Barry Sanders
Teams
Detroit Lions (1989-1998)
Playoffs
Appearances - 5 (1991,1993,1994,1995,1997)
Conf Champ Games - 1 (1991)
Super Bowls - 0
Championships - 0
Awards and Honors
Offensive Rookie of the Year - 1989
Offensive Player of the Year - 2 (1994,1997)
MVP - 1 (1997)
All-Pro First Team - 6 (1989,1990,1991,1994,1995,1997)
All-Pro Second Team - 3 (1992,1993,1998)
Pro Bowl - 9 (1989,1990,1991,1992,1993,1994,1995,1996,1997,1998)
Hall of Fame - 2004
All-Time Ranks
Rushing Yards per Game - #2
Rushing Yards - #4
Scrimmage Yards - #7
Rushing Touchdowns - #10
Yards per Rush - #10
Total Touchdowns - #19
League Leads
Rushing Yards (#1-1990,1994,1996,1997, #2-1989,1991,1995, #4-1992,1998, #5-1993)
Rushing Touchdowns (#1-1991, #2-1989, #3-1990,1997, #4-1995, #5-1992, #6-1996, #8-1994)
Yards per Rush (#1-1994, #2-1996,1997, #3-1990,1995, #4-1989, #7-1993,1998, #8-1991)
Rushing Yards per Game (#1-1991,1994,1996,1997, #2-1989,1990,1993,1995, #4-1992,1998)
Total Touchdowns (#1-1990,1991, #3-1997, #5-1989, #9-1996)
Scrimmage Yards (#1-1994,1997, #2-1990,1991,1995, #3-1989,1996, #5-1998, #6-1992, #10-1993)
Yards per Touch (#4-1997, #5-1990, #7-1994, #8-1989)
After rushing for 2628 yards and 37 touchdowns as a junior at Oklahoma and running away with the Heisman Trophy, Barry Sanders was drafted #3 overall in the 1989 NFL Draft by the Detroit Lions.
Sanders was great right from the start in the NFL. As a rookie, he rushed for 1470 yards and 14 touchdowns, finishing just 10 yards short of the rushing title. He was named the Offensive Rookie of the Year, and gained an impressive 5.3 yards per carry on the season.
In his second season, he won his first rushing title, leading the league with 1304 yards, and finishing #1 with 16 total touchdowns on the season. Despite finishing with a losing record once again, he was named to the All-Pro First Team for the second consecutive year.
In 1991, he led the league with 16 rushing touchdowns and 17 total touchdowns, and gained 1548 yards on the ground, the best of his career to that point. He led the Lions to their first playoff berth in nearly a decade, and their first playoff win in 34 years, but they fell one game short of the Super Bowl, losing to Dallas in the NFC Championship Game.
By his standards, the 1992 season was a down year for Sanders, with only 1352 rushing yards. He was looking good in 1993, with 1115 yards through 11 games when he went down with a torn MCL, which ended his season early, and was the only major injury of his career. He did return for their playoff game, where he had 169 yards, but the Lions lost to the Packers 28-24.
He won his second rushing title in 1994, finishing with 1883 yards, and he led the league with 2166 yards from scrimmage and 5.7 yards per carry. His performance that year earned him the Offensive Player of the Year award. He also set a record that year for most yards in a game without a touchdown when he gained 237 yards against Tampa Bay without reaching the end zone.
After gaining "only" 1500 yards in 1995, he won his third rushing title in 1996, when he finished with 1553. The Lions missed the playoffs that year, after having made the postseason in each of the previous 3 years, each time without winning a playoff game.
He had his best season in 1997, rushing for 2053 yards, becoming just the third player ever to reach 2000. He also led the league with 2358 scrimmage yards, and was named Offensive Player of the Year for the second time, and league MVP for the first time. The Lions returned to the playoffs, but again fell in the Wild Card round.
In 1998, Sanders gained another 1491 yards, giving him 10 straight seasons of at least 1000 yards to start his career, and putting him at #2 in the all-time list for rushing yards, but prior to the next season, Sanders abruptly decided to retire from football, despite being fully healthy and still one of the top backs in the league.
Sanders holds many NFL records. He has the most seasons with at least 1500 yards, with 5, and the most consecutive games reaching 100 yards, with 14. He also has the most 150-yard games in history, and is the only player ever with two 80-yard touchdowns in the same game. He led the league in rushing 4 times, and is in the top 10 in rushing yards, scrimmage yards, rushing touchdowns, total touchdowns, and yards per carry. Even though he won only 1 playoff game in his career, there is no doubt that he was one of the greatest to ever play the game.
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