| Barry Sanders was born on July 16, 1968 in | | | | declared himself eligible for the NFL Draft and left |
| Wichita, Kansas. Although Sanders was never the | | | | college as one of the greatest runners of all time. |
| biggest player on the field, he always found a | | | | Sanders was selected by the Detroit Lions with |
| way to get the job done time and time again. | | | | the third pick of the first round in the 1989 NFL |
| With great balance and strength he racked up | | | | Draft. In his first season he made an immediate |
| yards at every level of football imaginable. And | | | | impact on both the team and league. He carried |
| for this reason many people consider him to be | | | | the ball 280 times for 1,470 yards. Additionally, he |
| among the greatest running backs to ever play | | | | scored 14 touchdowns. Ever year after that he |
| the game. | | | | put up like numbers. His best season ever was in |
| After a successful high school career Sanders | | | | 1997 when he rushed for 2,053 yards on 335 |
| decided to take his game to Oklahoma State | | | | carries. He also scored 11 touchdowns that |
| University. During his first two years with the | | | | season. |
| Cowboys he played behind star running back | | | | It came as a shock to the football world when |
| Thurman Thomas. But when his time finally came | | | | Sanders decided to retire for good after the 1998 |
| he was more than ready to take advantage. As a | | | | season. Although he was still putting up big |
| junior, he led the nation with 2,628 rushing yards | | | | statistics, he decided that it was time to leave the |
| and 39 touchdowns. This led to him winning the | | | | game. Sanders ended his career with 15,269 |
| Heisman Trophy in 1988. Instead of sticking | | | | rushing yards and 99 touchdowns. Even though |
| around for one more year, Sanders decided that | | | | Sanders did not stick around for a long time, he |
| it was time to move onto the next level. He | | | | will always be known as one of the greats. |
