Senior Day arrived for the Colorado Buffaloes this past Friday ahead of their game against the Oklahoma State Cowboys, a game in which they won 52-0, and senior wide receiver Jimmy Horn Jr. had one problem.
Horn Jr., whose father is in prison, needed a parent to walk out onto the field with him when his name was called, as is the general custom on a player's Senior Day. So Horn Jr. fittingly asked his coach Deion Sanders, who has been a father figure to him, to walk out with him onto the field.
And Sanders, who walked out with his two sons Shedeur and Shilo moments before, acquiesced, leading to a truly heartwarming moment that was captured on video by Buffaloes radio play-by-play voice Mat Smith.
🦬 @DeionSanders walking with WR Jimmy Horn Jr. (@Tooswiftj5) for Senior Day 🥹 pic.twitter.com/xy4BfD4AZ2
— Mat Smith (@RealMatSmith) November 29, 2024
"Jimmy is like my kid, I love him that much," Sanders told reporters Friday. "We've talked about some personal things throughout his couple seasons here. I want to go with him Sunday to see his father as well. But he just turned around and asked me.
"So that's how that transpired. And I said, ‘You don’t have to ask me twice. I got you. I got you.' "
Horn Jr., dealing with an undisclosed injury, was unable to play in the Buffaloes' 52-0 win over the Cowboys, but Sanders helped deliver a Senior Day moment to the 22-year-old that he will surely never forget.
For Sanders, it's about more than just celebrating the senior players or the game that they play so well on the field.
"I don't want to think about it too much because I'll get emotional," Sanders said. "I don't just coach these young men. I love these young men like they're family. I just want them to soar.
"Not just from the football aspect, but as young men in life."
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Deion Sanders Had Heartwarming Senior Day Gesture for Player Whose Father Is in Prison.
