Barry Sanders

Early life

Sanders was born on July 16, 1968, in Wichita, Kansas, the seventh of eleven children to William and Shirley Sanders. His father worked as a roofer and carpenter, while his mother worked as a homemaker for the Sanders family. Sanders and two of his brothers worked as roofers' assistants to his father. As a child, Sanders was known for having an appetite, being able to eat an entire loaf of bread in one sitting. He would often listen to regional college sports games that his father would play on TV. Mitch Albom of the Detroit Free Press wrote: "All day they would labor, with the hammers, with the tar, sweating in the hot summer sun. You did not complain in the Sanders family. Not unless you wanted a good whupping."

Sanders played football at Wichita North High School. Before this, he enjoyed playing youth football and basketball. Although Barry dreamed of playing running back, he played only defensive back for most of his high school career. Sanders was labeled as an undersized back and wasn't a starter at tailback as a junior due to future Chicago Bears draft pick and older brother Byron Sanders running the rock. When Byron graduated and left for Northwestern University on a football scholarship, Sanders was expected to start at tailback in his senior year—but instead was started at wingback—a variant of the wide receiver position. His head coach at the time perceived that his small stature would be a liability and that he "lacked contact courage." Besides taking part in football, he played basketball as a guard. Table-tennis and baseball were also sports that Sanders took part in. During this period—according to writer Samuel Crompton—the Sanders family was impoverished and had to "scrimp and save to get by".

Sanders did not become the starting running back until the fourth game of his senior year, when the original player was suspended for disciplinary reasons; he rushed for 274 yards and four touchdowns in that game. He rushed for 1,417 yards on 139 rushing attempts, averaging 10.2 yards per rushing attempt, and scored 17 touchdowns through his seven-game senior season. In the last game of the season, Wichita North's head coach, Dale Burkholder, offered Sanders more playing time in order to gain enough rushing yards to reach the state rushing title, but Sanders declined, saying it was "not important." For his season, Sanders earned all-state honors, and was named an Honorable Mention All-American. Although he was viewed as a stellar athlete, because of his short stature Sanders received scholarship offers from only Wichita State University, Iowa State University, University of Tulsa, and Oklahoma State University; he accepted the offer from Oklahoma State.

College career

Sanders enrolled at Oklahoma State University, where he played for the Oklahoma State Cowboys from 1986 to 1988 and wore the No. 21 jersey. During his first two years, he backed up Thomas at running back. In 1986, Sanders played in eight games and rushed for 325 rushing yards on 74 rushing attempts, with two rushing touchdowns. In 1987, he led the nation in yards per kickoff return (31.6), while rushing for 603 yards and scoring nine rushing touchdowns, catching four passes for 58 receiving yards and a touchdown, and scoring two touchdowns from 29 total special teams returns. He was named a second-team College Football All-American as a return specialist. While still a backup to Thomas, he received notable attention from his opponents. Oklahoma Sooners head coach Barry Switzer in particular told his players not to injure Thomas, in fear of Sanders starting in his place, telling them: "You won't touch this kid". Sanders was not fond of this as he believed Thomas to be a good teammate. Thomas moved on to the NFL in 1988, which allowed Sanders to become the starter for his junior year in college.

In 1988, in what is considered one of the greatest individual seasons in college football history, Sanders became the first player to open two consecutive seasons with a 100-yard kickoff return. He led the nation by averaging 7.6 yards per attempt and over 200 yards per game, including rushing for over 300 yards in four games. Despite his massive workload of 344 attempts, Sanders was still used as the team's punt and kickoff returner, adding another 516 yards on special teams. He set college football season records with 2,628 yards rushing, 3,250 total all-purpose yards, broken by Christian McCaffrey in 2015, 234 points, broken by Montee Ball in 2011, 37 rushing touchdowns, and 39 total touchdowns, (37 rushing, one kick return, one punt return, tied with Ball).

Sanders had five consecutive 200-yard games, scored at least two touchdowns in all eleven games, and eight times he scored at least three touchdowns. Sanders ran for 222 yards and scored five touchdowns in just three quarters of action in the 1988 Holiday Bowl, a game that is not included in the official NCAA season statistics. When added to his original rushing total, Sanders recorded 2,850 rushing yards from a workload of 373 attempts, 3,472 all-purpose yards, 264 points, 42 rushing touchdowns, and 44 total touchdowns.

Sanders learned of his Heisman Trophy win while he was with the team in Tokyo, Japan preparing to face Texas Tech in the Coca-Cola Classic. He accepted the award via satellite having garnered 559 first-place votes for 1,878 points. He was the eighth non-college senior to attain the trophy, and was selected as a unanimous All-American. Nevertheless, he believed Rodney Peete should have won the award. Along with his Heisman Trophy, Sanders was awarded the Maxwell Award, the Walter Camp Award, and named the Big Eight Offensive Player of the Year. Sanders initially announced that he was not going to enter the NFL draft, but after receiving pressure from his father, made his entrance into the draft.

Professional career

Detroit Lions (1989–1998)

Sanders, a college junior, was originally ineligible for the NFL draft. However, Oklahoma State had been under investigation by the NCAA for recruiting violations. On the first day of 1989, the NCAA placed the Cowboys on four years' probation. If Sanders had remained as a Cowboy for his senior season, his games would not have been televised live, and he would not be able to play in a bowl game. Due to these circumstances, NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle allowed Sanders to enter the draft. In the next year, the NFL allowed all juniors to participate. During pre-draft measurements, Sanders was measured at 5 ft 8 in tall, and weighed at 203 lbs.

The Detroit Lions drafted Sanders third overall in the 1989 NFL draft, after Troy Aikman and Tony Mandarich, thanks to the endorsement of head coach Wayne Fontes. The Lions competed in the Central Division of the National Football Conference (NFC). Since the completion of the NFL-AFL merger in 1970, the Lions had made the postseason only twice, and had not had a season at or above .500 since their most recent playoff season in 1983. Fontes, who took over the coaching position midway through the previous season, was impressed by Sanders' athletic ability after he lifted 225 lbs (102 kg) for 21 reps. Lions' management considered drafting another "Sanders", cornerback Deion Sanders, but Fontes convinced them to draft Barry instead. Fontes offered Sanders jersey No. 20, which had been worn by former Lions running back Billy Sims; Sims was one of the league's premier running backs in the early 1980s, and Fontes requested he wear the number in tribute to Sims. Sanders had doubts about what his career would have been like if another team selected him, such as the Green Bay Packers, who selected Mandarich at No. 2, later saying: "I don't know what I would've done if I was drafted by Green Bay, I don't know if I would've wanted to play in Green Bay, I don't think I could've handled this weather every day."

Sanders did not participate in the training camp of his rookie season due to a contract dispute. He eventually came to monetary terms with the Lions, signing a deal for five years, $9.5 million, including a $2.1 million signing bonus—ten percent of which ($210,000), he donated to his local church: Paradise Baptist Church. In his first Lions press conference, Sanders prefaced that he wanted to assist in restoring the franchise's reputation in the NFL landscape, stating that he wanted to help "restore the roar in the dome."

As a rookie in 1989, Sanders started 13 out of a possible 16 games for the Lions. In his first career professional game against the Phoenix Cardinals on September 10, Sanders ran for 71 yards on nine attempts and scored a rushing touchdown in the 16–13 loss. Against the Chicago Bears, Sanders compiled 126 yards on 18 attempts and a touchdown in the 47–27 loss, but became injured with bruised ribs and a hip pointer that plagued him through the rest of the season. On October 1, Sanders had only one yard on five attempts against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 23–3 loss. Against the Minnesota Vikings, Sanders had 23 attempts for 99 yards in the 24–17 loss. After the game, Vikings head coach Jerry Burns asked game officials to check if Sanders had applied silicone to himself; Burns believed this was why his players had difficulty tackling him; no illegal substance was ever found. On December 24, the final game of the season, he had 158 yards on 20 attempts to go along with three touchdowns against the Atlanta Falcons. During the game, the Lions installed a special phone line in one of the press boxes to monitor Christian Okoye, a running back for the Kansas City Chiefs who, at the time, was tied with Sanders for the league rushing title. When Okoye's game ended, Sanders trailed Okoye by only ten yards. Fontes offered Sanders the chance to return to the Lions' game to gain enough yards to pass Okoye, after Sanders was pulled from the game when the score was in the Lions' favor. Yet Sanders declined to return to the game, letting Okoye keep the rushing title. Sanders finished the season totaling 1,470 rushing yards off of 280 attempts and 14 touchdowns. His rushing total was both a rookie franchise record, and a franchise record for any running back in Lions history (both records held previously by Billy Sims). Sanders was awarded the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Award, and named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team. He was also selected to the Pro Bowl and was named a first-team All-Pro by the Associated Press (AP). The Lions struggled that season, posting a 7–9 record and failing to make the postseason, despite winning five straight games to end the year.

Retirement

On July 27, 1999, Sanders announced his retirement from pro football, the day before Lions training camp was set to start. His retirement was made public by faxing a letter to The Wichita Eagle, his hometown newspaper. In the letter, Sanders wrote: "Shortly after the end of last season, I felt that I probably would not return for the 1999–2000 season. I also felt that I should take as much time as possible to sort through my feelings and make sure that my feelings were back with conviction. Today, I officially declare my departure from the NFL."He left football healthy, having gained 15,269 rushing yards (the most ever by any NFL player in a 10-year span). He retired within 1,457 rushing yards of Walter Payton's career rushing mark of 16,726 yards. It has been speculated that Sanders would have surpassed the record if he had not retired early, a view held by Emmitt Smith, the eventual holder of the record. His father praised him for his decision, saying that it "took guts." Sanders would later describe his hesitance to retire, and that he waited "till the last minute." His retirement voided $20.9 million in collective salary and bonuses, along with millions of dollars in endorsements.

Sanders' retirement came somewhat unexpectedly and was a matter of controversy. Two years earlier, Sanders had renewed his contract with the Lions for $34.56 million over six years with an $11 million signing bonus. The Lions demanded that he return $7.37 million of the bonus. Sanders' agents refused, and the Lions filed a grievance with the NFL. On February 15, 2000, an arbitrator ruled that Sanders had to immediately repay $1,833,000 (one sixth of the bonus), with three sixths of the bonus to be repaid over each of the three years Sanders had left on the contract provided he stayed retired. Before the ruling, Sanders offered to pay back the entire bonus in return for him being traded to another team or his release.

It was thought by some that Lions head coach Bobby Ross himself may have actually been the reason for Sanders' early retirement, but in his autobiography Barry Sanders: Now You See Him, Sanders praised Ross as a head coach who had nothing directly to do with his retirement. It was more his frustration with the management and direction of the Lions and the resulting lack of success that contributed to his retirement, as Sanders revealed in his autobiography: "My retirement letter didn't even hint at my frustration, because I didn't want to take shots at people as I left. ... Management had let quality players slip away. We'd been losing for years. Now we were right back where we were when I arrived." He wrote: "A goal that I still hadn't realized was playing in the Super Bowl, and all of the statistical achievements didn't put the team any closer to playing in the big game." Sanders has since patched things up with the Lions, rejoining the organization in a paid role as a team ambassador in 2017, and they dedicated a bronze statue to him outside Ford Field in September 2023.

Career statistics

Career highlights

Awards and honors

NFL Most Valuable Player Award (1997)

2× NFL Offensive Player of the Year Award (1994, 1997)

4× NFL rushing champion (1990, 1994, 1996, 1997)

NFL rushing touchdowns leader (1991)

10× Pro Bowl (1989–1998)

6× First-team All-Pro (1989–1991, 1994, 1995, 1997)

4× Second-team All-Pro (1992, 1993, 1996, 1998)

PFWA All-Rookie Team (1989)

2× Bert Bell Award (1991, 1997)

SN NFL Player of the Year (1997)

NFL 1990s All-Decade Team

NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team

No. 17 on The Top 100: NFL's Greatest Players

No. 20 retired by the Detroit Lions

Pride of the Lions

Heisman Trophy (1988)

Maxwell Award (1988)

Walter Camp Award (1988)

Big Eight Offensive Player of the Year (1988)

Unanimous All-American (1988)

Second-team All-American (1987)

NCAA rushing yards leader (1988)

Records

Tied with Derrick Henry for most seasons with 1,500 or more yards rushing (5)

Consecutive games with 100 or more yards rushing (14)

Games with 100 or more yards rushing in a season (14)

150+ yard rushing games (25)

150+ scrimmage yard games (46)

First running back to have two 80+ yard touchdown runs in a game

Sanders set 34 NCAA Division I FBS records in his college career, and still holds the following records:

Most rushing yards in a season: 2,628

Most rushing yards gained in a three, four, and five game span: 937; 1,152; 1,472

Most rushing touchdowns in a season: 37

Most 2+ rushing touchdown games in a season: 11

Most 3+ rushing touchdown games in a season: 8

Most consecutive games scoring two or more touchdowns: 13 (from November 14, 1987, through 1988)

Most scrimmage touchdowns in a season: 39 (tied with Ball)

Most games rushing for 300+ yards in a season and career: 4

Most all-purpose yards per game in a season: 295.5

Most rushing yards per game in a season: 238.9

Legacy

Sanders is widely regarded as one of the greatest running backs in the history of the NFL, being ranked No. 1 by Bleacher Report and in the top ten by other media outlets. Sanders was first inducted into the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame in 1998, into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2003 and in that same year inducted into the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame. In 2000, Sanders was included in the NFL 1990s All-Decade Team. In 2019, he was named to the National Football League 100th Anniversary All-Time Team.

When he retired, Sanders was ranked second all-time in career rushing yards with 15,269 rushing yards, sixth all-time in career rushing touchdowns with 99 rushing touchdowns, and second all-time in career rushing attempts with 3,062 attempts. As of 2022, Sanders is still ranked in the top ten in all three statistics. Over his entire career, Sanders averaged 1,527 rushing yards per season, and 99.8 rushing yards per game, the latter stat second to Jim Brown. He never went below 1,000 yards in any of his ten seasons and has the second-most career 1,000-yard rushing seasons, with ten. Sanders was a notable bright spot on a Lions franchise that had endured years of unsuccessful play, helping to lead the team to their first playoff victory in decades. At the same time, Sanders only won one playoff game throughout his ten-year career, with NFL Network's Derrin Horton stating: "Not even Barry Sanders... could pull Detroit out of the playoff snakebit," in reference to the team's postseason failures. The Lions' overall unsuccessful play was noted for possibly being a reason for Sanders' early retirement. His number 20 was retired by the Lions on November 25, 2004, along with Sims and Lem Barney (who wore the same number). Sanders was also honored by the Lions when they inducted him into the Pride of the Lions, the franchise's ring of honor. In 2023, the Lions also immortalized Sanders with an 8-foot bronze statue located outside of Ford Field.

Throughout his career, he achieved Pro Bowl and All-Pro status in all ten of his NFL seasons. Sanders was named first-team All-Pro six times; and named second-team All-Pro four times. Sanders was named NFL Offensive Player of the Year in 1994 and 1997, awarded two Bert Bell Awards, and was named to the 1990s NFL All-Decade team. Both the Pro Football Hall of Fame and Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame enshrined him on August 8, 2004, and August 21, 2005, respectively. At age 36, Sanders became the second-youngest player to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. In 2019, Sanders was named to the NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team. In 2007, he was ranked by NFL Network's NFL Top 10 series as the most elusive runner in NFL history, and in 2012 was placed No. 1 on their list of the greatest players to never play in a Super Bowl.

Personal life

Sanders is a Christian. He and his wife, Lauren Campbell Sanders, a former news anchor for WDIV in Detroit, filed for divorce in February 2012 after 12 years of marriage. Sanders' brother, Byron, was the starting running back at Northwestern University, and would be selected by the Chicago Bears in the 9th round of the 1989 NFL draft. Byron was cut by the Bears two months after joining the franchise.

Sanders has four sons: Barry J. Sanders, Nick, Nigel, and Noah; the youngest three are from his marriage to Campbell. When the couple divorced, Sanders requested joint custody of them, while Campbell kept their medical coverage. Sanders' oldest son, Barry J. Sanders, played running back at Stanford University from 2012 to 2015, and Oklahoma State University in 2016. From 2022−2026, his son Nick played basketball at Michigan State University. In 2003, Sanders co-wrote his autobiography, Barry Sanders: Now You See Him: His Story In His Own Words, with Mark McCormick. He has reportedly donated to several charities, under the condition that they do not disclose his participation in any of them.

Sanders introduced ESPN's Monday Night Football game between the Chicago Bears and the Lions on October 10, 2011. In April 2013, Sanders made it to the finals of the vote to be on the cover of EA Sports Madden NFL 25, which celebrated the game's 25th anniversary, by beating head coach Ron Rivera in Round One, running back Marcus Allen in Round Two, linebacker Ray Lewis in Round Three, quarterback Joe Montana in the quarter-finals, and wide receiver Jerry Rice in the semi-finals. In the final round, he defeated running back Adrian Peterson to become the next cover athlete, the first player to appear on the cover of Madden NFL Football more than once (he appeared in the background of the Madden NFL 2000 cover).

In December 2024, Sanders opened a new car wash in Madison Heights, Michigan. On Father's Day weekend in 2025, he announced that he had suffered a heart attack the previous summer, and had a three-day hospital stay before being released after treatment. This led him to begin production of a documentary to educate the symptoms of cardiac arrest, especially for former athletes more tempered to ignore instances of pain, like himself.