The Best Running Back of All-Time

At 5'8" and 203 pounds, Barry Sanders' physical stature probably wouldn't intimidate the average human. However, from 1989-1999, NFL defensive coordinators glared from the sideline in misery as Sanders torched their defense. Throughout the years of professional football, there have been numerous astonishing running backs that have captivated fans. However, Barry Sanders is the best running back of all time.

Let's start with his remarkable college career at Oklahoma State. As a freshman, he was merely a compliment running back to Thurman Thomas. According to Sports-Reference.com, Thomas was a two-time Offensive Player of the Year in his conference (Big Eight) and a two-time All-American. I'm mentioning Thomas' breathtaking statistics to better explain the magnitude of Sanders' capabilities. Barry Switzer was the coach of the Oklahoma Sooners in 1987 (Sanders' freshman year) and was quoted before the Oklahoma-OSU game, saying, "Whatever you do, don't hurt Thurman. You don't want to play against this freshman back they have named Barry Sanders." Keep in mind, Thomas was a Heisman candidate! Everyone who watched Barry play knew he had a very unique running style and jaw-dropping agility.

Playing his entire NFL career with the Detroit Lions, NFL.com has Sanders ranked third all time in rushing yards at 15,269 (most yards over 10 seasons), fourth in rushing yards in a single season (2,053), and his career average yards per rush capped at an astonishing 5.0. He never averaged less than 81.5 rushing yards per game and never averaged less than 4.3 yards per rush in any single season . Therefore, even his worst seasons were better than most running backs to ever play the game.

What's even more amazing is how successful Sanders was with little to no help from teammates. During Sanders' 10 seasons, only 11 other teammates made the Pro Bowl besides him (NFL.com); seven of them being on the defensive side. His offensive line was mediocre at best, leaving Sanders to prove his worth on every snap. Here is the list of quarterbacks that ran the offense during Sanders' tenure: Rodney Peete, Bob Gagliano, Eric Hipple, Andre Ware, Erik Kramer, Scott Mitchell, Dave Krieg, Don Majkowski, Charlie Batch, Frank Reich, and Gus Frerotte. Most of these players were even high round draft picks. If it's hard to remember these names, don't be too upset. Their statistics are as forgettable as their careers. During Sanders' rookie season, Gagliano posted a touchdown to interception ratio of 11-24. Not quite Tom Brady statistics that lead teams to the Super Bowl. Teams knew that Barry Sanders was the only real threat on the Lions' offense, and opponents just couldn't find a scheme to stop him.

During his 10-year career, he lead the Detroit Lions to six playoffs out of the franchise total 11 (during the Super Bowl era). Although, his teams only had one career playoff victory; he never had the supporting cast that teams like the Dallas Cowboys (Troy Aikman, Emmit Smith, Michael Irvin) or San Francisco 49ers (Steve Young, Jerry Rice, Deion Sanders, Ricky Waters) had. He averaged 4.24 yards per carry during the postseason as stated by NFL.com, but never got the opportunity to make it far into the postseason.

In spite of all of these astonishing statistics, there are even more factors that set him apart from the other greats. Sanders was a true team player who absolutely despised the limelight. In YouTube highlight videos honoring Barry Sanders, there is video footage of him serving cups of water on the sideline to his fellow teammates. He never had a touchdown celebration or was quoted by the media for trash talking an opponent. Sanders turned down endorsement opportunities that would have accumulated millions of dollars because he simply valued his privacy more.

What set Barry Sanders apart the most was his unique running style. His agility and balance were extraterrestrial. His stature may have prevented him from being a power running back, but gave him a low center of gravity that exploited bigger and stronger defenders. Sanders left the would-be tacklers grabbing the grass from under their palms after diving for Barry's legs and missing. Even the most poetic sentences couldn't describe his athletic ability on the field.

The one knock on Sanders is that some Detroit fans are still bitter about his early retirement. After 10 seasons with the Detroit Lions, Barry retired from the NFL at the mere age of 30, just 1,457 yards short of the all-time rushing record held by Walter Peyton. Emmitt Smith would later break this record, but do numbers really correlate with the overall impact a player had on the game? Teammate Herman Moore (WR) said, "When you look at when Emmitt Smith ended up getting that honor [of becoming the NFL’s all-time leading rusher], a lot of people looked at it and said, ‘Well, there’s an asterisk beside it; you got it because Barry no longer wanted to play.’" Sanders chose to leave the game at a point in his career when he was sick of losing, and simply wasn't enjoying the game as much as he used to.

Fans chanting "Barry Sanders" will forever echo through the old Silverdome in Detroit, Michigan. His physical presence and demeanor will truly never be forgotten. Sanders made the Pro Bowl every year of his career in addition to being a six-time First-Team All-Pro. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2004, the first time he was eligible. The next time you're arguing with your friends about who the best running back ever was, remember the one player who kept crowds on their feet, defenders in the dust, and an extraordinary legacy that will forever by unmatched.

If you can spare five minutes, here are some highlights of Sanders making grown men look silly: