Barry Sanders

(www.authenticsportscollectibles.com)

A hero is a man or woman that always does the right thing and inspires people to change for the better in their lives. My hero is Barry Sanders. Barry Sanders is a bold, skilled, and a compassionate man. He is a great role model; he always did the right thing on and off the field.

Barry Sanders was born and raised in Wichita, Kansas. He lived on 2049 North Volutsia Avenue. He became obsessed with sports in grade school. Barry was great at every sport he played. Barry played both basketball and football in high school. His family always encouraged him to do better.

From childhood through adulthood, Barry’s finest coach was his mother. Her name was Shirley Sanders. She gave him the ability to stay calm under pressure. His mother raised him to be faithful, and to never give up. She was strict, but she made him into an extravagant football player.

The toughest person Barry knew was not his father or brothers, it was his sister Nancy. Nancy and Barry had a great relationship. When Nancy was diagnosed with Scleroderma, Barry became extremely upset and depressed. Scleroderma hardens and scars the skin. He said that the hardest thing he ever had to do was watch his sister fight a slow death. When Nancy died, Barry became heartbroken.

(www.okstate.com)

The difficulties Barry faced did not stop him from achieving his goals. One major difficulty Barry faced besides his sister’s death was his size. Most college coaches and N.F.L. coaches didn’t like him because of his size. One of the few college teams that was willing to bring him in was Oklahoma State University. Barry went on to win the Heisman trophy during his college career. Barry became one of the best players to ever walk through the doors of Oklahoma State University. He was a tremendous part of their team.

Barry had phenomenal accomplishments in his N.F.L. days. He ran for over 1,000 yards every year he played in the N.F.L. In 1997 Barry became the third player to ever run for over 2,000 yards in a single season. In 1998 he became the third player to ever run for over 18,000 yards in his career. Barry was ranked 2nd on the all-time rushing yard list. Unfortunately, 1998 was Barry’s last season. He retired at the top of his game.

Barry Sanders is a great hero. He was one of the best if not the best running back ever to play the game of football. He grew up in a big family with a tough father. He overcame all the difficulties that he faced and he never gave up. You can’t find a much better hero than this. Barry proved to a lot of people that even though he was a very small person, he had a huge heart.