Sanders, Barry

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Barry Sanders

American athlete Barry Sanders (born 1968) is largely regarded as one of the most talented running backs in National Football League (NFL) history. Sanders first displayed his almost supernatural ability to elude tacklers during his years playing for Oklahoma State University (OSU), and his efforts earned him college football's top honor, the Heisman Trophy.

Sanders left OSU after his junior year, signing a lucrative deal with the NFL's Detroit Lions. He joined the team for its 1989-1980 season and quickly became the linchpin of the struggling franchise, earning the league's Rookie of the Year title. He continued to be one of the top scorers and rushers in the league, and stunned the sports world by abruptly announcing his retirement in 1999.

Sanders was born on July 16, 1968, in Wichita, Kansas, the seventh of 11 children of William Sanders, a roofer and carpenter, and Shirley Sanders, a nurse. William had worked at a meat scrap company before Barry was born, but was unfairly fired. He successfully sued the company and used his monetary award to open a roofing and contracting company, taking on his three young sons as assistants. William and Barry often watched professional football together on television, and the 5' 8" Sanders has cited some of the star running backs of the 1970s as early influences. "I probably picked up a lot of things from those great runners," he stated in a 1994 interview in Sport. "I remember watching guys like Tony Dorsett and [Terry] Metcalf when I was at a very impressionable age. I don't know if I made a conscious effort to be an O.J. Simpson or a Marcus Allen-type football player, but being small, I knew I had to be a creative, innovative runner - not your typical straight-ahead runner."

Demonstrated Early Talent

Sanders talent became apparent early on. He scored three touchdowns in his first youth league game for the Beech Red Barons, and although Sanders also played basketball, his father encouraged him to concentrate on football in the hopes of earning a college scholarship in the sport. William Sanders believed universities held more scholarship slots in football than basketball. Sanders' coaches at Wichita North High School were slow to take advantage of his talent, however, as they felt he feared getting hit and did not demonstrate the requisite agility. He played second-string for much of his high school career, but finally started at tailback with five games left in his senior season. In his last five games, Sanders rushed for 1, 417 yards. Demonstrating what would become trademark humility, he came within 34 yards of setting a city record for rushing. Since Wichita North was easily winning the game, Sanders left the field and, according to a 2003 article in Sports Illustrated, instructed his coaches to "let the young guys play." He made the All-State team and received honorable mention in the All-American contest.

Only a handful of universities recruited Sanders, and he ultimately chose Oklahoma State University, where he planned to study business. Team officials had promised him time to devote to his studies, but Sanders quickly found football obligations consuming his schedule, even though he was relegated to second string during his first two years. Despite the setbacks, by his sophomore year, he led the nation in both kick-off and punt returns. The following year, he set 13 NCAA rushing records, including most yards gained in one season (2,628) and most touchdowns in one season (39). As a result of his accomplishments, in 1988 he became only the eighth junior to be awarded the Heisman Trophy, college football's most coveted award. Again, Sanders avoided public attention, skipping a post-award luncheon with the president in order to finish his homework.

Joined NFL

After the 1988 season, the NCAA put the OSU football team on probation. Perhaps in part due to this development, as well as pressure from his father and a desire to help his family financially, Sanders opted out of his senior season at OSU and entered the NFL draft. The Detroit Lions picked him and Sanders held out for an astounding $6.1 million contract. A deeply religious man, he donated one-tenth of his $2.1 million signing bonus to the Paradise Baptist Church in Wichita. He also used his earnings to pay for his siblings' college education. Sanders quickly established himself as the centerpiece of Detroit's offense, although the team maintained its lukewarm record, going 7-9 in his first season and 6-10 in his second. Still, Sanders shone, gaining 1,470 yards and scoring 14 touchdowns in the 1989-90 season, earning him a spot on the Pro Bowl team and the league's Rookie of the Year honors. Sanders had a much-anticipated opportunity to set the season's rushing record. In the last game of the season, however, with only 10 yards to go to break the record, set just minutes before, Sanders walked off the field and refused to return. He obtained the record the following season, posting 1,304 yards, and again earned a Pro Bowl slot.

Sanders continued to carry his team in the following seasons, and remained reluctant to give interviews or place himself in the spotlight. He became renowned for both his talent on the field and his uncharacteristic behavior off it. He refused to go to clubs with his teammates, he used laundromats instead of hotel dry cleaners on vacation, and in 1993, while in London for the American Bowl, he stood in line to enter the Hard Rock Café, even though the rest of the team used the VIP passes they had been given which allowed them immediate entry. He even slept during Lions' games, awaking just in time to execute another breathtaking maneuver. "One of the first games I played with Barry, I was screaming, 'Barry's asleep!' and everybody was laughing at me," recalled former Lions receiver Brett Perriman in a 2003 Sports Ilustrated interview. "I hit him and woke him up, and his eyes were blood red - I mean, from a deep sleep. He went in, and the play was a toss to him. He went 71 yards. I said, 'Get out of here. This is God's gift. It just ain't fair.' "

Announced Retirement

Sanders signed increasingly more lucrative contracts with the Lions in subsequent years, routinely holding out until the team would meet his demands, but he stunned the sports world in 1999 when, after failing to report for spring training, he announced his retirement. While some have speculated that the talented running back had tired of the Lions' losing ways–the team had only a 78-82 record during his tenure and made the playoffs only five of his ten years with them—or that the move was a ploy to be released from his contract so he could play for another team, Sanders issued a press release stating, as quoted in a 1999 issue of Jet, "The reason I am retiring is simple: My desire to exit the game is greater than my desire to remain in it. I have searched my heart through and through and feel comfortable with this decision." Sanders then headed for London, and when queried by a reporter at the city's Gatwick Airport about the reasons for his trip he responded, according to Jet, "I don't know the right way to retire. This is just my way of doing it." Sanders later became embroiled in legal controversy with the Lions, who refused to release him from his contract even after he offered to refund a portion of an $11 million signing bonus. The team ultimately prevailed and Sanders remained unable to sign with another franchise for the duration of his contract.

Once again, Sanders had stopped short of a milesone. With 15,269 total yards rushing in the NFL, he was only 1,459 yards shy of Walter Payton's all-time league rushing record. As the first player in NFL history to rush for at least 1,000 yards in ten consecutive seasons, Sanders could have easily bested Payton, likely within one more year. Sanders told Sport in 1994 that such accomplishments bore little significance to him, however. "My attitude came from just wanting to go out and play football in some vacant lot with my friends," he said. "Football is a team sport, and it's not always necessary to carry the football so much. There are a ton of great players in this league, and you have to be realistic about what you are going to do at this level." Sanders married Detroit newscaster Lauren Campbell. The couple have a son, Nigel. Sanders also has a son, Barry James Sanders, from a previous relationship.

In 2004, Sanders was inducted into both the College Football Hall of Fame in South Bend, Indiana, and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. He was the third-youngest Pro Hall of Fame inductee, behind the Chicago Bears' Gale Sayers and Jim Brown. Following the honors, he told Jet he would have liked to have made it to the Super Bowl. "I do know I missed out on playin in the Super Bowl and that is something I will always regret," he said. Yet, he said, his love of the game was his primary motivation. "My biggest achievent was just being out there. The anticipation (of) what was going to happen on the next play - that's what really drove me." In a 2003 Sports Illustrated article, fellow running back Emmitt Smith, who has played for the Dallas Cowboys and Arizona Cardinals, summed up his competitors' contribution to the game: "To this day I tell any cat on that football field, you don't want to see Barry Sanders. B. Sanders would tear your kneecaps off. B. Sanders is one of the most creative, innovative runners who's ever played the game."