Barry Sanders, 2019
Photo: Greg2600, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Running back, Oklahoma State, 1986–⁠88

Barry Sanders

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Barry Sanders played running back at Oklahoma State (1986–⁠88). He won the 1988 Heisman Trophy, the 1988 Maxwell Award and the 1988 Walter Camp Award. He was a consensus All‑American in 1988. The Detroit Lions took Sanders in the first round, No. 3 overall in the 1989 NFL Draft. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2003.

At a glance

Best season
1988
Heisman Trophy, Maxwell Award and 11 more
National rank
No. 1
In the nation in points, 1988
Drafted
No. 3
Overall, 1989 NFL Draft (Detroit Lions)

Honors

All-America: consensus 1988; AP second team 1987; Sporting News 1987

Players of the year, conference and regional honors: Wikipedia’s lists (CC BY-SA), each linked from its honor.

Season by season, from Wikipedia

SeasonRushingReceiving
AttYdsAvgTDRecYdsTD
1986743254.42000
19871056035.794581
19883442,6287.637191060
Career5233,55648231641

From the college statistics table in Sanders’s Wikipedia article (Barry Sanders, CC BY-SA), season by season as the article gives them, bowls included where it counts them. Our own records come from box scores, which start in 2004 (tackles in 2016, kickoff returns in 2009).

The teams in those years

Our player records start in 2004; before that they hold the honors, the Heisman vote and the draft (from 1936), with college years from the player’s Wikipedia article where it gives them.

Before the draft

DrillPro day 1989
Height5′7⅝″
Weight203 lb
40-yard dash4.37 s

Pre-draft measurables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).

In the NFL

Pro Bowls: 10 (1989–⁠98) · First-team All-Pro (AP): 6 (1989–⁠91, 1994–⁠95, 1997) · Second-team All-Pro (AP): 4 (1992–⁠93, 1996, 1998)

All-Pro teams: AP first team 1989–⁠91, 1994–⁠95, 1997; AP second team 1992–⁠93, 1996, 1998; Pro Football Writers first team 1989–⁠91, 1994–⁠97; Sporting News first team 1989–⁠91, 1993–⁠97; Pro Football Weekly first team 1989–⁠91; NEA first team 1990–⁠91; and 1 more.

Pro Bowls and All-Pro teams by NFL season: rosters and honors, Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).

Books and statues

In books

And 2 more

Books: Open Library (CC0); most-reissued first, each linked to its page there. Statues: Wikidata (CC0) and Wikimedia Commons; links only.

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