Nothing symbolizes Colorado football’s unapologetic swagger quite like Coach Prime’s truck — let’s explain these dual phenomena as the party continues in Boulder.
Last December, the University of Colorado Boulder did not so much turn the page on its football program as instigate a controlled burn, as if the Buffaloes were a badly overgrown forest. Thanks to the arrival of head coach Deion Sanders, a dynamite stick of effusive pride and fission-tier energy, the vibes have shifted over the course of nine short months from ineffectual to immaculate.
A team that went 1-11 in 2022 suddenly found itself ranked in the top 25 after a single game. A brand rarely associated with modern cool was garnering homages from a who’s-who of hip-hop icons. In mere days, the team stuck at rock bottom was back-slapping with the man who birthed the People’s Elbow.
And perhaps nothing symbolizes the inimitably unapologetic aura surrounding this phenomenon of a program than Deion Sanders’ truck.
Folks, that’s a titanic Ford F650 super duty truck outrageously tricked out with after-market customizations of every variety, from blacked-out everything to titanic tires, smokestack-style exhaust, bespoke front and rear bumpers, vented hood, cowled roof, and air suspension. And just like the Colorado Buffaloes football program and the man behind the proverbial wheel in Boulder, you’ve never seen anything like it.
Whether you like it or not.
Let’s explain what makes Deion’s truck such a fitting metaphor for all the boldness he’s brought to Boulder.
How Deion Sanders’ Truck is a Symbol for Colorado Football
It’s big and expensive and you couldn’t ignore it even if you wanted to
Sure, the rich vein of “no one believes in us” is great while the getting is good. Eventually, you mine it bone-dry. Until then, it’s a vibe. An experience. A spectacle. So far, that swaggering, take-everything-personally mentality is working overtime for Coach Prime and Colorado, and it’s certainly paying off in terms of local revenue in Boulder — to the tune of $17 million around Sept. 9’s win over Nebraska alone — sales of Deion’s beloved Blenders sunglasses, game-changing television ratings, quarterback (and son) Shedeur Sanders’ brand endorsement profile, and beyond.
As Macho Man Randy Savage said, “You may not like it, but accept it.”
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Regarding this fully custom Deion Sanders Ford F650 truck, well, it struts the same stuff. This thing puts the driver eye-level with a semi truck. It’s easily crumpling ol’ Bobby Pattinson’s Batmobile without stressing its after-market air suspension system, 22.5-inch rims, or 42.5-inch tires. And if you like dollar signs, there’s no way to know exactly how much this super truck costs, but expert observers have suggested that there is no way on earth that the final price was any less than $150,000.
The entry-level 2024 Ford F650? A mere $67,180.
It’s proudly defiant
Combining “no one believes in us” with “every time you ask us to tone it down, we’re cranking it up,” you get both the Prime Buffs and this lumbering hulk of a street machine.
Feel like criticizing any member of this Colorado program’s brash communication style? You’re putting a proverbial target on your back, to say the very least. Dare to call out Deion Sanders’ Ford truck as similarly ostentatious, or perhaps impractical? Would you hazard to pillory its abysmal record re: miles per gallon?
Yeah, good luck. What you see as points of weakness, they consider out-and-out strengths.
You’ve probably seen something similar before, but this is a 1-of-1
Aside from the cost alone, let’s compare the specs of the suped-up Deion Sanders F650 truck and the base-level Ford F650 “pro loader:”
| DEION SANDERS’ TRUCK | FORD F650 PRO LOADER | |
| 6.8L V8 Turbo | Engine | 7.3L V8 |
| 330 | Horsepower | 335 |
| 750 lb.-ft. | Torque | 468 lb.-ft. |
| 10-speed auto | Transmission | 6-speed auto |
| Diesel | Fuel | Gasoline |
Don’t be fooled by the difference in engine size or horsepower, folks — Coach Prime’s super truck isn’t wholly unrecognizable compared to a standard-issue Ford F650 to the naked eye, but judged on the merits in live action, it’s truly a bigger, meaner machine by multiple orders of magnitude.
Kind of like the Buffs entering Week 1 of the college football season against last year’s national championship runners-up, TCU, packing a massively greater punch than meets the eye.
They were 21-point underdogs. They won. You’re not entirely sure what it was that you saw. You perhaps weren’t sure if you liked it or not, but you knew enough to know you were witnessing an energy you had never seen before.
And it was fun.
Let’s talk about those vertical exhaust ports that look like smokestacks
From one perspective, it’s just a lot of hot air.
From another, we’re talking about it. We’re not sure if we can take our eyes off of it.
Come this time next week, we’ll still be.
It’s unapologetically black
Do NOT take it from a 35-year-old white guy from SEC country — just read what Clinton Yates wrote over at Andscape:
“The Georgetown Hoyas were known for graduating tough players and specializing in centers. The Fab Five were a cultural force that reminded America that the athletes are the reason anyone shows up to watch. UNLV was a hard-nosed operation that flew in the face of blue-blooded Duke in a time when they felt unbeatable. The Miami Hurricanes all looked like men among boys when they took the gridiron.
“There was something sort of obvious, even if rote, about the Black community’s natural rooting interest in those teams. Sanders’ operation feels completely different, even if the success isn’t necessarily grand. The undercurrent of most of the criticism of what they do feels rooted in some form of racism, even if not outright. Tell me again, what exactly the problem is, ever, with Sanders?”
At some point, it will run out of gas
…Right?
@boardroom_ A prime example of Coach Prime’s ability to seize a prime opportunity. #deionsanders #gobuffs #collegefootball #coachprime ♬ original sound – Boardroom
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