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ten yards short of the rushing title. Records weren't important to Barry, they were like glass; easily broken. He wanted to earn his paycheck and work hard and he did. His efforts earned him the rookie of the year award.

Barry had already made his impact on the league and it showed for many years leading up to that fateful 1997 season. His first two games were lack luster putting up a mere 53 yards on twenty five carries. For the first time Barry looked tired like the battlefield was finally getting to him physically. His rebound was quite possibly one of the greatest achievements in football history. He rushed for a 100 yards or more for the remainder of the season. A record setting 14 games; twice with 200 yards rushing.

Barry Sanders never left Detroit with a super bowl trophy but what he did leave was one of the greatest legacies in football history. The third player ever to reach 2,000 yards in a season. The first to rush for 1,500 for five years; and the first to rush for 1,000 yards for ten consecutive years. Ten pro bowls, NFL Offensive Player of the Year twice, and NFL MVP once in 1997. I think Sports Illustrated writer Paul Zimmerman put it best when he wrote.

"It doesn't matter where the play is blocked; he'll find his own soft spot...The scheme doesn't matter with Sanders. He can run from any alignment. While other people are stuck with joints, he seems to have ball bearings in his legs that give him a mechanical advantage...Sanders' finest runs often occur when he takes the handoff and, with a couple of moves, turns the line of scrimmage into a broken field...Nobody has ever created such turmoil at the point of attack as Sanders has...Knock on wood, he seems indestructible..."

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