Sanders and Staley: Sport Icons Boldly Challenging the Status Quo

“To be great is to be misunderstood.”
― Ralph Waldo Emerson

Elite Black athletes have set the standard in many American sports. One of the most decorated and vocal has been Deion “Prime Time” Sanders, former Florida State University (FSU) football player and the new head coach at the University of Colorado. The media and fan scrutiny around his resignation from Jackson State University (JSU) reminds me of the journey of another great Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) star, Dawn Staley. Staley is a former University of Virginia women’s basketball player and current head coach at the University of South Carolina. Bold, visionary, and a lightning rod for racists, haters, and traditionalists, Sanders and Staley are beloved by many because they move to the “beat of their own drum” and win unapologetically.

“Everyone has the fire, but the champions know when to ignite the spark.” Amit Ra

How great of an athlete was Sanders? Born and raised in Florida, Prime Time is one of those once in a generation talent. An outstanding competitor, Sanders excelled at baseball, football, and track and field as a youngster and managed to almost become the first to play in games of two major American professional sports on the same day. In 1992, Sanders was on the field as a member of the Atlanta Falcons and later that day joined…