When Coach Deion Sanders needs spiritual guidance, he calls this former Macon pastor
"He's definitely a chosen man of God for me for a time like this," Coach Sanders told 13WMAZ's Marvin James.
Coach Prime and his pastor The man behind the man
We all know the sports icon by his nickname "Neon Deion" or "Prime Time." The man who once was a fan favorite with the Braves and Falcons as well as several other teams while playing pro ball in the NFL and the MLB in the 1990s.
However, Macon native E. Dewey Smith, who is Sanders' spiritual advisor, best knows the first-year Colorado head coach as Deion Sanders, his friend.
Smith, born and raised in Macon, is the former pastor of Beaulahland Bible Church. During that time, he met Sanders at a conference, and the relationship grew from there.
"I think it was the summer of 2003," Smith said. "We would see each other periodically. In 2013, I was preaching at a conference in Dallas, he came to hear me speak, and that's where we really connected and became closer."
It's been an ongoing relationship between Smith and Sanders, one of the sporting world's most popular and charismatic personalities, but you may not actually see that persona behind the scenes.
"At the core of this person is somebody who will give you the shirt off their backs. At the core of this person is someone who will help anybody. At the core of the person, he's somebody who wants to see everybody succeed," Smith said. "Unfortunately, people don't get a chance to see that. It's like they see Ric Flair. Someone who had all that flamboyance, but it's all marketing. That's for TV. But that's not who a person is. That teaches us a lesson that until you know a person, don't go by your observations cause you really don't know what's behind it."
Smith is now the pastor of House of Hope in Atlanta, which has three locations across the state, including a campus in Macon. But Smith still finds the time to mentor Coach Prime, and he's not surprised about the success at Jackson State and the energy he sees now in Boulder.
"The world is watching Colorado. All that on the sidelines is like a who's who because it's something that is good for the culture. It's been healing for people. It's brought races together," Smith said. "Sports has a way of galvanizing people together for that moment, and it's been good to see because so many people love him, and they want to see him do well."
Smith added: "He's going to be successful wherever he goes because he's Deion "Primetime" Sanders, and people are praying for him and believe in him and know his heart."
Coach Sanders shared with 13WMAZ's Marvin James his thoughts about his mentor, Pastor Smith and how he helps him through life's challenges and adversity.
"He's definitely a chosen man of God for me for a time like this," Sanders said. "I need him, and I love him, and I thank him for his transparency as my man of God, and I respect the heck out of him, God Bless."
This weekend, when Coach Prime and the Buffaloes travel to Eugene to battle Oregon, Smith won't be able to make the trip due to a prior obligation with his church, but he says he will be on the sidelines in Boulder when Southern Cal comes to town on Sept. 30.
