Each day in the month of June, we’ll roll out a fresh topic to get Chicago Bears fans thinking. Be sure to chime in with your answer in the comments so we can all get to know our WCG members a bit better.
I had to think about this one for a bit.
A lot of names came to mind, Vikings wide receiver and hall of famer Cris Carter, who was a consummate professional, and a player you hated due to his performance against your favorite team, not for how he carried himself.
Or how about Calvin Johnson? Arguably
one of the greatest wide receivers ever, who’s on field rivalry with our very own Peanut Tillman fostered an air of respect from both fanbases for both players.
What about Reggie White, from the Packers? One of the most dominant players to ever take the field. The soft spoken White was an ordain minister, thus earning him the “Minister of Defense” nickname on the field. White finished his career with 198 sacks, second all time.
For me and my formative years, however, one player has always stood out, Barry Sanders.
And maybe it has something to do with my love of Sweetness, and the often drawn parallel’s between the two running backs’ game, but there was no opposing player I enjoyed watching more, and respected more, than Barry.
The Lion King
The soft spoken Sanders was born in Wichita, Kansas and played his college ball at Oklahoma State. After two seasons of moderate production, Sanders exploded in 1988. In 11 games he rushed for a staggering 2,628 yards and 37 touchdowns, marks that both remain NCAA records to this day.
He was drafted 3rd overall by the Detroit Lions and made an immediate impact for the team, rushing for 1,470 yards and 14 touchdowns, earning him the very rare triple crown of Pro Bowler, All-Pro, and Offensive Rookie of the Year.
What made him so good on the field was his extremely rare ability to stop and shift directions on a dime combined with his physics bending balance, his otherworldly patience and vision, his burst, and his creativity with the ball in his hands, very rarely was Barry stopped at the line, as he often punished a defense for winning at the point of attack with a cutback away from the intended running lane. Barry Sanders may have constituted as the ultimate home run threat from the running back position, and that was behind, at best, average offensive lines in his time in the league.
He was one of one on the field.
A True King Let’s His Game Do the Talking
But what made Barry especially likeable and respected was that he let his game do the talking for him. A consummate professional who never showboated or showed up his opposition. In a era of growing showmanship and celebration, Barry’s idea of celebrating a touchdown was handing the ball to a referee and accepting a few high fives from his teammates on the sideline. It wasn’t due to lack of personality, Barry just understood the game and respected it at a level others didn’t.
He stayed out of drama and the limelight, despite being the best at his position in his era, his reputation was entirely built upon the play on the field, and not what he was doing or saying off it.
He was also unwaveringly loyal to the team that drafted him despites the franchises struggles, who won just 1 playoff game in Sanders’ 10 years in the Detroit backfield.
Barry was the epitome of “I hate seeing that guy play against us, but loved watching him regardless.”
Accomplishing What He Did Certainly Helps, Too
Sanders played just 10 season in the NFL, and over that time frame he put up some truly video game numbers.
- 15,269 rushing yards
- 18,190 combined rushing and receiving yards
- 109 total touchdowns
- Averaged over 1,800 all purpose yards and nearly 11 touchdowns a year.
- Lead the league in rushing 4 times.
- In 1997, Finished 2nd all time in rushing yards in a season with 2,053, being just 1 of 3 players at the time to eclipse 2,000 yards in a season.
- Was named to the Pro Bowl every season of his career, while also earning 6 All-Pro nods, and 1 league MVP award.
- Retired 2nd all time in rushing yards behind Walter Payton.
All of these reasons are why Barry Sanders, to me, deserves to be the most respected opposing player of all time.
So, the question remains for you, reader: Who is your most respected opposing player of all time? Let us know in the comments below!
Gary Baugher Jr. is a 2nd year contributor to WCG, bringing football insight backed by over 16 years of experience in organized football and more than 30 years as a passionate fan of the game. You can follow him on Twitter at @iamcogs.
