Still, there was no question that the greatest Detroit Lion of all-time has to be Barry Sanders.
In the ten seasons that he played, Sanders was named to the Pro Bowl in every single one of them. He is a member of the 2,000 Yards Rushing (in a season) club, a four-time rushing champion, six-time First Team All-Pro, and a former MVP.
He is the answer to the question of who is the best player to never play in a Super Bowl, but can you imagine how they would have done if he wasn’t a Lion? They probably would have made the playoffs at all!
The Running Back entered the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2004, and his number was retired the same year by the Lions. The team also inducted Sanders as part of the first group of their Pride of the Lions in 2009, and he was also later named to the 100th NFL Anniversary Team.
1. Barry Sanders
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Nowadays football players are retiring early, but the retirement of Barry Sanders caught everyone completely off-guard as he retired while still an elite player and less than 1,500 Yards from breaking the rushing record, which he had he continued to play would have likely set a mark that would have been unattainable.
The Bullet Points
- Position: Running Back
- Acquired: Drafted in the 1st Round, 3rd Overall in the NFL Draft 4/23/89.
- Departed: Retired 6/27/98.
- Games Played: 153
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Notable Statistics: 151 Games Started
3,062 Rushing Attempts
15,269 Rushing Yards
99 Rushing Touchdowns
352 Receptions
2,921 Receiving Yards
10 Receiving Touchdowns
5 Kick Returns
118 Kick Return Yards
1 Pass Completion
4 Pass Attempts
11 Passing Yards
1 Interception
149 Approximate Value
6 Games Started
95 Rushing Attempts
386 Rushing Yards
1 Rushing Touchdown
21 Receptions
111 Receiving Yards -
Major Accolades and Awards: AP MVP (1997)
Bert Bell Award (1991 & 1997)
PFWA MVP (1997)
NEA MVP (1997)
The Sporting News Player of the Year (1997)
AP Offensive Player of the Year (1994 & 1997)
PFWA Offensive Player of the Year (1997 & 1998)
AP Offensive Rookie of the Year (1989)
UPI Rookie of the Year (1989)
PFWA Rookie of the Year (1989)
The Sporting News Rookie of the Year (1989)
First Team All-Pro (1989, 1990, 1991, 1994, 1995 & 1997)
Second Team All-Pro (1992, 1993, 1996 & 1998)
Pro Bowl (1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997 & 1998)
All-Rookie (1989)
Most Rushing Yards (1990, 1994, 1996 & 1997)
Most Rushing Touchdowns (1991)
Most Rushing Yards per Attempt (1994)
Most Rushing Yards per Game (1991, 1994, 1996 & 1997)
Most Touchdowns (1990 & 1991)
Most Yards from Scrimmage (1994 & 1997)
Most All-Purpose Yards (1997)
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