It’s hard to believe that 12 football seasons have passed since Barry Sanders last stepped on a football field. He retired, in many fans’ opinions at least, just a few seasons to soon and only 1457 yards short of Walter Payton’s all-time rushing record (Emmitt Smith since passed Payton’s mark). Sander’s was by many people’s opinion the most exciting running back to ever step on the football and no doubt one of the hardest to tackle.
Before he ever started putting highlights on NFL Film’s reels, he had a standout career at Oklahoma State which was capped by his 1988 season that was jaw-dropping to say the least. He rushed for 2628 yards and averaged an amazing 7.6 yards per carry and scored a mere 37 touchdowns. It’s hard to put those numbers into words they are so ridiculous. The video quality isn’t the best, here are a few of the highlights.
Over the weekend, The Oklahoman had a good piece about Sanders and the big decision that is looming in his future. Not the elders Sanders however, rather his son Barry J. Sanders. With the 2011 class already signed, the attention now turns to the 2012 class and Sanders is surely to receive more and more attention as the upcoming football season draws closer. His name surely draws a lot of eyeballs, but it’ll be his already impressive accomplishments on the field that allow him to name the school he wants to attend.
Sanders has already hauled in 14 offers from schools from around the country and more are sure to be coming as the summer camps approach. Sanders plays for Heritage Hall in Oklahoma City, but as the Oklahoman’s article states, don’t think it’s a slam dunk that he follows in his dad’s footsteps and plays football for the Cowboys in Stillwater. “I definitely feel like I'm ready for everything that's coming,” Sanders said. “I just have to see where I fit in at each school. I'm going to go to as many (schools) as I can because I want to know for sure I'm making the right choice.”
Sanders and his upcoming senior season will no doubt be one of the bigger recruiting stories of the upcoming class. There’s a lot of time between now and when he’ll actually make his decision but I’m just excited that we’ll have chance to see another Sanders on college football field before long. And many schools are hoping he’s wearing their jersey instead of trying to game plan how to stop him, something nobody figured out how to do when it came to his dad.
(Slideshow photo: Kelly Lambert)
