Deion Sanders is inducted into Pro Football Hall of Fame Aug. 6, 2011

In his speech, Sanders, 44, paid tribute to his coaches and teammates, but the highlight of his speech came when he reiterated a promise he made to his mother as a seven-year-old in Fort Myers, Fla.

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“I made a promise when I was seven years old to this young woman at the age of 27. She was working two jobs just to see if ends could see one another, cause they never met. And she was slaving over pots and pans on that precise day,” said an emotional Sanders, in front of roughly 13,000 fans in Canton, Ohio.

“And I said, ‘Mamma’ — because I was tired of seeing her go to work and come home all tired — I said, ‘We’re gonna be rich one day. Mamma, I’m going to make a lot of money. And you will never have to work another day of your life.’ My mamma said, ‘That’s fine. But until then, you get that lawnmower and go out and cut that grass.’ …

“I made a pledge to myself, that I don’t care what it takes, I don’t care what it may take, I’m not going to do anything illegal, but my mamma will never have to work another day of her life.”

Sanders kept his promise to his mother, Constance Knight, who beamed with pride during her son’s speech.

Deion Sanders

Professional athletes all have a special talent that very few people possess. Still others have a talent that can just be described as a freak of nature. A few athletes come to mind – two-sport stars Bo Jackson and Brian Jordan and baseball Hall of Famer Dave Winfield, who was drafted by all three major sports out of college. But one of the best was without a doubt Deion Sanders.

Nicknamed “Prime Time” during his All-America football days at Florida State, Deion  is the only athlete to have ever played in both a Super Bowl and World Series. He is considered one of the greatest cover cornerbacks ever. He played for the Atlanta Falcons, San Francisco 49ers, Dallas Cowboys, Washington Redskins and Baltimore Ravens, winning the Super Bowl with the 49ers and Cowboys. He was a nine-time All-Pro and was named to the 1990’s NFL All-Decade Team.

In Major League Baseball, he played a nine-year, part-time career, participating in 641 games with four teams – the New York Yankees, Atlanta Braves, Cincinnati Reds and San Francisco Giants. During the 1989 season, he became the first player in history to hit a home run and score a touchdown in the same week.

Deion was considered a better football player than baseball player. His reputation was so great that opposing offensive coordinators almost always specifically accounted for him in their game plan.[He was widely known to shut down “his” half of the field, causing most quarterbacks to essentially ignore the receiver he was covering. He allegedly ran a 4.16 in the 40-yard dash, making him the second fastest in the NFL to Darrell Green.

Deion also occasionally played offense. He and Bill Dudley are the only players in NFL history to score a touchdown six different ways – interception return, punt return, kickoff return, receiving, rushing and a fumble recovery.

Deion will mostly be remembered by his “Prime Time” persona and for “high-stepping” it into the end zone followed by his touchdown dance celebrations. The interesting thing about “Prime Time” was that it was just a marketing ploy. He used it to become not only a fan favorite but also one of the highest-paid athletes of his time.

 Deion had some difficult times in the late 1990’s that led to him becoming born-again and an ordained minister. He also wrote an interesting book published in 1998  entitled “Power, Money & Sex: How Success Almost Ruined My Life.”

 Today, Deion is a analyst for the NFL Network. He’s also an a highly-acclaimed Christian Speaker and motivational sports speaker. I recently hired him to speak at a client’s sales meeting and he received higher ratings for his speech than any other speaker.

If you would like to find out how to hire Deion Sanders for a speaking engagement, appearance, endorsement, autograph signing or special event, request Deion Sanders booking agent information from PFP Sports and Celebrity Talent Agency. PFP is a top sports and celebrity booking agent for athletes, entertainers, sports stars and celebrities.

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