Barry Sanders is a former American football running back who spent all of his professional career with the Detroit Lions of the National Football League. Sanders left the game just short of the all-time rushing record. Sanders is a member of the college and professional football Halls of Fame. He is considered one of the greatest and most elusive running backs of all time.Sanders played for the Oklahoma State Cowboys from 1986 to 1988. In 1988, in what has been called the greatest individual season in college football history, Sanders led the nation by averaging 7.6 yards per carry and over 200 yards per game. Despite his massive workload of 344 carries, 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, 3,248 total yards, 234 points, 39 touchdowns, 37 rushing touchdowns, 5 consecutive 200 yard games, scored at least 2 touchdowns in 11 consecutive games, and 9 times he scored at least 3 touchdowns. Sanders won the Heisman Trophy as the season's most outstanding player. He chose to leave Oklahoma State before his senior season to enter the NFL draft.The Detroit Lions selected Sanders with the 3rd overall pick in the 1989 Draft. Though there were concerns about his size, it turned out these concerns were unfounded. Sanders was far too quick for defenders to hit solidly on a consistent basis, and too strong to bring down with arm tackles. In contrast to many of the star players of his era, Sanders was also noted for his on-field humility. Despite his flashy playing style, Sanders was rarely seen celebrating after the whistle was blown. Instead, he preferred to hand the ball to a referee or congratulate his teammates. Barry was the featured running back on the Lion teams that made the playoffs five times during the 1990s (1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, and 1997). He was a member of the 1991 and 1993 squads that won the NFC Central division title; the 1991 team won 12 regular season games (a franchise record). Despite his individual success, the Lions never reached the Super Bowl while Sanders was with the team. However, he achieved Pro Bowl status in all of his 10 seasons, was named first team All-Pro eight times, Offensive Player of the Year twice, and NFL MVP in 1997. He was also named to the 1990s NFL All-Decade team. Sanders stunned many when he announced he was quitting pro football in 1999. Several years after retirement, and repeated refusals to discuss the abruptness of it, Sanders finally admitted that the culture of losing in the Lions' organization was too much to deal with even though he said that he could still play. He explained that it robbed him of his competitive spirit, and he saw no reason to believe things were going to improve. Barry remains actively involved with charity efforts for both the Boys and Girls Club of South Central Kansas and the Scleroderma Foundation.
