Deion Sanders Enters Pro Football Hall Of Fame In Class Of 2011

Something was missing from Deion Sanders’ Hall of Fame bust. It was an accurate enough depiction of the man they call Prime Time, but was still missing that finishing touch -- the cherry on top. So after delivering a lengthy speech about his upbringing, career and people around him who shaped his life, Sanders finished off the bust with the missing element: his trademark bandanna.

↵Here’s the new and improved bust, pictured as Prime makes it his own.

After thanking a list of players, coaches and families that must have been over 100 individuals long (and included Snoop Dogg and Ice Cube), Deion Sanders finally began the inspirational portion of his Hall of Fame speech. At age seven, Sanders made a promise that he would make enough money one day to make sure that his mother didn’t need to work another day in her life. When she heard this, she told him until that happened he needed to go out and mow lawns.

Sanders wanted to live a dream, but it one bigger than himself. If it’s not, he said, then there’s something wrong with the dram. It was to help his mother live a better life--that is what drove him to succeed. Every time he was told he couldn’t do something, wasn’t big enough or wouldn’t succeed, he would just think of his mother and know that he could do it and overcome everything in his path. Like Shannon Sharpe doing everything for his grandmother, Sanders did it all for his mother.

And you should probably listen to him, lest you miss what could be one of the better Hall of Fame speeches in recent memory.

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Deion Sanders put together quite a few highlights during his 14-year playing career. That should be obvious considering his induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame -- and his nicknames of “Prime Time” and “Neon” -- but it seems there are always a few exciting things forgotten from a career that spanned two sports, three decades and five different NFL teams.

Luckily, there are plenty of highlights available to remember Sanders’ career, starting all the way back to his time with the Florida State Seminoles in the 80s.

In all, Sanders returned 212 punts for 2,199 yards and six touchdowns and 155 kickoffs for 3,523 yards and three scores. He also had 784 receiving yards and three touchdowns on 60 catches as a wide receiver. Sanders was an eight-time Pro Bowler, was second in interception return yardage when he retired the second time and was the NFL Defense Player of the Year in 1994.

Sanders also dabbled in baseball as a hobby, with his best season coming in 1992 for Atlanta. Sanders hit .304/.346/.495 and had a league-leading 14 triples despite only playing in 97 games. He was 8-for-15 in the World Series, which was of course a loss for the Braves.