The Day Detroit Lions Legend Barry Sanders Juked Us All!!!

Let me tell you why I was the last journalist to say that Hall of Fame running back Barry Sanders was leaving the Lions for good following the 1998 season.

I talked nightly to Barry’s father William Sanders and one of his best friends Jacko Hughes, who was the Lions director of security, when Barry announced his retirement. William insisted his son was not retiring.

And here is what Jacko told me.

“Barry is not retiring because his daddy don’t want him to retire. And Barry does everything his daddy tells him to do.”

Not this time.

Jacko and William had a plot. Sanders escaped the country for England after announcing he was leaving the Lions. Jacko and William showed up to his home hoping to ambush him and have daddy talk sense to him.

They showed up every night. No Barry.

Finally, on a fateful night Jacko and Williams made their nightly pilgrimage when the door opened. It was Barry Sanders.

William spoke first.

“Son, I don’t know what’s happening with all this foolishness that you are retiring. I don’t want you to leave.”

The conversation did not last long.

Barry simply said: “I’m done.”

And that was that.

Maybe.

There was still hope. Barry called one of his pals in the Lions front office and asked “what is the exit again to training camp?” The Lions held training camp at Saginaw Valley State College back then and he often got confused while driving up I-75.

He never showed up.

Barry was a hero in this town. But fans turned on him when he decided to leave the team in his prime. He left fans wanting more.

Barry rushed for 1,491 yards his final season. But scored just four touchdowns.

Lions head coach Wayne Fontes had the hair brain idea to take Barry out of games when the Lions drove inside the 10-yard line. He’d insert Ron Rivers, who rushed for 749 career yards or “Touchdown” Tommy Vardell, who rushed for 3.4 yards per attempt for his career.

Vardell had six rushing touchdowns that season, two more than Barry.

The theory behind taking Barry out of the lineup deep inside the red zone was that he was always trying to hit the home run on each carry and the Lions did not want to risk losing yardage so close to the goal line. Rivers and Vardell ran north and south.

Barry nearly walked away the season before.

In 1997 there was panic in the Lions dressing room. Barry had told some of his teammates he was thinking of walking away before the season began. We had spirited discussions and finally everybody concluded that was not possible.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Terry Foster is the self proclaimed Minister of Words with Woodward Sports and fills in on shows when folks need time off. He worked at the Detroit News and Free Press for 37 years and co-hosted the Valenti and Foster Show for 13 years at the Detroit Lions flagship.