Barry Sanders

Biography

Sanders' first attempt at running back didn't come until the fourth game of his senior year (1985) at Wichita North High School. 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 rush for 2,628 yards and 39 touchdowns and win the 1988 Heisman Trophy. Both of these marks still stand (quite easily) as NCAA single season records.

The Detroit Lions selected Sanders 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.

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 was named the league's Most Valuable Player.

On July 28, 1999, at the age of 31, Sanders surprised many when he announced his retirement from pro football. He left football healthy and having gained 15,269 yards and 109 touchdowns. 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, while few would debate that his name was one the few that could be seriously argued for as the most explosive runner of all time, and many argue that he alone deserves that moniker, Sanders propensity for gambling on taking a loss in order to get long runs, lack of ability for sheer power running and shortcomings as a pass receiver and blocker lead some to believe that others, such as Brown, Payton, Smith or Marshall Faulk, were better overall players.

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.[1] 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.[2]

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.

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.