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In the National Football League, arguing the greatest player of all time is difficult. In baseball, you have Babe Ruth and Barry Bonds. In basketball, you have Michael Jordan and LeBron James. But the discussion is much more difficult in football because of the positional differences. However, despite players like Emmitt Smith and Walter Payton in the position, few experts disagree that Barry Sanders is the greatest running back in history. Here, we’ll look at five times that the former Oklahoma State Cowboy shocked the world.
Sanders Shocks the World by Retiring
While this could have waited until the last point, there is no sense in delaying. The most shocking thing Sanders ever did was retire. In 1998-99, Sanders rushed for 1491 yards — good for fourth best in the NFL. He accomplished this behind an uninspiring offensive line. However, despite his success, it wasn’t to his standard. He had managed to score just four touchdowns and averaged 4.3 yards per carry, each career low.
Even with it being a down year, Sanders was still among the great running backs in the sport and just 1,457 yards away from the all-time NFL rushing record, at the time held by Payton. He wasn’t dealing with any injuries, and his 15,269 career yards were the most ever by an NFL player during a 10-year span. Being so close to the all-record, even BetMGM Sports couldn’t have predicted what happened next when Sanders announced his retirement via The Wichita Eagle on July 27, 1999, just weeks before training camp.
“Shortly after the end of last season, I felt that I probably would not return for the 1999–2000 season,” Sanders said. Rumors swirled as to why he retired, and it is still not fully known today, with some suggesting a dwindling love for the sport or a fractured relationship with the Lions as the primary motivations. His struggle to find postseason success also played a role, something that former teammates take issue with.
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Barry Carves Up the Bears on Thanksgiving
Barry Sanders had many great rushing performances during his career. In 1994, he ran for a career-high 237 yards against the Buccaneers, one of four times he ran for more than 200 yards. Earlier that season, he ran for 194 yards against the Cowboys in a dual against Emmitt Smith.
However, his most memorable performance was arguably against the Vikings on Thanksgiving Day, 1997. Not only did Sanders rush for 167 yards, but he also ran for three touchdowns in front of a nationally televised audience. While his 220-yard, four-touchdown performance against the Vikings in 1991 is likely his best career game, he put on a show for the world on Thanksgiving Day in 1997.
Leading the Lions to the Conference Championship Game
Even with Sanders, the Lions were never an elite team. During his time with Detroit, they only once had a top-10 scoring defense. However, Sanders carried them to the playoffs five times in ten seasons, a rare thing for a running back to accomplish. And no season was more significant than the 1991 season. During that year, the Lions finished 12-4 — still their greatest Super Bowl-era finish. They won the NFC Central and were the number two seed.
In the postseason, Barry led the Lions to what may still be the greatest win in franchise history, a 38-6 defeat of the Cowboys in the NFC Divisional Round. While they faced a drubbing of their own the following week against the eventual champion Washington Redskins, it remains the only instance in franchise history that Detroit played in the NFC Conference Championship game.
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Sanders Wins Offensive Player of the Year
There were high expectations for Sanders coming into the league because he had one of the best college careers in history. And while he lived up to the hype his first few seasons as an all-pro, 1992 and 1993 were regression years. Sanders put those years to sleep quickly, breaking out in 1994 for a career year. That season, he logged a league-high 1883 yards, the second time he led the league in rushing. He also added eight total touchdowns and led the league with an impossible 5.7 yards per carry. His performance was good enough to earn a bad Lions team a Wild Card berth while also earning Sanders his first Offensive Player of the Year award — but it was just the start of what was to come three years later.
Barry Won the 1997 MVP
After his Offensive Player of the Year season, Sanders followed with another all-pro year in 1995 and another league-leading rushing season in 1996. However, nobody could have expected what would come in 1997 for a back who was entering his age-29 season, typically the end of a running back’s prime years. Instead of showing signs of aging, Sanders had his best year yet, rushing for 2053 yards, just the third player in history to eclipse the 2000-yard mark.
He also scored 14 total touchdowns and rushed for a further impossible 6.1 yards per carry. The season was indeed a shocking display of brilliance.
Where Does Sanders Stand Among the All-Time Greats?
The least surprising thing Sanders ever did happened in 2004. In his first year on the ballot, the Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrined Sanders, making him the second-youngest player ever to be inducted. Few players have had more productive careers than Sanders, a player that still wows fans today.
