For 14 seasons in the NFL, Deion Sanders entertained football fans across the country with his style of play and, of course, his mouth. Now, the man famously known as “Prime Time” is among seven men who will be enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio Saturday night.
Sanders will be joined by Richard Dent, Marshall Faulk, Chris Hanburger, Les Richter, Ed Sabol, and fellow trash talker, Shannon Sharpe.
Usually an emotional moment when enshrinees give speeches as they join the elite of the elite in the National Football League, this years Hall of Fame injunction ceremony may provide more entertainment for viewers, as Sharpe and Sanders prepare to entertain the crowd with their speeches.
And why were Sanders and Sharpe so successful at trash talking during their time in the NFL? Well, they were able to back it up with their play. Both are discussed as one of the best to play their position in the history of the game.
Sanders spent 14 seasons in the NFL with five different teams. The Atlanta Falcons drafted him in the 1989 NFL Draft out of Florida State. He later joined the San Francisco 49ers in 1994, where he went on to win a Super Bowl that same year. The following year, Sanders joined the Dallas Cowboys, and as a shut down cover corner, he helped the Cowboys defeat the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XXX.
“He’s the first shutdown corner ever. He introduced the concept,” former QB Steve Young said of Sanders, according to NFL.com.
Shannon Sharpe spent 12 of his 14 years in the NFL with Denver. The Broncos drafted him in 1990 and he went on to make 815 receptions, and gained over 10,000 yards as a prolific tight end in the NFL. Sharpe, was also a member of three Super Bowl winning teams throughout his career.
The group of seven will join the NFL’s most elite fraternity during a ceremony scheduled to be broadcasted live on ESPN and NFL Network at 7 p.m. Saturday night.
