Barry Sanders is a former professional football player in the United States. He was a running back with the National Football League’s Detroit Lions (NFL). In addition, he was recognized as one of the game’s best running backs. Every year, he was named to the Pro Bowl, and he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2004.
Yes, the first ten seasons of his career were spectacular, as he was the league’s top performer. He set an all-time NFL rushing record there, averaging over 1500 yards each season. However, he was released from the NFL in 1999. Most of his admirers are drawn to football because of his dedication to his work, and the following statements by Barry Sanders will help you in any situation.
- “Happiness does not come from football awards. It’s terrible to correlate happiness with football. Happiness comes from a good job, being able to feed your wife and kids. I don’t dream football, I dream the American dream – two cars in a garage, be a happy father.” – Barry Sanders
- “The reason of football is not to be the best but to be the best team” – Barry Sanders
- “MAYBE A GOOD RULE IN LIFE IS NEVER BECOME TOO IMPORTANT TO DO YOUR OWN LAUNDRY.” – BARRY SANDERS
- “Too often we are scared. Scared of what we might not be able to do. Scared of what people might think if we tried. We let fears stand in the way of our hopes. We say no when we want to say yes. We sit quietly when we want to scream. And we shout with the others, When we should keep our mouths shut. Why? After all, we do only go around once. There’s really no time to be afraid. JUST DO IT.” – Barry Sanders
- “Life doesn’t stop with football,” – Barry Sanders
- “I really love peace and quiet.” – Barry Sanders
- “YOU KNOW, I’M FAIRLY INTELLIGENT, BUT I DON’T THINK MY GRADES REFLECTED THAT.” – BARRY SANDERS
- “My desire to exit the game is greater than my desire to remain in it. I have searched my heart through and through and feel comfortable with this decision.” – Barry Sanders
- “CHRISTIANITY AFFECTS YOUR WHOLE LIFE. I FEEL I’M MORE COMPETITIVE, A BETTER PLAYER, BUT OFF THE FIELD IS WHERE THERE IS ALWAYS A BATTLE.” – BARRY SANDERS
- “One of the flabby lines you hear sometimes is, ‘Speak truth to power.’ Power knows the truth. It’s speaking the truth to yourself that’s the challenge.” – Barry Sanders
- “I don’t want to get too detailed into it, but when you’re a good high school running back, you can almost be whatever type of runner you want to be. If you’re a good size and a good athlete, you can be whatever type of runner you want.” – Barry Sanders
- “I SAT BEHIND THURMAN THOMAS FOR MY FIRST COUPLE OF YEARS, THEN MY FIRST YEAR STARTING I WON THE HEISMAN. AFTER I WON THE HEISMAN, THAT’S WHEN THINGS CHANGED AS FAR AS GOING TO THE NFL.” – BARRY SANDERS
- “If I could start with anybody, I would initially draft Tom Brady. Then I would go get Ray Lewis, and then maybe an offensive lineman, or somebody like Adrian Peterson.” – Barry Sanders
- “In all the time that people have known me, has anyone ever heard me talk about the importance of rushing records or finishing with the most touchdowns? So if that’s never been important to me, then why would that be a motivation to keep playing?” – Barry Sanders
- 15th of 30 Barry Sanders Quotes
- “IT’S HARD TO WIN IN THE NFL. YOU HAVE TO MAINTAIN A VERY DELICATE BALANCE PUTTING TOGETHER THE RIGHT TEAM TO BE ABLE TO WIN AND HAVE ANY AMOUNT OF SUCCESS.” – BARRY SANDERS
- “My mother was a huge influence on me. She was a living example of what a Christian should be. Her conviction, her discipline. She would rather see other people happy than herself.” – Barry Sanders
- “You can look at everything from pre-Heisman to post-Heisman, and I think that’s why it ranks up at the top because before then, I didn’t even think I was good enough to be a professional ballplayer.” – Barry Sanders
- “INDIVIDUAL GOALS NEVER MEANT THAT MUCH TO ME. THE HEISMAN IS NO EXCEPTION.” – BARRY SANDERS
- “A lot of times I did lose yards on a run, but it wasn’t for lack of trying.” – Barry Sanders
- “As a kid, I played my share of football in the street or in a vacant lot.” – Barry Sanders
- “I don’t dream football. I dream the American Dream – two cars in a garage, be a happy father.” – Barry Sanders
- “THE GAME IS THE ULTIMATE SIGNIFICANCE TO ME BECAUSE IT IS SO IMPORTANT TO A LOT OF PEOPLE. IT HAS LEFT A MARK ON OUR CULTURE TO BE VOTED AS ONE OF THE BEST TO EVER PLAY.” – BARRY SANDERS
- “See God gave us the talent, but the devil make us famous.” – Barry Sanders
- “I’M A JEWISH BOY FROM JERSEY. I WAS BORN WITH A STRONG SENSE OF RIGHT AND WRONG, AND A STRONG SENSE THAT THE WORLD CAN BE A LUDICROUS, UNFAIR, INHUMANE PLACE.” – BARRY SANDERS
- “As a kid, I played my share of football in the street or in a vacant lot. When we were playing in the street, it was more touch football, so we didn’t hit each other into cars.” – Barry Sanders
- “The Heisman is the biggest award I’ve ever won.” – Barry Sanders
- “Running back was always my favorite position.” – Barry Sanders
- “I’m from Kansas, so there were a lot of vacant lots and open fields to tackle each other in so we could avoid tackling each other on the street. But running on the street and trying not to get taken down on the concrete, that will make you fast, that’s for sure.” – Barry Sanders
- “It’s probably similar to being in New York City and having a cab driver behind you and you’re driving too slow. It’s not the most pleasant thing.” – Barry Sanders
