It is one thing to be celebrated by college athletes as a father figure, and it is another thing to be celebrated as a father by one’s mother. The latter is the latest honor that has been conferred on Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders. As men across the world were being honored for the Father’s Day celebration, Coach Prime received a public Father’s Day message from Connie Knight just following his major cancer announcement.

“Happy Father’s Day Son!” Connie Knight wrote on her Instagram post, which showed a photo of her and Deion Sanders. “You are an amazing son, father, papa, brother, uncle, friend, and Head Coach. Today is all about celebrating you, and I hope you’re reminded of just how loved and appreciated you are. Continue to stay prayed up because the calling God has placed on your life is one that no man can take away. Keep walking in faith, purpose, and strength, knowing that God has ordered your steps. I love you son @deionsanders.”

Deion Sanders is a son who is worth a thousand more in his mother’s hands. She was the very first beneficiary of his first NFL paycheck. He had promised her a house once he was drafted, and he delivered. Beyond that, he has retired her since his first year in the NFL — another promise he made to her as early as age seven.

But then, Prime’s rewards to his mother are not just late push gifts. She was a huge part of his career, as she had to work multiple jobs in Fort Myers, Florida, to ensure his revival. Her dedication to working late-night hours, cleaning hospitals, and pushing sanitation carts to fend for the family. All of these happened while she raised him and his siblings as a single mom. In fact, at the very core of his Prime persona are his mother’s positive character qualities.

The Father’s Day wish is also Knight’s little way of paying him back for a rather special Mother’s Day gesture last year. His mother was the theme of Nike’s launch of his signature shoe, the Nike Air DT Max ’96, just before Mother’s Day. He dedicated the shoe to his mother, as it was designed in two shades of red, with “Love You Mom” inscribed on the insoles. It was the first of its kind in sports, with the shoe carrying the name of his mother, “Love Letter to Connie”.

It was then followed with him appearing in a Nike ad campaign, “A Letter to Ms. Connie”, where he read a heartfelt message to her. “You are a role model of consistency,” Deion Sanders told her then. “Thank you, Mom, for just being you. Ain’t no Mama like you. I love you, Mom.”

Coach Prime is cancer-free

This year’s Father’s Day is very different for Deion Sanders. He is in a much better condition than he was last year, when he was battling bladder cancer. This time, it comes just days after his announcement of being cancer-free.

“I’ve got my health back. I’ve got my swagger back,” Sanders said on Good Morning America. “Last year this time I’m fighting cancer. Didn’t know which way it was going to go.”

Deion Sanders remains one of the most popular sports personalities in American sports. And while there are several opinions about him, his father-like relationship with his players is very commendable. Hardly would anyone argue that fact when they see how well he has been as a father to his five kids.