Hall of Famer Sanders is new coach at Jackson State
Deion Sanders wiped away tears of joy and passion before speaking.
Jackson State’s new football coach then stated “I believe” many times about what he envisions happening on and off the field at the Mississippi school.
“I have a commitment to excellence in each and every thing I do,” the Hall of Fame cornerback said during his introduction as the Tigers’ 21st head coach.
“We’re going to win. We’re going to look good while we win, and we’re going to have a good time while we win.”
Sanders’ introduction followed his announcement Sunday night on the first episode of the “21st & Prime” podcast with Jamie Dukes on Barstool Sports. The player known as “Prime Time” added: “Isn’t this the time? Isn’t this the moment? Isn’t this what’s needed? It’s a match made in heaven.”
Currently the offensive coordinator at Trinity Christian School-Cedar Hill in Texas, Sanders is taking his first head coaching job.
“I’ve been offered pro jobs,” Sanders added, “so people know I could be an assistant in any college.”
The Southwestern Athletic Conference school introduced Sanders with the trademark pomp of a historically Black university. Its marching band led a police-escorted motorcade into an arena with a boisterous yet socially distanced audience. “Coach Prime” later opened a blue blazer lined with the JSU logo to much applause.
Sanders replaces John Hendrick, whose contract was not renewed this summer after going 6-9 and 5-5 in SWAC play. Sanders will begin coaching this spring after the SWAC postponed fall sports because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Tigers plan to begin an eight-game schedule in February.
He takes over a Tigers program that has produced fellow Hall of Famers such as Walter Payton, Lem Barney, Jackie Slater and Robert Brazile.
Sanders was a two-time All-American at Florida State before a standout NFL career with five teams including the San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys, winning a Super Bowl with each. He also earned eight Pro Bowl and nine first-team All-Pro selections during a career in which he also returned kicks and punts and played wide receiver. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2011.
Sanders also played nine seasons with four clubs in Major League Baseball, appearing in the 1992 World Series with the Atlanta Braves.
Sanders has also worked as an analyst for NFL Network and CBS Sports.
UMASS OPTS BACK IN TO FALL FOOTBALL SEASON >> Massachusetts will play a limited fall football season, six weeks after canceling it amid coronavirus concerns, the school announced. In a news release, the school said the decision was made after reviewing the program’s COVID-19 safety protocols and “rigorous testing regimen” in place since players returned to campus in June.
UMass is seeking to begin its season in mid-October and is working to develop a “competitive multi-contest schedule.” Any home games will be played without fans at McGuirk Alumni Stadium.
QUARTERBACK REJOINS TCU AFTER HEART PROCEDURE >> TCU quarterback Max Duggan could see action on Saturday in the season opener for the Horned Frogs, just about a month after undergoing a heart procedure.
Coach Gary Patterson said that Duggan returned to practice about two weeks ago. A lifelong heart issue was discovered during COVID-19 testing in August, and Duggan was ruled out indefinitely.
Tennis
DJOKOVIC BACK ON TOP IN ROME >> Fifteen days after he was defaulted from the U.S. Open, Novak Djokovic had plenty to celebrate on Monday.
Djokovic beat Diego Schwartzman 7-5, 6-3 to win his fifth Italian Open title in Rome; he passed childhood idol Pete Sampras for the secondmost weeks at No. 1 with 287 — trailing only Roger Federer’s 310 weeks in the top spot — and he re-asserted his dominance before the French Open starts in six days.
Djokovic improved to 31-1 this year — with his only loss against Pablo Carreño Busta in the fourth round of the U.S. Open. That, of course, was when Djokovic unintentionally hit a line judge in the throat with a ball in a fit of anger — resulting in him being thrown out.
Against Schwartzman, who was playing his first Masters 1000 final,
Djokovic recovered from a 3-0 deficit in the opening set and eventually wore down the steady Argentine to finish off the match in just under 2 hours — and just before it began raining.
In the women’s final, top-seeded Simona Halep won her first Rome title when 2019 champion Karolína Plíšková retired midway through their match with a left thigh injury. Halep was leading 6-0, 2-1 when Plíšková stopped playing after just 31 minutes.
KING AND ORIGINAL 9 WOMEN AMONG NOMINEES FOR TENNIS HALL >> Billie Jean King and the other members of the Original 9 who laid the groundwork for the women’s professional tennis tour are the first group nominated together for the International Tennis Hall of Fame. They join Jonas Bjorkman, Sergi Brugera, Juan Carlos Ferrero, Lleyton Hewitt, Lisa Raymond and the late Dennis Van der Meer on the ballot announced for the Hall’s Class of 2021.
Wednesday is the 50th anniversary of when King, elected to the Hall in 1987 for her accomplishments on the court, and eight other players — Peaches Bartkowicz, Rosie Casals, Judy Dalton, Julie Heldman, Kerry Melville Reid, Kristy Pigeon, Nancy Richey and Valerie Ziegenfuss — signed $1 contracts to participate in the first women-only tennis tournament, taking a stand against the disparity in prize money between men and women at the time.
Motorsports
HAMLIN, MICHAEL JORDAN PARTNER ON NASCAR TEAM FOR WALLACE >> Denny Hamlin is starting his own race car team in partnership with Charlotte Hornets owner Michael Jordan and Bubba Wallace as the driver.
Hamlin, a three-time Daytona 500 winner and top contender for this year’s Cup title, made the announcement on social media. The team will be a single-car Toyota entry aligned with Joe Gibbs Racing.
Hamlin said additional details would be forthcoming. Wallace is the only Black driver at NASCAR’s top level.
Wallace, who has cobbled together about $18 million in sponsorship deals, is leaving Richard Petty Motorsports at the end of the season. CHASTAIN TO DRIVE FOR GANASSI IN NASCAR CUP SERIES >> Ross Chastain will drive the No. 42 Chevrolet for Chip Ganassi Racing full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series beginning next season. He will replace Matt Kenseth, who took over behind the wheel in May when Kyle Larson was fired.
Chastain currently drives for Kaulig Racing on the NASCAR Xfinity Series and will compete in the series playoffs beginning Saturday.