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Barry Sanders: American Football

Barry Sanders (born July 16, 1968) is a former football running back who set a record with the Detroit Lions in 1997 for rushing over 2000 yards in one season, overall gaining 15,269 rushing yards, 2921 receiving yards and 109 touchdowns. He is a member of the college and professional football halls of fame and was known as the “# 1 elusive runner in NFL history” by the NFL Top-10. Sanders is one of the greatest players who never reached the Super Bowl. He was the third overall pick in the 1989 draft, a year later after he played for Oklahoma State University in 1988.



Greatest Sporting Achievements

Barry Sanders, who played for the Detroit Lions from 1989 to 1998, is the first player to ever reach a record of 1000 yards for the first 10 seasons, averaging over 1,500 rushing yards per season. He led the NFL four times and broke records. Sanders was selected as the NFL Rookie of the Year for two consecutive years and was given the NFC Most Valuable Player award by the NFL Players Association.

Why Was He So Good?

Barry Sanders became famous for his electrifying running style. He is the third-leading rusher in NFL history. Though he was short at 5’8” and weighed 203 lbs, he was quick and strong to bring down with arm tackles. Sanders was muscular, which gave him an advantage when it came to acceleration and a very low center of mass. He was also known for his humbleness when it came to the field. While of some his teammates were seen celebrating every time they won, he would be rarely seen celebrating, instead he would rather hand the ball to the referee or congratulate his teammates.

What You May Not Know

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Profiles Extra

There are profiles of past athlete champions from a large range of sports. See also profiles of Olympic athletes and pages about sporting heroes.

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