- Sanders, Barry
-
U.S. football player.He attended Oklahoma State University, where he won the Heisman Trophy (1988) and set 34 college rushing records. As a running back for the Detroit Lions (1989–99), he rushed for 15,269 yd, placing him third behind Emmitt Smith and Walter Payton in all-time career rushing yardage. He holds records for the most games with 150 yd or more rushing (25), the most 100-yd games in a season (14), and the most touchdown runs of 50 or more yards (15). A runner with exceptional speed and balance, Sanders was known for his array of jukes and spins that left defenders grasping at air.
* * *
▪ 1995A favourite activity of fans of the National Football League (NFL) was to debate who was the best running back of all time. The usual candidates included Jim Brown, O.J. Simpson, and Walter Payton. But after the 1994 season, fans would have to give Barry Sanders serious consideration. In his sixth year with the Detroit Lions, Sanders rushed for a career high 1,883 yd on 331 carries, an average of 5.7 yd per carry. Not only did he lead the league in rushing, but his performance was the fourth best in NFL history.A stocky, thick-legged back, Sanders could use power to defeat would-be tacklers, but his real gift was the darting feints and spins that left defenders grasping air. He could change direction seemingly without losing speed, and on the faster artificial grass he looked like a whirling dervish. Sanders was on the home carpet of the Silverdome when he had the best game of his pro career against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on November 13, rushing for 237 yd on 26 carries.Sanders was born July 16, 1968, in Wichita, Kan. A deeply religious person who tithed to his church in Wichita, he learned about the value of humility and hard work from his parents while growing up with eight sisters and two brothers. These lessons proved valuable when Sanders' talents were initially ignored. He had learned his quicksilver moves on the sandlots, but in high school his small stature of 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) discouraged coaches from playing him at running back until the last five games of his senior year. The startling 1,417 yd that Sanders gained in those games, however, was enough to earn him a football scholarship to Oklahoma State University (OSU). For most of his first two years there Sanders found himself limited to returning kicks, while All-American halfback Thurman Thomas got the handoffs. Sanders was a junior in 1988 when he finally became the starting halfback and had what was probably the greatest single season in college football. He rushed for 2,628 yd—the best single-season rushing performance in the history of the National Collegiate Athletic Association—and broke 33 other records as well. Not surprisingly, Sanders easily won the Heisman Trophy that year as the nation's best college football player. When OSU was put on probation the next year, Sanders declared himself eligible for the professional draft and was selected by the Detroit Lions as the third overall pick.Sanders' first year in the NFL was an enormous success. He rushed for 1,470 yd (a Detroit Lions single-season record), averaged more than 5 yd per carry, caught 24 passes, and scored 14 touchdowns. At the end of the season he was named rookie of the year and made the All-Pro team. Sanders had rushed for more than 1,000 yd in each of the first six years of his professional career, a feat exceeded only by Eric Dickerson. (JAMES HENNELLY)* * *
▪ American athleteborn July 16, 1968, Wichita, Kansas, U.S.American professional gridiron football (football, gridiron) player. In his 10 seasons with the Detroit Lions (1989–98), Sanders led the National Football League (NFL) in rushing four times and was selected every year for the Pro Bowl. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2004.In high school, Sanders's small stature of 1.73 metres (5 feet 8 inches) discouraged coaches from playing him at running back until the last five games of his senior year. The startling 1,417 yards that he gained, however, were enough to earn him a football scholarship to Oklahoma State University (OSU). Sanders became the starting halfback in 1988 and rushed for 2,628 yards—the best single-season rushing performance in the history of the National Collegiate Athletic Association—winning the Heisman Trophy that year as the nation's best college football player. When OSU was put on probation the next year, Sanders declared himself eligible for the professional draft and was selected by the Detroit Lions as the third overall pick.Sanders set records for rushing more than 1,000 yards in 10 straight seasons, for rushing 1,500 yards or more in 5 different seasons (and the first to do so in 4 consecutive seasons), and for rushing more than 100 yards in 14 consecutive games. His most impressive season was 1997, when he became only the third back to rush for more than 2,000 yards; his 2,053 yards rushing and 305 yards in pass receptions, for a combined 2,358 yards, set a single-season record for running backs.Like Jim Brown (Brown, Jim), Sanders left the game at or near his athletic peak. With 15,269 career rushing yards and 99 rushing touchdowns, Sanders was close to eclipsing Walter Payton (Payton, Walter)'s all-time records. Instead, Sanders was forced to return more than $5 million of his most recent signing bonus to the Detroit Lions after his early retirement.* * *
Universalium. 2010.
