Barry Sanders Is As Great Today as During His Playing Days
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When I was younger, there were two players I pretended to be playing street football. One was Rodney Hampton, the running back for my favorite team, the New York Giants. The other was Barry Sanders, and I played completely different when pretending to be Barry Sanders.
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Sanders was a magician. He moved unlike anybody else, taking a side step there, then faking a side step, juking defenders with a shoulder move, and finally spinning into an open space and accelerating upfield.
Barry Sanders turns 51 today 🎈
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) July 16, 2019
He was an absolute magician with the ball in his hands!
(via @nflthrowback) pic.twitter.com/IOdsMxonUQ
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Sanders' exploits have always been well-known, but this year placed another spotlight on his greatness. First, Boise State's Ashton Jeanty pursued Sanders' single-season college rushing record. Jeanty's numbers highlighted how special Sanders' 1988 rushing record is, 2,628 yards in 11 games at Oklahoma State. Jeanty, the runner-up for the Heisman Trophy, couldn't break the record despite playing in 13 games.
And through it all, Sanders was all class.
Congrats to @AshtonJeanty2 and @BroncoSportsFB on a great season. I will be watching for you in the @NFL https://t.co/rH4OjfHsSj
— Barry Sanders (@BarrySanders) January 1, 2025
Then, the Detroit Lions were the top regular-season team in the National Football Conference for the first time since joining the NFC in 1970. It shined a light on Sanders because, despite a legendary career, he only won one playoff game in 1991. Sanders' Lions lost the other five Wild Card playoff appearances until his retirement in 1998.
Why would this year's version of the Lions put a renewed focus on Sanders, who retired more than 25 years ago? Last year, the Lions dedicated a statue to Sanders, and one couldn't help but wonder what he could do with a team as loaded as this year's first-seed in the NFC.
Sanders is also involved in the memorabilia and trading card industry through Panini. His X account often tweets about giveaways and regularly interacts with fans.
I was hoping to see @saquon get a shot at the record today.
— Barry Sanders (@BarrySanders) January 5, 2025
To celebrate a great RB season for my @Lions
1. Follow us
2. Post your favorite @Jahmyr_Gibbs1 or @MontgomerDavid run of the season
For a chance to win this signed pic from my 2053 yard season in 97.#win #Giveaway pic.twitter.com/YJHGbJLJ7D
His rookie cards also remain among the most popular cards sent in for grading. According to Gem Rate, Sanders' 1989 Topps Traded rookie card is PSA's second-most graded football card, only behind Jerry Rice's 1986 Topps rookie. His 1989 Score Rookie is the fifth-most graded football card. And it's not just from years past; Sanders has had at least one card in the PSA yearly Top 100 for at least the past three years.
Sanders hasn't played football in 26 years. So, while he may not be in the day-to-day discussions that he once was, he has remained relevant because his career influenced a generation of players and fans who had the opportunity to witness a special athlete. Sanders has embraced his fans and is one of the favorite athletes in the hobby.
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Horacio is an avid sports card collector and writes about trending card auctions and news across several major hobby sites, including Sports Collectors Daily and Collectibles on SI.
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