Barry Sanders Story....

Saturday, November 15, 2003


Associated Press
WICHITA, Kan. -- Former All-Pro running back Barry Sanders says he quit the NFL because he was exhausted and frustrated that the Detroit Lions' front office did not seem willing to build a winning team.


In a book to be released next week, Sanders recalls openly sobbing on the sidelines on a rainy afternoon in Baltimore in 1998 because he knew it would be his last game.


It was the final game of another lousy season for the Lions, a meaningless 19-10 loss to the Ravens in which the running back from Wichita had a rare fumble.


"I was crying because I knew it was over," Sanders says in the book, "Barry Sanders: Now You See Him ... His Story in His Own Words," an as-told-to book written with longtime friend Mark McCormick of The Wichita Eagle.


As the clock ran out in Baltimore, he said, "It also ran out in my career. I decided they could go on without me."


It would be months before Sanders shared that decision with the rest of the country in a brief retirement statement that only hinted at his true feelings. His retirement shocked the sports world because he was only 31 and on the verge of breaking Walter Payton's all-time NFL rushing record.


Although the statement referred to his loss of will to continue in the NFL, it did not openly criticize the Lions' front office.


Sanders changes course in the book, saying a "communications gap" opened between him and the Lions' front office as the team unloaded quality players.


After working to help Detroit try to build a winner throughout the 1990s, Sanders suffered as the Lions slumped to 5-11 in two of his last three seasons.


"After all these years, I'd come full circle," Sanders says in the book. "It was tough to stay focused and motivated."


The realization that management no longer cared about winning "slammed me harder than any linebacker had ever hit me in my entire career," Sanders says. "That realization trivialized everything I did during the off-season to prepare myself. It trivialized everything I dreamed about from the time I was a kid in Wichita ..."


In another chapter, Sanders details the year when he became the third player in NFL history to rush for 2,000 yards in a season. That accomplishment was significant to Sanders, as were others such as reaching the 100-yard rushing mark in 14 consecutive games.


The record he walked away from wasn't as important, he says. Fed up with football, Sanders lost interest in chasing Payton's career rushing record.


"I had already achieved a level of success that gave me much satisfaction and pride. I didn't need to pass Walter to prove that to myself," says Sanders, who remains the third-leading NFL rusher of all time with 15,269 yards.


As for his brief retirement statement, Sanders says he didn't refer to his feelings about Lions management because he "didn't want to take shots at people as I left."


His only regret, Sanders says, is that he didn't include a statement wishing his team good luck.


The 17-chapter book also details Sanders life from his childhood in Wichita to his years as a star at Oklahoma State University and into retirement.


He credits his mother, Shirley Sanders, for much of his success and discusses his often strained relationship with his father.


Sanders, who was with the Lions for 10 years, maintains a home in suburban Detroit. He is involved with American State Bank in Oklahoma, makes appearances at card shows, works with charities and plays in celebrity golf tournaments.

[nakedwake]

Barry's play is sorely missed, I think. He was a great back.
fun to watch, and always a class act.

[Chief Buccaneer]

It's a shame that Sanders had to leave football the way he did, but, wow, what a class act.

I wish he'd had a chance to be on a winning team because he deserved it. You have to give him credit for leaving without pointing fingers at everyone he was frustrated with. As everyone else has said, he has class.

Sanders is the epitome of class.

...unlike so many present and former professional athletes - Sapp, Shockey, Ray Lewis, Iverson, Keyshawn, Lawrence Taylor, Ray Carruth, Allen Iverson, John Rocker, Jayson Williams, Albert Belle, Bill Romanowski, to name a few.

I am definatly glad I got to see him here at the old sombrero a few times.

[tampamoney]

He made moves that I thought no one could make. He is a true class act.

[Patient Bucbacker]

One of the very last "act like you've been there" players. Greatest runner I ever saw and I was there the day he ripped off two 80+ runs against the Bucs.

[TrueSteelerFan]

My favorite non-Steeler ever. Thats a book I must read.

Yeah, I heard about the book and some of the chapters. Barry was an awesome running back. I loved it when the Bucs and Lions got together in the old days. Man, Barry was good for at least 180 yards against our D. And when he had is longest runs they were against us. I am sorry, but those runs were sweet!!!

Barry was in the top 5 of all time running backs in my book ( Eric ****erson, Jim Brown, Barry Sanders, Tony Dorsett, and Franco Harris) Barry was awesome!! I will be getting that book.

[BBB]

Gree Agency is tough to chew as a fan, but when it effects the players then will all players only be loyal to the "$$$$$?"

[bigred28]

I think I'll read it too. It's good to hear alot of positive comments about a guy I had a lot of respect for growing up. When Emmit broke the record a year back, there was this inlux of anti-Barry sentiment b/c Emmit stuck through the tough times and Barry didn't. I personally think it was just a defense mechanism from Emmit fans trying to convince themselves he is the all time great he was getting hyped up as. Judging from the comments of Jim Brown among others, I don't think alot of HOF backs really respect the way Emmit chased this record, in fact only OJ has soiled his reputation more.

wouldn't it have been nice if he'dame here? we can only dream oh well