Texas Tech head coach Joey McGuire and Deion Sanders have a deep friendship

Though they may seem like opposites, Joey McGuire and Deion Sanders are close friends and both shared this week their admiration for the other.
Cincinnati v Colorado
Cincinnati v Colorado / Andrew Wevers/GettyImages
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Perhaps Texas Tech football head coach Joey McGuire's best skill is his ability to relate to people. And there may be no greater indication of how well he can win over just about anyone than his relationship with Colorado head coach Deion Sanders.

In fact, McGuire and Sanders have quite the "bromance" going on. We learned about their admiration for one another during Big 12 Media Days this summer but with their teams about to square off this weekend, we have seen once again just how deep this friendship runs.

"I'm excited to see a good friend, Dion," McGuire said on Monday. "I have a lot of connections, like I've told y'all before. I got to coach his oldest son, "Bucky", Dion Junior. He runs all his social media and does a lot of different things for that university man. He was a special, special football player, just like his other two sons, and so excited to see him. You know, he has done a phenomenal job this year. There's a lot of people that question if he could get that program turned around, and he has, They're bowl eligible, they're 4-1 in conference, and we're sitting at 4-2. So it's a huge game."

Obviously, everyone has an opinion about "Coach Prime". McGuire us uniquely qualified to share his thoughts on Colorado's head coach and as he did, he shared a story that might go against the image that many people have of Sanders.

"And, and, you know, going back," he said, "I did have a note talking about Dion. The one thing that I was always so impressed with Dion is what kind of Daddy is, and what kind of Daddy he was. You know, me, being a high school coach, I dealt with a lot of helicopter parents and he is the farthest thing.

"We had a game against DeSoto. It was on a national stage. 12,000 people, sold out. And you know, I asked him, 'Hey, do you want me to make sure you got a place to sit?' And he goes, 'Coach, I'm sitting in the extra seats in the end zone. You don't have to worry about me, but I'll be there to watch.' And so that's just kind of the person he is."

Meanwhile, the love between McGuire and Sanders flows both ways. Meeting with th media earlier this week, the Buffaloes' head man spoke glowingly of McGuire in a moment of kindness and graciousness that isn't often seen from Sanders in public.

"Tremendous friend of mine," Sanders said, "Texas Tech. I love him. I love him. Ever since he was at Cedar Hill. You got to understand man, Joey at Cedar Hill at probably an all-ethnic team and area, and he was dominant, won state titles, well respected in the community, well respected amongst his peers. He was like the Grand Poobah or the magna cum laude of the district of coaches.

"He ran everything, man, and when we needed 7-on-7, games, he gave them to us when we couldn't find anybody to play at certain points in time, but he was always upstanding and forthright. Going to the Under Armour All-American games, watching him get after, watching him coach at extreme level, and he sent a plethora, I don't know how many young men that he's responsible for getting and assisting them to get to college from the team that he had at Cedar Hill. I was over there. Got to know him because my son, Bucky, played in his organization, and just a pillar of consistency, commitment, and he was a dog."

Don't forget that when McGuire was coaching high school football at Cedar Hill, Sanders was in the High School coaching game with the now-defunct private school, Prime Prep, which he founded in 2012. Therefore, the two have crossed paths many times and over the years, McGuire has apparently earned the utmost respect from Sanders.

"Joey, what you see is what you get," Sanders said. "You don't mince words. He's straightforward. He keep it 100 and I consider him a true friend and someone I could call and lean on to understand how this college thing works at some times, because, you know, I'm still new to this, although I'm true to this, I still need him and various coaches at times to lean on.

"But I'm sure he's going to have those young men ready, and I can't wait to see him and hug his neck. Usually, I don't really, you know, get down like that with other coaches for the game, but I'm definitely going to look him up to try to embrace him, with him, because it's going to be fun. I'm just happy that I'm getting the opportunity to be on that stage with a man that I respected for quite some time."

At times in his brief Colorado tenure, Sanders has been hard for some to get along with. He had a feud with Colorado State head coach Jay Norvell last season and earlier this season, he got sideways with a reporter from the Denver-area CBS station.

However, there is nothing but adoration between McGuire and Sanders. Therefore, those looking for drama this weekend won't find it on the sidelines. That's because, even though the two head coaches might appear on the surface to be polar opposites, there is a tremendous amount of respect between the two.

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