Barry Sanders is an American former professional football running back who played for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL) for 10 seasons. Sanders led the league in rushing yards four times and in rushing touchdowns once, establishing himself as one of the most elusive runners in the history of the NFL with his quickness and agility, despite being only 5 ft 8 in tall and weighing 203 lbs. Sanders played college football for the Oklahoma State Cowboys. As a junior in 1988, he compiled what is widely considered the greatest individual season by a running back in college football history, rushing for 2,628 yards and 37 touchdowns in 11 games. He won the Heisman Trophy and was unanimously recognized as an All-American.
Deion Luwynn Sanders Sr. is an American football coach and former player who is the head coach of the Colorado Buffaloes football team. Nicknamed "Prime Time", "Neon Deion", and since becoming a coach, "Coach Prime", he played in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons with the Atlanta Falcons, San Francisco 49ers, Dallas Cowboys, Washington Redskins, and Baltimore Ravens. Sanders was also a baseball outfielder for nine seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) with the New York Yankees, Atlanta Braves, Cincinnati Reds, and San Francisco Giants. He won two Super Bowl titles and made one World Series appearance in 1992, making him the only athlete to play in both a Super Bowl and a World Series.
Herman Joseph Moore is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver in National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons. He played college football for the Virginia Cavaliers and was selected by the Detroit Lions in the first round of the 1991 NFL draft, and also played for the New York Giants.
Billy Ray Sims is an American former football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for five seasons from 1980 to 1984. Sims played college football for the Oklahoma Sooners, where he was a two-time consensus All-American, and won the Heisman Trophy in 1978. He was the first overall pick in the 1980 NFL draft, selected by the Detroit Lions. After three pro-bowl selections, his career was prematurely ended by a knee injury suffered in 1984.
Joseph Paul Schmidt was an American professional football player and coach. He played as a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for the Detroit Lions for 13 years from 1953 to 1965. He won two NFL championships with the Lions, and, between 1954 and 1963, he played in ten consecutive Pro Bowl games and was selected each year as a first-team All-Pro player. He was also voted by his fellow NFL players as the NFL's most valuable defensive player in 1960 and 1963, named to the NFL 1950s All-Decade Team, inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1973 and chosen as a member of the NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team in 2019.
Andre Trevor Ware is an American sports analyst and commentator, and a former football quarterback. He played in the National Football League (NFL), the Canadian Football League (CFL) and the NFL Europe. Ware played college football for the Houston Cougars, winning the Heisman Trophy and Davey O'Brien Award in 1989. He was the first black quarterback to receive the Heisman. In the 1990 NFL draft, Ware was selected in the first round by the Detroit Lions with the seventh overall pick. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2004.
Johnnie James Morton Jr. is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) during the 1990s and 2000s. He played college football for the USC Trojans, earning recognition as an All-American in 1993. Selected by the Detroit Lions in the first round in the 1994 NFL draft, he also played professionally for the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers of the NFL. Morton also had a brief career in mixed martial arts fighting in 2007.
Wayne Howard Joseph Fontes is a former American football coach and college and professional football player who was the head coach of the National Football League (NFL)'s Detroit Lions from 1988 to 1996. He is the longest tenured head coach in team history. His 67 wins and 71 losses are each the most for a head coach in team history.
Lomas Brown Jr. is an American former professional football player who was an offensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL) for 18 seasons in the 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s. Brown played college football for the Florida Gators, receiving consensus All-American honors. A first-round pick in the 1985 NFL draft, he played professionally for the Detroit Lions and four other NFL teams. He is currently a color analyst for Lions radio broadcasts on WXYT 97.1 The Ticket, as well as a commentator and analyst for ESPN and other television and radio networks.
Ricky Wayne Sanders is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver for 12 seasons from 1983 to 1994, two with the United States Football League (USFL)'s Houston Gamblers and 10 in the National Football League (NFL). He played running back, safety, and place kicker as a three-year letterman for Belton High School in Belton, Texas and broke five records.
Charles Alvin Sanders was an American professional football player who was a tight end for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL) from 1968 to 1977. Sanders was chosen for the NFL's 1970s All-Decade Team and voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2007.
Kevin Bernard Glover is an American former professional football player who was a center for the Detroit Lions from 1985 to 1997 and the Seattle Seahawks from 1998 to 1999 of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Maryland Terrapins. He is best known for his time with the Lions' blocking for Barry Sanders, who excelled as one of the greatest rushers in NFL history. During his professional career he was known as one of the best centers of the game.
The history of the Detroit Lions, a professional American football franchise based in Detroit, dates back to 1928 when they played in Portsmouth, Ohio as the Spartans. They joined the National Football League (NFL) in 1930, then moved to Detroit and changed their name to the Lions in 1934 and won their first NFL Championship the following season. The Lions had their most success in the 1950s, winning the NFL Championship three times, in 1952, 1953, and 1957, and made several playoff appearances in the 1990s. In 2024, they began their 95th season, continuing to be one of the NFL's oldest franchises.
Reginald Dwayne Brown is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected in the first round of the 1996 NFL draft by the Detroit Lions. He played college football for the Texas A&M Aggies.
Raymond Edward George was an American football player and coach. He played college football at the University of Southern California (USC) and professionally in the National Football League (NFL) with the Detroit Lions and Philadelphia Eagles. George was the head football coach at Texas A&M University from 1951 to 1953, compiling a record of 12–14–4. He also served three stints as an assistant football coach at his alma mater, USC.
Larry James Tharpe is a former American football offensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Detroit Lions in the sixth round of the 1992 NFL draft after playing college football at Tennessee State.
John Robert Tripson was a professional American football offensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL). He played one season for the Detroit Lions, who drafted him in the sixth round of the 1941 NFL Draft.
Greg Lee Barton was a former American football quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) who played for the Detroit Lions. He was traded from the Lions to the Philadelphia Eagles for a 1971 second-round selection and 1972 second- and third-round picks on January 28, 1971. He led the 1964 Long Beach Vikings football team to the junior college national championship, and also played college football for the Tulsa Golden Hurricane. He also played in the Canadian Football League (CFL) for the Toronto Argonauts and in the World Football League (WFL) for the Portland Storm.
Chuba Robert-Shamar Hubbard is a Canadian professional football running back for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Oklahoma State Cowboys, where he was a unanimous All-American, named the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year and won the Jon Cornish Trophy in 2019. Hubbard was selected by the Panthers in the fourth round of the 2021 NFL draft.
Jontavious Braylon Sanders is an American professional football wide receiver who is a free agent. He played college football at Ole Miss.
