With the news of Jackson State football coach Deion Sanders leaving for Colorado, there are a lot of questions surrounding a future stadium for the Tigers.Mississippi legislators said Sanders’, known as “Coach Prime,” departure isn’t going to slow the momentum of stadium talks. They said the need for the stadium came long before Sanders arrived in Jackson.”The moment won’t stop. This is Jackson State University. We have always drawn crowds for football games,” said state Rep. Chris Bell, who is a JSU alum.”It would have been easier had ‘Coach Prime’ stayed to advocate for it, but he’s not here,” said Sen. Hillman Frazier, who also graduated from JSU. “He highlighted the need for it because attendance did increase at the stadium.”Sanders is facing criticism in the community, as some are hurt by him leaving Jackson, while others are torn by how he went about it. The coach made the announcement that he was headed to Colorado just hours after JSU won the SWAC Championship game.”I think he used Jackson State as a stepping stone for bigger colleges to hire him,” said Jackson resident Francette Rush.”Get over it. The man has a family, just like them. Jackson state advanced really good,” said fan Mike Johnson.The impacts of how ‘Coach Prime’ put the HBCU on the map are evident from the team making an appearance on “Good Morning America,” hosting “ESPN College Game Day,” and breaking attendance records. “Just because he has decided to go somewhere else and start a new career doesn’t stop the process of us working toward us getting a stadium for Jackson State University,” Bell said.Some of the fans and state lawmakers 16 WAPT News spoke to said it’s up to historically Black college or university programs in the SWAC to come together and keep the momentum going without Sanders.
With the news of Jackson State football coach Deion Sanders leaving for Colorado, there are a lot of questions surrounding a future stadium for the Tigers.
Mississippi legislators said Sanders’, known as “Coach Prime,” departure isn’t going to slow the momentum of stadium talks. They said the need for the stadium came long before Sanders arrived in Jackson.
“The moment won’t stop. This is Jackson State University. We have always drawn crowds for football games,” said state Rep. Chris Bell, who is a JSU alum.
“It would have been easier had ‘Coach Prime’ stayed to advocate for it, but he’s not here,” said Sen. Hillman Frazier, who also graduated from JSU. “He highlighted the need for it because attendance did increase at the stadium.”
Sanders is facing criticism in the community, as some are hurt by him leaving Jackson, while others are torn by how he went about it. The coach made the announcement that he was headed to Colorado just hours after JSU won the SWAC Championship game.
“I think he used Jackson State as a stepping stone for bigger colleges to hire him,” said Jackson resident Francette Rush.
“Get over it. The man has a family, just like them. Jackson state advanced really good,” said fan Mike Johnson.
The impacts of how ‘Coach Prime’ put the HBCU on the map are evident from the team making an appearance on “Good Morning America,” hosting “ESPN College Game Day,” and breaking attendance records.
“Just because he has decided to go somewhere else and start a new career doesn’t stop the process of us working toward us getting a stadium for Jackson State University,” Bell said.
Some of the fans and state lawmakers 16 WAPT News spoke to said it’s up to historically Black college or university programs in the SWAC to come together and keep the momentum going without Sanders.
