Barry Sanders

Barry David Sanders (born July 16, 1968 in Wichita, Kansas) is a former American football running back in the NFL who spent his entire professional career with the Detroit Lions.

Biography

Barry Sanders was born to William and Shirley Ann Sanders in Wichita, Kansas. His first attempt at running back didn't come until the fourth game of his senior year (1985) at Wichita High School North. In the final seven games of the season, he rushed for 1,322 yards. Standing at just 5 feet 8 inches, most college coaches thought he was too small. Recruited as a kick returner, Sanders spent his first two years at Oklahoma State University as a backup for All-American Running Back Thurman Thomas. He called it a "great experience". "I could study the great approach to the game that ^* had." In his junior year, Sanders went on to lead the nation in rushing yards (2,628), total yards (3,250), touchdowns (39) and scoring (234 points) en route to winning the 1988 Heisman Trophy. His rushing yards and touchdowns in that year still stand (quite easily) as NCAA single season records. Rather than try to set more records as a senior, Sanders declared himself eligible for the NFL draft and left OSU as the team's all time leading scorer with 330 points (55 touchdowns). In 2003, Sanders was enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame.

Professional career

The Detroit Lions selected Barry Sanders third overall with their 1st-round pick in the 1989 draft. Though again there were concerns about his size it turned out that these concerns were mostly unfounded. Sanders was far too quick for defenders to hit solidly on a consistent basis, and too strong to bring down with arm tackles. Though short, Sanders was very stocky -- his playing weight of 200 pounds was in fact the same as Walter Payton and only slightly under the NFL average for a back. Further, Sanders was able to dazzle onlookers at an ESPN slam-dunk contest by jamming comfortably from a flat footed position demonstrating his other defining characteristic -- explosiveness. This, combined with his low center of gravity allowed remarkably quick starts and stops -- he was notorious for sometimes running the full width of the field to gain only a yard on a play then, on the next, suddenly breaking through a hole for a long gain. Also of note was his on-field humility. Despite his flashy playing style, Sanders was rarely seen celebrating after the whistle was blown. Unlike many of his contemporaries, he would usually finish a touchdown run or catch by simply handing the ball to the nearest official.

Sanders' most productive year came in 1997. Rushing for 2,053 yards, he became only the third player to reach 2,000 yards in a single season. He was the first running back to rush for 1,500 yards in five seasons and the only one to do it four consecutive years. He also set an NFL record by rushing for at least 100 yards in 14 consecutive games. He shared the league's Most Valuable Player award with Brett Favre.

Despite his individual success, the Lions never reached the Super Bowl while Sanders played for them (or any other time before or after that). The closest they ever came was in the 1991 season. Aided by Sanders 1,855 combined rushing/receiving yards and 17 touchdowns during the season, they recorded a 12-4 record and went on to defeat the Dallas Cowboys 38-6 in the divisional playoffs. However, they were crushed by the Washington Redskins 41-13 in the NFC championship game, and Sanders was held to just 59 total yards. Detroit made the playoffs 4 more times during Sanders' career, but each time they were eliminated in the first round. As of 2006, the 1991 divisional playoff victory is the only postseason win the Lions have recorded since the 1970 AFL-NFL Merger.

On July 28, 1999, at the age of 31, Sanders shocked many when he announced his retirement from pro football. He left football healthy and in his prime, having gained 15,269 rushing yards, 2,921 receiving yards, 118 kickoff return yards, and 109 touchdowns (99 rushing and 10 receiving). He retired within a one-season striking distance of Walter Payton's career rushing mark of 16,726 yards. Only Payton and Emmitt Smith, who broke the record in 2002 have rushed for more yards than Sanders. Perhaps his most impressive statistical achievement, though, is to join Jim Brown as only players among the NFL's 50 all-time rushing leaders to average 5 yards a carry (only a handful manage above 4.5 yards per carry).

Sanders place in history is a matter of some debate. Many people say he is the greatest running back of all time, arguably one of the greatest players in professional football history, but others say he only has himself to blame for his premature retirement. However, with this retirement, many comparisons have been made. LaDainian Tomlinson,and younger players including Reggie Bush have been made as future Barry Sanders in the media, based on their playing level. Sanders' propensity for gambling on taking a loss in order to break long runs, a lack of power in short yardage situations and shortcomings as a pass receiver and blocker lead some to believe that others, such as Brown or Payton were better overall players. Emmitt Smith has been quoted saying that he knows that the rushing record is "Barry's record", implying that he understands and respects Sanders' skills.

Sanders's retirement was a matter of some controversy. Two years beforehand, Sanders had renewed his contract with the Lions for $35.4 million over 6 years with an $11 million signing bonus. When he retired with several years left on his contract, the Lions demanded that he return $7.3 million of the bonus. Sanders refused, and the Lions sued and eventually won a judgment against him. On February 15, 2000, arbitrator Sam Kagel ruled that Sanders was in default of his bonus agreement and owed $5.5 million plus interest over the next three years.[http://www.detnews.com/2000/lions/0002/25/02160198.htm

On August 8, 2004, Sanders became the third youngest player ever inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Only Gale Sayers (34) and Jim Brown (35) were younger.

Personal life

As of 2005, Sanders lives in suburban Detroit with his wife, Lauren Campbell, a former weekend news anchor in Detroit, and three children. He is a majority stock holder of a bank in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and regularly attends car shows, charities, and plays the occasional game of golf.

Career highlights

He holds the college single-season rushing record with a mind blowing 2,628 rushing yards in 1988 at Oklahoma State University.
As a receiver, Sanders made 352 receptions for 2,921 yards and 10 touchdowns for the Detroit Lions.
Sanders led the NFL in rushing four times. 1990, 1994, 1996 and 1997.
He rushed for over 1,500 yards in a season for an NFL record five times.
In 1988, Sanders won the Heisman Trophy while attending Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, Oklahoma.
In the 1989 draft, he was selected in the 1st round (3rd overall) by the Detroit Lions.
In 1997, he set an NFL record by rushing for at least 100 yards in 14 consecutive games and became only the third player to reach 2,000 yards in a single season. He shared the NFL MVP award with Brett Favre.
During the final 14 games of the 1997 season Sanders rushed for exactly 2000 yards on 310 carries (6.5 yd./carry), a figure which bears comparison with O.J. Simpson's 14-game mark of 2003 yards on 332 carries (6.0 yd./carry).
Each of his 10 years from 1989 through 1998 he was first- or second-team All-Pro and selected to the Pro Bowl.
Over his professional career, he rushed for at least 100 yards in 76 games, just short of Walter Payton's 77 games and Emmitt Smith's 78 games.
At retirement, Sanders' 15,269 career rushing yards placed him second behind Walter Payton's 16,726 yards.
His 18,190 career yards from scrimmage place him fourth on the all-time list.
On January 31, 2004, he was elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
On August 8, 2004, he was inducted to the Hall of Fame along with Bob Brown, Carl Eller, and John Elway.
On November 25, 2004, his jersey number #20 was retired before the Lions' annual Thanksgiving Day game. (It should be noted that the number was shared with former running back Billy Sims and Hall of Fame defensive back Lem Barney, who also attended the event).

Quotes

"The 1988 Heisman Trophy goes to Barry Sanders of Oklahoma State University"--at the Heisman trophy presentation in New York in 1988.

Career statistics

Regular season

align=bottom | ¹Led league ²Second place ³Third place ^†Tied
Year	Rushing				Receiving				Total
Year	Att	Yds	Avg	TD	Rec	Yds	Avg	TD	Yds	TD
1989	280	1,470²	5.3	14^2†	24	282	11.8	0	1,752³	14
1990	255	1,304¹	5.1	13³	36	480	13.3	3	1,784²	16¹
1991	342²	1,548²	4.5	16¹	41	307	7.5	1	1,855²	17¹
1992	312^3†	1,352	4.3	9	29	225	7.8	1	1,577	10
1993	243	1,115	4.6	3	36	205	5.7	0	1,320	3
1994	331	1,883¹	5.7	7	44	283	6.4	1	2,166¹	8
1995	314	1,500²	4.8	11	48	398	8.3	1	1,898²	12
1996	307	1,553¹	5.1	11	24	147	6.1	0	1,700³	11
1997	335	2,053¹	6.1	11^3†	33	305	9.2	3	2,358¹	14³
1998	343	1,491	4.3	4	37	289	7.8	0	1,780	4
Total (all-time)	3,062 (4th)	15,269 (3rd)	5.0	99 (6th)	352	2,921	8.3	10	18,190 (4th)	109 (10th)

Playoffs

Year	Rushing				Receiving
Year	Att	Yds	Avg	TD	Rec	Yds	Avg	TD
1992	23	113	4.9	1	9	45	5.1	0
1994	40	168	4.2	0	5	4	0.8	0
1995	10	40	4.0	0	2	19	9.5	0
1997	18	65	3.6	0	5	43	8.6	0
Total	91	386	4.2	1	21	111	5.3	0'

References

Gil Brandt, "Hall recall: Barry Sanders", NFL.com, July 22, 2004.^*
Craig Ellenport, "Sanders was born to run", NFL.com, August 8, 2004.^*
Mark McCormick and Barry Sanders, Barry Sanders: Now you See Him: His Story in His Own Words (Emmis Books, 2003). ISBN 1578601398
Sam Mellinger, "A Hard Man to Catch", The Kansas City Star, August 8, 2004, pp. C1, C8.

Gourt Home::Gourt :: Barry Sanders