Deion Sanders Breaks Down His Most Iconic Prime Time Looks | GQ Sports Style Hall of Fame

I don't follow trends. I set trends.

I don't follow styles. I set styles.

I never in my life looked at somebody and said,

Let me see what he got on, so I could,

no, no, I make you look down at yourself when you see me.

How you doing? This is Deion Sanders.

Right now, I'm Coach Prime.

I've been formally Prime Time.

I dropped the Time years ago.

Now I'm just Prime,

but now this is my style history.

[R&B music]

Being inducted into the GQ Style Hall of Fame

is flat out epic because it's always been

a dream and desire.

It's like the Hall of Fame in the NFL

and college football Hall of Fame.

It's nothing that you call and ask and request.

You gotta be chosen. [R&B music]

The first look, June of '89, that was in Columbus, Ohio.

I was playing for the AAA baseball team

in the New York Yankees farm system.

It wasn't really a happy time in my life

because I've always been dominant.

I'm young and I'm just understanding baseball.

And I was roughing it.

Roughing it, meaning I know I'm getting ready to be

a top five NFL pick

and I'm in AAA in baseball

and someone wanted to do a photo shoot.

It was hot out there.

I chose to be in leather

and put some of the weight on.

But that picture right there is Prime Time,

like it's the nerve that I had,

the audacity that I had to put on some leather

in 100 degree temperature or whatever it was.

And it was like the wall of the rocks

and I were friends, man.

We was just chilling with one another,

having a conversation,

and the cameras just happened to capture it.

The Prime Time logo was supposed to be like

a man that was in a flash,

like he was in a hurry to get there.

He had somewhere to go.

He had something to do.

With the gold Prime Time across the, we said the ceiling,

we called it the ceiling, of the whole outfit.

Dark EK shades, Emmanuelle Khanh Shades,

I'd never forget those.

I wanted those so bad.

I wish they could make me another pair of those.

That's the only shades that I wore.

I didn't wear anything but EKs at that point in time

in my life.

Draft day, I'm on the couch.

And we knew that ship was about to come in,

the fifth pick to go to the Atlanta Falcons.

I had previously told

the several teams that were picking priors,

do not take me.

If you take me, I'm gonna play baseball.

I loved Atlanta.

Atlanta was a chocolate city.

They were an understanding city.

They were a city on the rise.

They were a city that

I could ride with that I knew it was gonna ride with me.

I chose them and they chose me

and it was one of the greatest days of my life.

And I'm holding my hands up like we just won. We scored.

I was already a pro in baseball, not football.

I had got broken off after my junior year

probably a quarter of a mil to go play baseball

for six weeks in the summer

at that point in time as well.

So I was a pro getting ready to be a pro.

That's why I was stuntin' as so.

This like victory man. That's like joy.

We got this thing. We did that.

And you could see the jewelry still the same,

giving the message to the youngsters.

Emmanuel Khanh shades with the snake skin.

I had on Sergio Tacchini sweatsuit,

which we covered up the logo and put the Prime on there

'cause all I wore sweats back then was Sergio Tacchini.

That day on, my mother never worked another day of her life.

That's how prominent that day was.

When I look at that picture,

I'm thinking about how before my time I was.

There was no dudes doing privates

or getting outta helicopters, man.

It was Louis bag with my necessities.

I was Nike'd up and down

'cause I know I was gonna be photographed.

Nike is the one who really booked the flight

and made it possible with the private jet.

First of all, never had a stylist in my life.

I've always done everything I did, the good and the bad.

It was on me.

We ain't gonna blame nobody for the bad

if you can't give 'em credit for the good.

That was all me my whole career.

I knew I was going from the cold of Pittsburgh to Miami,

so that understood the jacket up top

and the shorts down low

'cause I wanted to be comfortable on the plane.

Different shades, they wasn't EK.

My son just lost those darn shades two years ago

and I'm still mad at him about that.

And it was just an iconic night.

But I was in turmoil right then, I really was,

because they was talking so much junk about me

going to do what was right.

I'm going to help my football teammates out

because I'm really on the football contract.

Left my baseball teammates who,

they were happy and elated that I was going to do such,

and the media eating me alive like I'm selfish.

And I'm over there on baseball on a loan,

just helping my guys out,

Not on a contract, no nothing.

The football contract was the one.

But they were so elated when they saw me the next day

get on the bus to go play against Dan Marino

and the Miami Dolphins.

So that's a moment, man.

Got to the Dallas Cowboys and you gotta understand,

I had really never been to an NFL training camp.

A lot of people forgot that I had this other job

called Major League Baseball.

And they told me everything is spread out.

You gotta have a golf cart. Okay. Cool

Well, if I'm gonna do a golf cart

I'm gonna do a golf cart.

That cart had air condition.

It had a ice chest for my Yoo-Hoos.

I used to love Yoo-Hoos.

The back let down so a couple of other teammates could ride.

It had a stereo system, a mist system,

the top let down to a convertible.

That cart was before its time as well.

And that was a moment, you know, pulling up to the camp,

getting out with all those screaming,

you know, cowboys fanatics are unbelievable.

And that was a moment.

The first picture is practice,

just chilling in practice, just a normal practice look.

The second one,

I think it was spring training with the Cincinnati Reds.

And, you know, had my bandana around

and I'm working up a sweat.

A little jewelry on just to let 'em know I'm still me.

The third shot in February, this Pro Bowl.

What's iconic about that picture is I'm 24.

You know, everybody know I'm 21.

You know, two in your program and one in your heart.

But it was other cornerbacks,

I believe Eric Allen had more seniority over me

as a NFL player, so he won 21.

And I remember saying to myself privately,

'cause I got love for Eric Allen,

Never again. Never again. What's mine, is mine.

And I don't think I ever wore another other number

other than 21 at the Pro Bowl ever again,

unless I wanted to.

Well, the thing about bandanas, I wore it for real.

I wore bandanas as a shorty.

So it's not like I changed.

That was me for real when nobody was looking.

That's who I was.

I've been doing that since I was a shorty,

wrist band round the neck, gold chain on.

You see, baseball's a traditional sport,

so I couldn't be draped.

So I had to have something on conservative,

but you had to know it was me.

Look good, feel good. Feel good, play good.

Play good, they pay good.

They pay good, you live good.

And it was iconic.

I think they tried to fine me for this picture

because I was wearing my gear on the sideline.

That was like a Prime, like a ski jacket.

Might've been a home game.

I was injured so I didn't play.

And first of all, I hated not to play.

That upset me as well,

but I think they tried to fine me

for not wearing an NFL license jacket on the sideline.

But we didn't have nothing that big

and thick that kept me warm.

Baseball was so traditional,

they would place fear in your heart, for the weak minded,

that you couldn't do this and you couldn't do that.

And it was traditional.

And I was so glad once I established myself,

I start saying, Okay, well why can't we do this?

You got four different stages of Prime.

Okay, October '92,

that was floating out of the locker room,

getting ready to go to Miami or go somewhere.

Reversible mink jacket,

there's leather on the other side reverse, hair whipped.

Like we had a stylist in your darn locker room.

That's how whipped the hair was.

The shades was on point,

Louis bag on the shoulder,

skin looking like God just molded it right there.

That was a iconic moment.

The second one,

I believe I was playing for the San Francisco Giants.

And I'm smiling looking at one of my teammates.

I was rocking the braids then.

But I remember the sister,

we went and found a sister in Oakland

that knew how to do braids, man.

And she whipped me up real quick.

I don't think it was fresh,

but she whipped me up real quick.

The third one was the old young Prime.

Didn't know no better.

Look, he wasn't even stuntin' then. He was mad.

We was getting our butts kicked.

That was during the season

'cause I'm sitting on the bench mad.

I'm probably looking at one of my teammates and like,

Really man. Dog, really?

You just went out there and did,

really this is what you going to do all,

I mean I'm looking at them like that.

Curl looked wet but it was dry.

The curl looked wet but it was dry,

just keep that in mind.

But there's a young Prime right there.

The last one is Cincinnati Reds win.

I said, You know what?

Let me just gimme a different look.

That's the low cut, the waves,

the whole school boy cut looking young and innocent.

It's time for humor.

We joking and clowning,

probably with my boy Lenny Harris,

but having a good time.

But all four of those pictures, the commonality,

it was all fun.

Even though it was a little turbulence in the one,

but it was all fun.

Oh, I don't know where I am.

I'm wearing all my stuff.

Like those are my shoes I think had just come out,

custom hat flipped backwards.

I think I was wearing the loops at that time and two chains.

I think I was at a game or something,

just letting them know that I was

Allstate in basketball too,

just in case they forgot it,

just in case they ain't have an hour to Google me.

'Cause that's how long it's gonna take.

November of '94, I never really duplicate.

And you would rarely see me with an outfit on twice.

I have hundreds of suits.

But that first suit that you're showing,

when we shot the video Must Be The Money,

I remember wearing something sort of like that

when I'm looking and like, Oh.

Like I'm looking in the mirror like,

Ain't nothing I can do with it.

It's already perfect.

And I'm trying to figure why I didn't wear the jacket

because I rarely just vested up.

But then the second one, I don't know where I am.

I don't know if it's awards show or something,

but it's somewhere nice because I have on the hat

and the small shades,

so that mean I was there on purpose.

The third one that was LL Show, LL Cool J.

And he answered the door, you know,

and everybody recognized it was me

and they were cheering

and I was about to go into my lines

and I remember him whispering,

Hold it, hold it, hold it, hold it, hold it.

Like he just wanted me to engulf it,

but I wasn't an actor, you know?

I was like, All right.

When he opened the door, Okay, hit your line.

That's what they told me.

And I remember him saying Hold it, hold it, hold it.

And they were still cheering.

So they gave me mad love on that show

and I had a good time with LL.

When I first got into the league,

I think I used to wear Giorgio Armani or Hugo Boss.

And I'm sitting up there thinking,

after it had to be tailored and altered to me,

Why am I paying for somebody else's name.

I might as well get my own.

So I acquired a tailor,

David Corbitt out of Atlanta, Georgia.

David is outta St. Louis now.

I've never cheated on David in my life.

Every suit that I own, David has made.

Never in my life not one suit.

And I'm talking about hundreds and hundreds

and hundreds of suits.

Like when we played baseball,

we had 162 games that mean he was on the road for 81.

I had 81 different outfits for those days, 81.

And they were all customized.

When we go on this trip, I'm taking this bag.

It was just like that.

David made this as well.

Now let me tell you about the Hall of Fame.

Hall of Fame, they do your jackets for you.

I said, Man, look here, just do the swatch.

I don't need you.

Just gimme the swatch.

Gimme the swatch so my guy can make my jacket.

I ain't got time for y'all to be playing with me

on a big day like that.

So we got the swatch and David did his thing.

I believe Under Armor made me some shoes with my name

and all that on it.

And we kinda, what a different direction with cream,

highlight the blue with the gold.

That's before things changed

with the European kinda slim fit.

You know, we still was baggy a little bit then.

My bust didn't even look like me.

It looked like some dudes, you know, at a drive-thru.

Nothing bad about a dude at a drive-thru.

He's straight too,

but that wasn't me because no one really seen me

during the game without a bandana.

So why would you make me,

you know, get a bust that goes in the Hall of Fame

without the bandana?

So I wanted to give the people what they wanted.

People don't really remember me not with a bandana.

We looking professional, sophisticated.

Whenever you see me in gray, blue, black or brown,

that mean we getting money, okay.

Blue, gray, black or brown, we getting money.

See the suits are narrowing down a little bit.

We've never been one for peer pressure

although we often put pressure on our peers.

Yeah, we gotta slim it down.

Everybody's changed up, we gotta change the game.

But the saddest thing about that,

you see all these hundreds and hundreds and hundreds

and hundreds of suits that,

when am I gonna wear those again?

And I told my people, I said,

Just take 'em out, put 'em in storage.

They're coming back. They're coming back.

Everything goes around and comes around,

it's coming back.

And it's hard for me to just smolls of hundreds,

I mean hundreds of suits,

hundreds of fabrics that,

some suits I never even made it to.

Never worn 'em.

The first shot I got a necklace on.

I'm still Prime.

Because you gotta understand in the '50s,

the kids you're recruiting are like from 18 to 24.

So if you just plus 20, if the parent had that child,

that means she's 38 or 40, somewhere around that area.

Okay, if she's 10 years, 15 years under me,

they may have witnessed me play in some form of fashion.

They might have been fans.

They want to see Prime.

The kid is just getting to know Coach Prime.

He don't really remember me unless he Googles,

but the parent,

they wanna see a little Prime

'cause that's what they grew up on.

So I have to give them a little bit of that often.

And sometimes I forget because I'm in this light

and I'm in this coaching carousel.

Although I walk like I walk and I talk like I talk,

when I have meetings with parents

they wanna see Prime, you know?

So I gotta remember that at times.

I move different than a normal coach.

I think different than a normal coach.

Our swag is different.

So our staff, we wear sweatpants

and I don't require them to wear collared shirts.

We want to feel good.

We want to feel like we at practice coaching the game

and we want a little flare.

You know, we want to match the hat with the pants.

You see the pants got a little white on the side.

The hat has white on the bill.

By the way, I pick out all this stuff for the coaches.

We go out there and warm up in shorts

and we change into the game attire.

You know, we got more changes than Lady Gaga,

if you really pay attention to us.

So the second one,

that's when I went through my personal setback

with my leg and my foot, so I was on a scooter

And we don't have a budget to advertise or market

or even to recruit like the big boys.

So we have to use social media.

So I start putting all the @s

on the coaches back of the shirts.

So a running back does well,

that running back watching TV is going @ that coach

and getting in them DMs and try to get,

so that's the way we recruit.

So everything is strategic and it has a purpose.

Also, our kids, when they warm up pre-game,

they have their @s on the back of their shirts.

So you know, people @ them up,

making sure they know them and follow them.

All these kids want followers

and we're trying to revolutionize the game

and get them followers as well.

The third one is just on the sideline doing what I do.

I love what I do and I do what I love.

I don't even remember taking that darn picture,

but I do remember this.

The Jim Thorpe to defensive backs is like

the Heisman to people.

Like that signifies the best defensive back

in college football.

I remember getting ready to go play against Clemson

and they had a cornerback named Donnell Woolford.

He was good. He was highly ranked guy as well.

And when we went to play opposing teams,

in our locker, they would have the team's program.

And I look on the cover of the team program

and this cat is sitting there with the Thorpe.

I say, Hmm.

So he think he me. Okay.

I think 76 yards later and probably 4.1 seconds flat,

the game changed.

That little thing made me mad, man.

That little picture just made me mad

'cause I'm like how could they have the audacity

to put this in our locker?

They know what they were doing.

And this guy is sitting up there with a trophy,

you know he might as well give that to me.

I think I finished second or third the year prior

and the cat is sitting up there with my trophy.

Like he's sitting up there with my woman.

Aight, I got you.

I housed that thing, housed it.

I mean it's like they shut up.

You know how the church choir in the hood

and everybody's going, and he's like, Hmm,

and everybody's quiet?

Took all that out of him.

Took the darn breath out of him.

I need you to know this.

The curl was timely then.

It wasn't like I was still rocking a curl

and nobody else had a curl.

I wasn't the only one on the team with a curl now.

The sad thing about it,

I went to college with a low cut.

I grew the curl back just to be different.

'Cause everybody else had different,

nah, I wanted to be different.

So I grew the curl back in college, man.

The journey we just went through was fascinating.

It triggered some old emotions, some thoughts,

some youthful thinking.

The Bible says, When I was a child, I thought as a child,

I spoke as a child, I understood as a child.

But when I became a man I put away childish things.

Some of that stuff was a little childish.

And I'm happy and I'm thankful that you stayed with me

and watched the maturation become a man.

I appreciate you.

Because you're making one of my childhood dreams come true.

It may have taken us some time,

but we're a full-blooded man now.

And I appreciate you. [R&B music]