BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — Deion Sanders doesn't believe in waiting for tributes, honors or statues.
“Give people their flowers while they can enjoy them and they can smell them," the Colorado coach said Saturday after the spring game.
That applies to his QB son, Shedeur, and Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter, who were on hand as their jerseys were retired before the game. He wishes that would've applied to the late tailback Rashaan Salaam, who died before his number was retired. He's also saddened the bronze statue that will honor the late coach Bill McCartney — a statue that was two years in the making and will be unveiled next fall — couldn't come sooner. McCartney died in January.
“Why are we waiting? Wouldn’t (McCartney) have wanted him to see (it), to be involved in it, to feel it, to feel the love, the respect, the appreciation? Why’d we wait?” asked Sanders, who plans to honor McCartney next fall by donning a similar hat and jacket as the Hall of Fame coach used to wear. “Everything we get is right now. We want something, we order it off Amazon — right now. We're not a ... waiting generation no more. That’s over. That’s a wrap on that. Everybody in here is impatient. You download stuff right now, putting it out as I speak. Let’s stop.
“I’m sad because I wanted him to see that. He can’t see that.”
In his postgame chat, Sanders brought up Salaam, who had his No. 19 retired in 2017, months after he died. Salaam was the last player to have his jersey retired before Hunter and Shedeur Sanders. There have now been six players in Colorado’s 135-year history to have their jerseys retired.
“With Rashaan, how long did we wait? I say we, because I’m a part of CU now,” Deion Sanders said. “How long did we wait?”
He was told it was about 23 years after Salaam won the Heisman Trophy in 1994.
“How many years after his death?” Sanders asked.
Informed it was less than one, Sanders responded: “So we’ve got to die to get recognized?”
Sanders was thankful athletic director Rick George made the jersey retirement for his son and Hunter happen sooner rather than later. The dynamic tandem were able to be on hand to see their names and numbers etched on the east wall of the stadium. Both are expected to be high draft picks when the NFL draft starts on Thursday.
“I’m not going to really wait, so I give you your flowers now,” said Sanders, whose program faced scrutiny in the wake of announcing the plan to retire Shedeur's No. 2 and Hunter's No. 12 so soon after their playing days and skipping the line. “I’m not going to wait 20 years down the street then bring you back when you're limping and can barely walk or some tragedy happens to recognize your greatness and what you contributed to this program."
Added Sanders: "We're a now generation. You guys are now people, and this is a now time. Those guys deserve what they deserve right now.”
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AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football
