Eric WoodyardSep 17, 2023, 3:46PMReading: 4 min.
The Hall of Fame running back was immortalized outside the Detroit stadium, the first player in franchise history to receive that honor
DETROIT — An 8-foot-tall bronze statue of one of the greatest players in NFL history in action now graces the corner of Montcalm and Brush streets in the heart of downtown Detroit.
On the eve of their first regular-season home game against the Seattle Seahawks, the Detroit Lions immortalized Hall of Fame running back Barry Sanders with a statue outside Ford Field.
Sanders is the first player in franchise history to receive that honor and the star humbly thanked the organization for the gesture.
Barry Sanders was immortalized in a statue outside the Detroit Lions’ Ford Field.AP Photo
“You’ve heard the saying that you give a person flowers as long as they’re around,” Sanders said during the ceremony. “I’m not planning on going anywhere anytime soon, just saying that, but if this statue could be used with that analogy, then I’d have to say this is a big bouquet for me, so thank you very much, I appreciate it.”
The statue was made by artists Omri Amrany and Lou Cella of Fine Art Studio Rotblatt Amrany. His Illinois-based company also created the Michael Jordan statue located inside Chicago’s United Center and the Magic Johnson statue outside Los Angeles’ Crypto.com Arena, among many other bronze sculptures of sports legends.
Sanders admired the details of his statue, which depicts him performing one of his trademark defensive evasion moves.
“Little things like the cut gloves he was wearing and obviously the very alert eyes,” Sanders said. “I haven’t had a chance to really see it in detail, but these were some of the things I noticed and obviously the pose is like he’s in action.”
Among those attending the ceremony were Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan; former Lions head coach Wayne Fontes; hip-hop legend Flavor Flav; Hall of Fame wide receiver Calvin Johnson; Lions owner Sheila Hamp; and general manager Brad Holmes; as well as family, friends, former teammates and former coaches. A group of subscribers from the era in which Sanders played were also present at the ceremony.
A tribute video was projected on a giant screen that featured Sanders’ personal journey and his best plays, as well as congratulatory messages from sports figures such as Jerry Rice, Peyton Manning, Emmitt Smith and Joe Dumars.
“I’ve always been a big fan of Barry Sanders, ever since I was young, and he paved the way for a lot of running backs that are here in the game right now,” Flavor Flav told ESPN. “Barry is the man. That’s why I’m here.”
One of the most spectacular players in league history, Sanders is fourth on the all-time rushing yards list with 15,269 in just 10 seasons. Sanders, now 55, retired abruptly before the 1999 campaign at age 31.
Sanders recently announced that he will release a new documentary in November that will address the “great mystery” of why he retired so soon from football.
In 2021, Sanders was honored with a 9-foot statue at his alma mater, Oklahoma State, outside Boone Pickens Stadium, but he said he doesn’t consider his Detroit statue to be late.
“I think it’s the perfect time,” Sanders said. “Again, I’m not going to say I was pushing for it. If you look at the last 24 years I’ve been away, I think it’s the perfect time to do it in my mind.”
Lions rookie Jahmyr Gibbs, drafted with the 12th overall pick in this year’s draft, became the franchise’s highest running back taken since Sanders was taken with the No. 3 overall pick in 1989 after of winning the Heisman Trophy at Oklahoma State. Gibbs said he was “starstruck” after meeting Sanders for the first time this offseason. Before his second game in the NFL, he said that he was excited to see his idol while he is part of the team.
“It’s amazing for anyone to have a statue made of you,” Gibbs told ESPN. “It shows that he had a big impact on Detroit and shows how grateful the city is to him. I’m happy. I hope he can get one one day.”
Like Gibbs, Lions third-year receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown was excited to see greatness up close.
“I didn’t get to see Barry play because obviously he’s a little older than me and he was too young,” St. Brown said. “I played running back my whole life, until I got to high school, and my dad was always showing me highlights of Barry. He said he was ‘the toughest guy.’ So when I was a kid, it was always Barry, Barry and Reggie Bush.
“They were my guys and just watching their plays, I was like, ‘This guy is crazy.’ To be here now, with him getting a statue as one of the best to ever play in the entire history of the NFL is great. To be in this team to see it is fantastic.
2023-09-17 18:46:00
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