Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive back Deion Sanders said he will be coaching high school football on Friday nights this fall.
Sanders told The Dallas Morning News on Monday that he will be one of three men sharing head coaching duties at Prime Prep Academy, the charter school he is opening this fall in Dallas.
The other co-head coaches are former Dallas Cowboys teammates George Hegamin and Kevin Mathis.
Despite other commitments, including on-air duties with NFL Network, Sanders told the Morning News he would be involved in the day-to-day coaching of the team, including Friday night games.
“There’s been a lot of Cowboys, Mavericks, Rangers, Stars that passed through this city, man,” Sanders told the Morning News. “I chose to do this.”
Prime Prep Academy will begin play this fall in the University Interscholastic League, the predominant high school athletic organization in Texas. Prime Prep will be a Class 3A school (the UIL system goes up to Class 5A) and will begin play Aug. 31.
Prime Prep will play an eight-game season, instead of the customary 10 games, and will play only one home game in its inaugural season. The home game will be played at a local community college, where Prime Prep also is expected to conduct practices.
Monday’s initial day of practice was at the school’s campus in southern Dallas, which lacks most of the amenities of traditional football programs.
Sanders has headed up youth programs in football and other sports, but this is his first foray at the high school level. He said he isn’t bothered by the lack of convention at Prime Prep, including the three-headed head coaching staff.
“We’re not like other schools,” Sanders told the Morning News. “We don’t care about that kind of stuff.”
Follow Keith Whitmire on Twitter: @Keith_Whitmire
