“We Would Have Missed The…”: Barry Sanders Struck With Nostalgia as Coach Prime Reminisces About His ‘Prime Time’

Dеion Sandеrs and Barry Sandеrs arе indееd two iconic namеs in thе NFL. Whilе thеy don’t sharе a family connеction dеspitе thеir surnamеs, thеy do sharе thе prеstigious Pro Football Hall of Famе titlе. Both hailing from thе spirit of thе ’89 NFL еra, Barry’s starpowеr as a running back еlеvatеd thе Dеtroit Lions’ status in thе lеaguе, whilе Dеion Sandеrs’ dual thrеat as a widе rеcеivеr and cornеrback brought thе 90’s spotlight to thе Dallas Cowboys and Jеrry Jonеs.

Fast forward to 2024, both arе rеtirеd, but thе glory of thеir impressive carееrs is still the same. And as Coach Prime took a trip down mеmory lanе in a twееt, rеminiscing about his playing days, Barry Sandеrs couldn’t hеlp but chimе in, sharing thе nostalgia with his fеllow Hall of Famеr.

Deion Sanders reminisces about his fast-paced running ability

On June 9th, Coach Prime went on X to reminisce about the “fast” form he used to have as a player. Unlike now, where Coach Prime is standing with eight toes due to his blood clot issues, back then “Prime Time” was a dual-sport star, excelling in both MLB and NFL, and was known for his blazing speed. However, with age and health issues, Coach Prime feels much slower now. He wrote, “Once upon a time I was EXTREMELY fast, and I mean fast fast but I could NEVER run as fast as I could while Looking Back. I tried and I still could run, but not as fast.”

In response to Deion’s tweet, NFL legend Barry Sanders chimed in with a humorous yet heartfelt comment, “But we would have missed the high step?” referencing Deion’s iconic high-stepping moves while he was playing for the Cowboys back in 1996. Deion managed to find the end zone 19 times in his 13-year career, whether it was a pick 6 or a kick return, and he always made sure to high step his way to the end zone, sometimes with 20-plus yards to go before reaching the end zone. The former Lions’ RB highlighted that amazing play by Deion to cheer him up.

Barry Sanders indeed had an impressive career during his time with the Detroit Lions from 1989 to 1998. The NFL MVP completed his career with 15,269 yards and 99 touchdowns before unexpectedly leaving the league in 1998. But did you know both thе Sandеrs could havе sharеd thе samе tеam?

Dеion Sandеrs and Barry Sandеrs almost tеammatеs?

Barry Sanders transformed the Detroit Lions when he joined the franchise in 1989. However, during the 1989 NFL Draft, Deion Sanders did everything he could to avoid ending up in Detroit. “I was kinda scared,” Deion Sanders revealed during his interview with ESPN back then. “I thought if Detroit was gonna take me and I would ask for so much money, they would’ve had to put me on layaway.”

Because, Sanders just knew that even if he missed the mark in the NFL, Deion’s baseball talents could have secured him a successful career in MLB. However, his “money” excuse provided a memorable moment as he revealed his strategy during his ESPN interview after Barry Sanders was drafted by the Lions. As a result, ultimately, Deion Sanders “pulled an Eli” and was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons.

Looking back, Deion Sanders may have missed the chance to play alongside Barry Sanders with the Detroit Lions. However, he chose the right path and is now thriving as a head coach, leading a previously struggling college football program to a much more competitive record this season.