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Barry Sanders

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[] at NFL.comBarry 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.

Contents

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 [Thomas] 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.[link] 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.[link]

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

Quotes

Career statistics

Regular season

 ¹Led league ²Second place ³Third place †Tied
Year Rushing Receiving Total
Att Yds Avg TD Rec Yds Avg TD Yds TD
1989 280 1,470² 5.3 142† 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 3123† 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 6.1 113† 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
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

External links

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Madden NFL Cover Athletes
'00: Barry Sanders | '00: Dorsey Levens | '01: Eddie George | '02: Daunte Culpepper | '03: Marshall Faulk | '04: Michael Vick | '05: Ray Lewis | '06: Donovan McNabb | '07: Shaun Alexander

 

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