Getty Barry Sanders during the 2022 NFL Draft in Las Vegas.
The Detroit Lions have one of the NFL’s best legends ever in Barry Sanders, and finally, the running back is going to get the proper tribute from his franchise.
During halftime of the Week 8 game against Miami, the team revealed that they would be building a statue of Sanders outside Ford Field. That statue will be unveiled before the 2023 season.
The Lions revealed the news with a tweet, along with a Sanders highlight package.
#Lions announced at halftime during today’s Homecoming game that @ProFootballHOF RB @BarrySanders will have his legacy permanently cemented in Detroit with a statue at @FordField.
“Lions announced at halftime during today’s Homecoming game that Hall of Fame running back Barry Sanders will have his legacy permanently cemented in Detroit with a statue at Ford Field,” the team tweeted.
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Here’s a look at the moment the Lions revealed the honor courtesy of Colton Pouncey of The Athletic. Sanders’ former teammate Chris Spielman did the honors of making the announcement:
The Detroit Lions just announced Barry Sanders is getting an 8-foot bronze statue in front of Ford Field in 2023
This is a fantastic honor for Sanders, and something which is a long time coming for the Detroit runner. It will be excellent to see how this looks when all is said and done.
Sanders’ Career Stats & Highlights
To see Sanders run the ball for Lions fans through the years impressive given what he was able to do with the team on the field.
Sanders routinely had the quickness and deft ability to break plenty of ankles on the football field and remains one of the greatest highlights in the game fans love watching even years after his retirement. Athleticism is something that came naturally to Sanders, something that was constantly proved with every big play he turned in.
With the Lions, Sanders rushed for 15,269 yards and 99 touchdowns. He was routinely thought of as the best running back in the league, and would have shattered plenty of NFL rushing records had he decided to keep playing. Sanders, however, walked away from the game in 1999 on the eve of training camp, which stunned the Lions and all of their fans.
The parties then went through a frustrating split for multiple years, based mostly upon the fact that the franchise made him pay back part of his contract amid retirement, but that has been resolved in a big way now for the Lions and Sanders.
Statue Will Forever Enshrine Sanders as Legend
With the statue, Sanders will get his just desserts as an all-time great for the team, perhaps the best player in team history. It’s an honor well-deserved for the runner.
Sanders has become engaged in the team’s alumni group. He also makes several visits a year to games the team is playing in, and was recently named to Detroit’s All-Century team, which is a major feather in his cap given what he was able to do as a team leader and a dominating force in the franchise.
As a result of his early retirement, Sanders maintains his health and vitality and looks phenomenal. It’s not a stretch to say that he could possibly still grind out some tough yards in the league at this point in time if he had to.
Through the years, there were few NFL players as consistent as Sanders was in between the tackles. It will be fantastic to see his statue when it debuts before the 2023 season for all generations to appreciate.