‘One heck of a bouquet’: Wichita NFL legend Barry Sanders honored by Lions with statue
One of Wichita’s greatest athletes was further immortalized in professional sports lore this past weekend, as the Detroit Lions unveiled an 8-foot bronze statue of Barry Sanders outside of Ford Field on Saturday.
The 55-year-old Wichita native, who enjoyed a Hall-of-Fame career with the Lions as arguably the best running back in NFL history, was once again in the spotlight with this most recent honor.
Sanders is the first player in franchise history to receive the honor, which he did not take lightly. Oklahoma State also unveiled a statue of Sanders outside its football stadium in 2021.
“You heard the saying that you give a person their flowers while they’re around,” Sanders said during the ceremony. “I don’t plan on going anywhere any time soon, I’m just saying. ... But if this statue can be used with that analogy, then I would have to say this is one heck of a bouquet for me.”
While Sanders did not mention Wichita by name during his speech, he made several references to his hometown.
It began by thanking his parents — his mother, Shirley, was in attendance, while his father, William, died in 2011 — for the “great habits” that helped him become an all-time running back.
“I cannot say I had this all planned out,” Sanders said. “It was not necessarily part of my master plan. Fortunately for me, I just had some really good talent and was definitely willing to put effort into being a good football player. I wasn’t heavily recruited out of high school, I just loved playing the game.
“I’m the kid who would get up and go running through the neighborhood or find an open field and do wind sprints or go to my buddies’ house, I didn’t have a weight set at my house, so going to lift weights whenever I could. There was just something driving me to become that better high school player to get on the field and maybe have a college notice me.”
Sanders most famously did not start at running back at Wichita North until the fourth game of his senior year in 1985. He rushed for 274 yards and four touchdowns in his debut and finished with 1,417 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns in just seven games that season.
During his speech on Saturday, Sanders mentioned his high school head coach, Dale Burkholder.
“I think about playing the game most of my life and I had the good fortune of being around coaches that really impacted me in a positive way and the first coach I’ll mention is a gentleman who came to my high school my senior year,” Sanders said. “And I guess in the middle of the fourth game that year, he said to himself, ‘I think this Sanders kid is a running back.’ And we’ve remained friends all these years. I’m delighted I can honor him.”
Later in the speech, Sanders talked more about his infatuation with football growing up in Wichita.
“I remember sitting in my room drawing my favorite football players,” Sanders said. “Making sure the helmet was round enough, the emblem on the helmet was just right, the colors were just right, the pants were the right dimensions. There was that love for the game and for the players I followed. To be able to grow up and be one of those guys who is being followed, it’s really hard sometimes to even imagine, but I’m so grateful and thankful that it happened.”
After graduating from Wichita North, Sanders etched his name in the college football record books during his first season as starting running back at Oklahoma State. During the 1988 season, Sanders rushed for 2,850 yards, scored 44 total touchdowns and broke 34 NCAA records en route to winning the Heisman Trophy.
Sanders is still remembered as one of the most electrifying players in league history, despite retiring at the age of 31 after just 10 seasons in the NFL. He still ranks fourth on the NFL’s career rushing list with 15,269 yards.
“If I could, I would go out to each and every Lions fan and give you a hug,” Sanders said. “Tell you how much I appreciate you. It’s been such a wonderful journey for me, just being lifted up and cheered on by all the Lions fans out there and Barry Sanders fans. I really appreciated it. It’s hard to express how much you really mean to me.”
This story was originally published September 18, 2023 at 7:00 AM.
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