Countdown to College Football Kickoff 2015, Day 2: Deion Sanders was Prime Time at FSU

With just two days remaining until the 2015 college football kickoff, we look to number 2 — Prime Time, Neon Deion — none other than Florida State cornerback Deion Sanders.

ALSO READ: Countdown to Kickoff Day 3, Joe Montana and the Comeback

In day three we focused on one of the greatest offensive players to ever put on a pair of spikes, and today we flip the script and turn to one of the best defensive players anyone has ever seen – Prime Time.

More from ACC

If you think Jameis Winston took Tallahassee by storm, you should have seen the way Deion Sanders electrified the crowd at Doak Campbell stadium from 1985-88. Like Winston, Sanders was a multi-sport star, excelling not only at football, but also played outfield for the Seminoles baseball team that finished fifth in the nation, and helped lead the track & field team to a conference championship.

View image | gettyimages.com

But it was football where Sanders was in his element. He was in the spotlight, either as a shutdown cornerback or as a punt returner, and he loved it. Sanders was a two-time consensus All-American, and a Jim Thorpe Award winner in 1988. He intercepted 14 passes, including three in bowl games, and compiled 126 punt returns for 1,429 yards – a school record.

Deion’s charisma both on and off the field made him a polarizing figure. He practically — ok, not practically — he dared opposing quarterbacks to throw the ball his way, and most of the time if they obliged he made them pay.

Sanders went on to a Hall of Fame NFL career and a pretty good MLB career as well, being the only person in history to score and NFL touchdown and hit a MLB home run in the same week. Florida State retired Deion’s number 2 jersey in 1995, and he’s by far the best to ever wear that number at any school.

Next: Top 5 ACC Defensive POY Candidates for 2015

More from Saturday Blitz

Home/ACC