Eagles fans hated Deion Sanders. Now, here’s how Philly athletes are loving Coach Prime

If Eagles fans hit Santa with snowballs, imagine how they felt about former Dallas Cowboys superstar and rival Deion Sanders.

The Philly hate for Coach Prime was real during the ’90s. 

Lately, however, star athletes from the City of “Brotherly Shove” have been embracing the NFL legend who is now head coach of the University of Colorado football team.

Sixers icon Dr. Julius Erving was spotted visiting Coach Prime in Colorado in a video uploaded to Thee Pregame Show’s YouTube channel on Saturday, Nov. 11.

Deion Sanders is in awe of Julius Erving

Colorado Buffaloes football coach Deion Sanders on the set of ESPN’s College GameDay.

The 2011 Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee said he initially thought Dr. J, who mercilessly performed surgery on defenders in basketball games, was a medical professional.

“You’re talking about a brotha called a ‘doctor,’ and he didn’t even have a Ph.D.,” Coach Prime explained to Dr. J, who was tickled by his statement. “Do you know how much that meant to me as a kid for a brotha to be a doctor?”

After doing homework, the Buffaloes football coach discovered Erving didn’t work in a hospital. But he still credits the Doctor for helping to save his life.

“You made me dream out of the hood,” Sanders recalled. “If he could do it, I could do it.”

Erving was a smooth operator on and off the basketball court. Dr. J was articulate, well-dressed and operated above the rim during his playing days.

The Doctor said he was obligated to speak well in interviews after games because “it’s embarrassing” when athletes get caught off-guard by reporters, and he didn’t want that.

“When I did interviews, I was always suave. I was always dressed [nicely],” Coach Prime told Dr. J. “I got that from you.”

Sanders and Erving share many things in common like becoming champions in their respective pro sports, earning Hall of Fame inductions, and having their own shoe.

One similarity Irving noted is they both have a positive outlook on life.

“Like you, I always think the best day of my life [is] gonna be tomorrow,” Erving told Coach Prime. “I want to believe that’s true. It might not be true. The best might’ve come and gone. But I like to believe I can keep that … out in front of me.”

Coach Prime calls Julius Erving a hero

Sanders, currently the most famous college football coach, made Erving smile when he talked about wanting to buy his Converse sneakers back in the day.

“I worked my butt off at a little summer … job because I had to have them Js,” Coach Prime explained, followed by Dr. J bursting into laughter.

“Do you understand it’s rare that a person gets an opportunity, in his elder age, to sit down with a person who was one of his heroes?” Coach Prime said to Erving. “This is surreal to me.”

Dr. J isn’t the only one who appreciates Coach Prime. Last month Phillies stars Bryce Harper and Nick Castellanos arrived at Citizens Bank Park, before the team’s big Game 3 win over the Atlanta Braves, paying tribute to Sanders.

Harper rocked a T-shirt that featured a Coach Prime collage, while Castellanos sported a “Prime” Colorado hoodie.

76ers & Joel Embiid hug Coach Prime

Last month, the Sixers and new head coach Nick Nurse were at Colorado State University in Fort Collins for training camp. The Sixers ended up visiting Coach Prime in Boulder where he gave the team a pep talk.

Players hugged and dapped up Prime, including Joel Embiid and new Sixers defender Patrick Beverley.

At that time, Coach Prime’s top cornerback for the Buffaloes, Travis Hunter, was sidelined with an injury. Sanders tried to recruit Beverley.

“I need you to play corner, can you play corner for me?” Sanders jokingly said to Beverley in a YouTube video posted by Reach The People Media. “I had a bad experience,” Beverley explained to Sanders.

Prime’s motivational message to the Sixers was about winning.

“I’m faithful to winning. So I’m going to do whatever I gotta do to win. So if me and your relationship gotta end, I’m going to win,” Sanders said to the team in a YouTube video posted to Well Off Media’s channel, run by his son, Deion Sanders Jr.

Eagles legend Terrell Owens with Deion Sanders

Retired NFL player Terrell Owens leads the crowd in a cheer in the second half of an NCAA college football game between Southern California and Colorado, Saturday, Sept. 30, 2023, in Boulder, Colorado.

Former Eagles star receiver Terrell Owens has been supporting his friend Coach Prime at Buffaloes games this year, and when Sanders coached at Jackson State. Fellow Hall of Famer Owens is one of multiple NFL legends that Sanders has brought around his players.

Last month, Owens said he’s not leaving Sanders’ side.

“I’m always gonna be a main staple here,” he told Thee Pregame Show before the Buffs played UCLA last month. “We support each other in everything that we do.”

Coach Prime and the Buffaloes (4-6) will play their next game against #17 Washington State in Pullman Washington on Friday, Nov. 17 at 8:30 p.m. MT.

The Buffaloes’ final regular season game is against Utah in Salt Lake City, Utah on Saturday, Nov. 25. The time for that game hasn’t been announced yet. For more info, visit cubuffs.com.

If you have an interesting story idea, email lifestyle reporter Andre Lamar at alamar@gannett.com. Consider signing up for his weekly newsletter, DO Delaware, at delawareonline.com/newsletters.

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This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Deion Sanders looks up to 76ers sports legend Julius Erving