September 17th 2023.
The Detroit Lions honored one of the greatest running backs in NFL history, Barry Sanders, with an 8-foot bronze statue outside of Ford Field ahead of their home opener against the Seattle Seahawks. Sanders is an icon for his elusive running style, and the statue captured the small details that made him stand out, such as the cut-off gloves he wore and his alert eyes.
Sanders was in awe of the statue. He said, “I haven’t had a chance to really soak it in, but those were some of the things I noticed, and obviously sort of the pose is like I’m in action.” The statue was created by Illinois-based Fine Arts Studio Rotblatt Amrany, the same studio that made statues of other iconic sports legends such as Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson.
During the ceremony, a tribute video featuring highlights of Sanders’ playing days as well as tributes from fellow NFL Hall of Fame members Jerry Rice, Emmitt Smith, and Peyton Manning, played. The ceremony was not open to the public, but some current Lions players were in attendance.
Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs, who was selected with their number 12 overall pick in this past NFL Draft, said he was inspired to see his idol rewarded with a statue. “That’s amazing for anybody to get a statue,” Gibbs said. “It shows that he had a big impact on Detroit, and it shows how thankful the city is for him. I’m happy. Hopefully, I can get one of them one day.”
Amon-Ra St. Brown, another one of Detroit’s young playmakers, said that his memories of Sanders were tied to his father. “I played running back my whole life, until I got to high school, and my dad would always show me highlights of Barry. That was the guy. He said he was the ‘coldest dude out.’ So, when I was a kid, I was Barry all the way. Barry and Reggie Bush. Those were my guys, and just watching his highlights, I would be like, ‘This dude is crazy.’ Just being here now, with him getting a statue as one of the best to ever do it, in the entire NFL history, is cool,” St.Brown said.
Sanders’ premature retirement following the Lions 1999 season has long been one of football’s biggest “what ifs.” He retired before he could reach Walter Payton’s then-record of 16,726 rushing yards, and in November 2023 Sanders will be releasing a documentary detailing what led him to his retirement while he was still in the prime of his career.
The all time rushing record was later broken by Emmitt Smith, but Sanders has cast a long shadow over the record due to his impressive production during his stellar NFL career. During the ceremony, Sanders was appreciative of the gesture from the Lions organization and said, “You heard the saying that you give a person their flowers while they’re around. I don’t plan on going anywhere any time soon, but if this statue could be used with that analogy, then I would have to say this is one heck of a bouquet for me, so thanks a lot. I appreciate it.”
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