Last year the University of Colorado had less than 2,000 people attend their spring football game. This year they had 45,000.
What was different?
Prime. Prime was different.
If you aren't familiar with sports, Prime is the shortened nickname ("Prime Time") of one of the most well-known athletes of the 90s - Deion Sanders. In September 2020, Deion took the head job at HBCU school Jackson State. There, he began establishing his profile as a coach and the type of culture he would instill in a program through his new title, Coach Prime.
That culture had a 27-5 record.
In the recent offseason, Deion left Jackson State and took on the head coaching job at the University of Colorado, where he brought the same tenacity of culture building to Boulder.
The spring game was the team's first showcase event, with Deion as head coach.
But not everyone is on board with the culture of Prime - 57 players have entered the college transfer portal to leave the university and play somewhere else since the spring window opened on April 15th. They have had more players enter the portal in the past year than any other program since transfers were allowed in 2018.
On the other side, more than 35 new players have been added to the team since December.
Although you may not like Deion, you can't argue that a 1-11 football team a season ago increasing its spring game attendance by 43,000+ people is a positive outcome for the university.
Here's how Deion created the 20x increase in attendance for Colorado University through his culture:
He's unapologetic in who he is as a leader.
On the homepage of his Hall of Fame profile is this quote,
They don't pay nobody to be humble. Some people will come out to see me do well. Some people will come out to see me get run over. But love me or hate me, they're going to come out."
Deion talks about God. Deion talks about Deion. He's loud. He's obnoxious. He's got cameras following him everywhere. But he is who he is, and he doesn't apologize for it. If you spend time apologizing for who you are and seeking ways to be agreeable, you do so at the expense of the mission you are trying to achieve and the people you could attract who want to work for the unapologetic version of you.
He promotes a polarizing culture.
When Deion met with the team in December, he encouraged players to "hop in the portal." He showed up as the head coach and drew a line in the sand: this is how I will operate this program to win, and if that doesn't work for you, then this won't be a culture you thrive in. People may think that's wrong, I think it's honest. People leaving isn't always an indicator of a bad thing. You'll hear me say repeatedly in my writing; leaders make big, scary bets. Sometimes those bets fail, and sometimes they soar, but you HAVE to make them, and you won't be everyone's cup of tea.
Like a great advertisement, your culture needs an angle that appeals to a specific set of people. Your difficult decisions on the beliefs, behavior, work ethic, collaboration, and objectives required to achieve the mission set the standard for the type of players you need to help you win.
He's leveraged his advantages to get A+ players.
Colorado had the 23rd-ranked recruiting class in the 2023 cycle, a jump up of over 30 spots. He has leveraged his name, his past success as a player and coach, and the constant cycle of exposure he's created to gain access to players who wouldn't previously have considered Colorado a desirable spot. In team building, access to better players is everything.
If you want to win, turn all your attention to building the best team. Everything Deion does is an effort to get the best players. That's a great lesson in itself.
He's focused on results.
Deion talks about winning. He understands the expectations and what he was hired to do, and he is explicit about what he wants to achieve. "We show up here to compete and win today. If that isn't a mission you align with, then don't come to play here."
The Athletic Director was asked about the shuffling of players due to his culture changes,
"I have confidence in him and his staff and they know what they're doing," George told ESPN on Thursday. "He's been very honest and forthright. He's been very open about it publicly and privately. He's trying to build a winner at Colorado, and this is his way to do it."
Only time will tell if Deion will become the clown or the ringleader, but all who dare to build the circus must walk this tightrope.
That's the only way to do it.
With purpose,
KC
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