Barry Sanders

Before Barry was Famous

Barry Sanders was born on July 6, 1968. He was the seventh child out of eleven children. He attended Oklahoma State College in 1986. He broke and set many college records while he was there. Barry played Running Back. He didn’t play until he was a junior because Thurman Thomas, who went on to play in the NFL for the Buffalo Bills, started in front of him.

Awards

Barry Sanders was awarded the Heisman Trophy in 1988. The Heisman Trophy is awarded to the best college football player in the National College Athletics Association of Football. Otherwise known as the NCAA.

Moving on to the Pros

Barry was drafted in the first round to the Detroit Lions. He went on to win many MVP awards and went to seven straight Pro Bowls. Pro Bowls are like All-Star games and only a very selective few have the privilege to say they made it to a Pro Bowl. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2003.

Career Rushing Statistics

Sanders has totaled some very impressive numbers throughout his NFL career. These are his rushing stats. Barry ran the ball 2,077 times. Those runs accounted for 10,172 yards. That’s an average of 4.9 yards per rushing attempt. He also scored an amazing 73 touchdowns. All those stats were racked up with-in a seven-year time frame. His college career was pretty impressive also. Throughout his 3-year college football career he ran the ball 529 times. He had a total of 3,575 rushing yards. That’s an average of 6.8 yards a carry. He ran for 48 touchdowns.

Career Receiving Statistics

Barry Sanders was not only an awesome runner he was also a receiving threat. He had 257 receptions in his NFL career. Those catches went for 2,162 yards and averaged 8.4 yards a catch. He caught seven touchdowns. In his college career he had 23 receptions and had 164 receiving yards. He averaged 7.1 yards a catch and caught only one touchdown.