Barry Sanders
--"nothing ever turns out the way people expect it to"--
Biography
- born July 16,1968
- 4 kids Barry Jr, Nigel, Noah, and Nicholas
- pro football player
- MVP in 1997
- Inducted into Hall of Fame in 2004
Coming Of Age
Although Barry Sanders grew up in a poor household in Wichita, Kansas; he ended up being an accomplished football player. Barry Sanders was born to William, a carpenter and Shirley who was a nurse (The Famous People). He belonged to a big family and had two brothers and eight sisters. Since he lived in a poor household, he worked as a roofer with his brother to make extra money as a kid. When Barry Sanders was in high school he did not like football. The sport he most loved was basketball. His father persuaded him to play football because he thought that Barry would have a better chance to win. Sanders was a running back. He didn't have much playing time because of his height, 5'8. When he played, he did amazing. In five games he rushed for 1,417 yards. Sanders got all-state and all-American honors in football, but was not offered many scholarships because of his height. He was offered 2 scholarships, one from Emporia State and Oklahoma State University (OSU). He chose OSU and went to college.
When Barry got into college, he was too small, so he increased his weight from 175 lbs to 200 lbs. In his junior year, he ended the 1988-1989 season by winning the Heisman trophy. Shortly after, at the NFL Draft, he was chosen by the Detroit Lions, in the first round. These moments in his school years made Barry Sanders a better player and helped him become famous.
Analysis
All the events in Barry’s childhood and teen years shaped him to be the person he is today. In his childhood, his father was one of the most important people in his life. His father convinced him to play football instead of basketball. Also Sanders became famous through his years of playing in college. By playing at a high level and succeeding he made himself a contender for the Heisman trophy award. His stats also made him a future target for NFL teams. He won the Heisman trophy and went into the NFL draft. Barry Sanders was selected 3rd overall behind Troy Aikman and Tony Mandarich. After Barry retired from football, he was involved in a several campaigns. One of them, is to raise awareness for a brain injury called, Pseudobulbar Affect (PBA). Barry Sanders said: "There's low awareness for PBA and many people don't know they have it. That's why I'm thrilled for the opportunity to be a part of the Tackle PBA campaign and help educate my peers as well as the larger sports community and beyond" (PR Newswire). All together, these experiences made Barry a Hall of Fame player, a successful and caring person.
College stats
Barry Sanders, 1988 rushing stats
Date&Opponent --------Att Yds TD
8/10 Miami (Ohio) ------18 178 2
8/24 Texas A&M ---------20 157 2
10/1 Tulsa ------------------33 304 5
10/8 at Colorado---------24 174 4
10/15 at Nebraska ------35 189 4
10/22 Missouri -----------25 154 2
10/29 at Kansas St. -----37 320 3
11/5 Oklahoma ----------39 215 2
11/12 Kansas -------------37 312 5
11/19 at Iowa St. --------32 293 4
12/4 Texas Tech* -------44 332 4
12/30 Wyoming** ------29 222 5
* in Tokyo; ** Holiday Bowl
Works Cited
Britannica, n.d. Web. 24 Mar. 2015. <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/
topic/522099/Barry-Sanders>.
Biography Jrank. Net Industries, n.d. Web. 25 Mar. 2015.
<http://biography.jrank.org/pages/2822/Sanders-Barry.html>.
Brainy Quote. BrianyQuote, n.d. Web. 26 Mar. 2015.
<http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/b/barry_sanders.html>.
ESPN Go. espn, n.d. Web. 24 Mar. 2015. <http://espn.go.com/college-football/
story/_/page/theseason0807sanders/
barry-sanders-record-setting-1988-season-never-duplicated>.
The Famous People. Famous People All, n.d. Web. 25 Mar. 2015.
<http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/barry-sanders-3670.php>.
"Sanders, Barry." Compton by Britannica. N.p.: n.p., n.d. N. pag. SIRS
Discoverer. Web. 10 Apr. 2015. <http://discoverer.prod.sirs.com/
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