and off the field.
This sense of belonging is something PWIs cannot champion wholly, despite the abundance of resources. It is a sentiment that almost every HBCU grad expresses, the community found on those “yards” can only be created at an institution built for us. Black athletes should not have to choose between opportunity and community, and Sanders went to rectify this as a savior of HBCU football.
Did Sanders Leave Too Soon?
However, therein lies the issue, by putting himself on this mission, and subsequently leaving before the mission was fulfilled, Coach Prime dropped the ball on smaller HBCUs before taking them to the end zone. While doing an incredible job turning around JSU’s football program, leading them from losing to an undefeated season, a few years of transformational work is not enough for an entire systemic overhaul.
It is not enough to prove the talent is there, and using one’s celebrity to force professional sports teams to pay attention, but to create a pipeline that is sustainable once the work is done. JSU does not have the notability of a “Black Ivy,” and while Deion’s work is not going unappreciated, he may not be completely aware of all that it still took to truly break the system.
While his transition to greater coaching opportunities was inevitable, no one expected it to be so soon, especially as the tide just began to change. This is why it hurts to so many, because the promise was always there, and the hard work was already beginning to make waves in the media. Jackson State University, and smaller HBCUs across the nation, deserve the spotlight on their talented students.
Coach Prime’s intentions and work for JSU will always be remarkable, but he has to reconcile with the fact that it may have only been for a season and not outlast his stay. What he did was legendary, but what happens to the dream, now that it’s deferred?
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