Deion Sanders is preparing his team for another epic game this time with Nebraska on the other side of the ball. He is teaching his players to take it personally as they step on the field and one story he used to motivate his locker room is by recalling Mike Tyson’s upset loss to Buster Douglas in 1990.
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The Mike Tyson vs. Buster Douglas bout is seen as one of the most legendary fights in boxing history with an unparalleled underdog story. And Coach Prime knew exactly how to bring chills down the spine of his players. He passionately narrated how just before the fight Douglas had lost his mother and it was time for him to get personal against one of the most feared boxers of his generation.
Deion Sanders Uses Mike Tyson’s Upset Loss to Motivate Colorado Players
Just a few days before the Buffs were set to meet Nebraska, Deion Sanders had the stage set for him to talk about one of the greatest moments in boxing to motivate his players for the game. He wanted everyone to feel that “it’s personal,” with so many doubters eyeing for the team to lose a game now that they had a great start.
He talked about how Mike Tyson was the most feared athlete of his generation. With 37 straight wins on his resume, Tyson was set to face Buster Douglas in 1990 for a title bout. Unfortunately, Douglas lost his mother Lula Pearl just 23 days before the fight. And as Deion Sanders described, it no longer remained just a match, “this was personal.”
“Buster Douglas was knocked down in the eighth round,” Deion said. “As he was getting up, he was thinking about all these things that were going through his mind. Could he have enough to get up? Should he get up? … And commenced to do what his mother said he could do.”
Deion continued, “Not only did he get up, he got his game back, and he started sticking him with jabs… And long behold in the 10th round guess what transpired? Buster Douglas knocked out Mike Tyson.” As he was telling this inspiring story, he was enriching his players with the thought that it was time to get personal against Nebraska.
Coach Prime Sparks the Fire In His Players
Within minutes of his speech, Coach Prime had completely changed the temperament of the team. The players who already had that fire in their gut got an extra spark of motivation. It was clear that they had already taken things personally against Nebraska. Just like Buster Douglas did against Mike Tyson.
Douglas became the world heavyweight champion after defeating Mike Tyson in an upset win, which went down as the best underdog story of all time. Everyone loves an underdog story, be it Douglas against Tyson or the Buffs against the TCU. It is going to be an epic challenge for Colorado to stand up to the expectations they have set from their first game. But it appears that they are ready for it all, now that it’s personal.
