Deion Sanders is known for his football and baseball careers and his larger-than-life personality. But behind the famous name is a family story that has often received less attention. His first wife, Carolyn Chambers, lived through a marriage that ended as Sanders became one of the biggest stars in American sports. Years later, their son, Deion Sanders Jr., offers a deeply personal look at what his mother endured.

“She’s been through a lot,” Deion Sanders Jr. said on his July 18 Well Off Media episode. “She lost her brother. She lost her sister. And she da-n near lost everybody. You know, she still got us. But she lost a lot of her family. And through tough times, it’s really hard to trust God. And sometimes you ask God why. Sometimes you get mad at God. But she kept faith through it all. And she was still a great mother.”

Sanders and Chambers married in 1989. Public biographies describe them as college sweethearts, although few sources document the exact details of their first meeting. Their marriage began just as Sanders’ professional sports career was taking off. He was selected fifth overall by the Atlanta Falcons in the 1989 NFL Draft.

Chambers was beside him during the early years of that rise. The couple welcomed daughter Deiondra in 1992 and son Deion Jr. in 1993. Their marriage lasted nine years before the pair divorced in 1998. The separation did not involve the drama that accompanied his divorce from Pilar Sanders.

Deion Jr. spent much of his life without both of his parents together. Although Deion Sanders taught him toughness and resilience, Carolyn Chambers was the one who instilled unwavering faith in his son. That faith has helped Deion Jr. chart a different path than his brothers, Shedeur and Shilo. Most importantly, it has taught Bucky compassion and the pursuit of personal goals.

“The woman (Chambers), where I get my love and my great heart, the reason I look out for everybody, this, and that. That’s why it’s a personal pursuit. This book means a lot to me,” Deion Sanders Jr. said. “Not just because it’s my mom. It’s because it’s something she actually loves. It’s not just, ‘Oh, I go to church on Sundays, so I believe in God. I’m a Christian.’ No, this is something she actually lived from before I was born, to even to this day.”

Since her first marriage ended, Carolyn Chambers has built a successful career as a realtor. She also worked as a financial consultant before authoring several books. However, Carolyn has largely stayed out of the media glare despite having an ex-husband who is constantly in the limelight. It is for that reason we don’t know much about the losses in her family. Carolyn Chambers privately grieved the deaths of her siblings and let her faith guide her.