Barry Sanders Announces Retirement From NFL

On July 28, 1999, Barry Sanders was well on his way to shattering Walter Payton's rushing record. At age 30, he could have ascended the ranks of the greatest players of all time -- he compiled statistics in his first nine years that were on par with those of Jim Brown, widely regarded as the best NFL player ever. He even brought prosperity to one of the most notoriously awful sports franchises in America: the Detroit Lions.

So you can imagine what a shock it was when on this day in 1999, Barry Sanders formally announced his retirement from the game of football. When the media tried to get in touch with him, they couldn't, as he was already on a plane to Europe.

Many were skeptical that Barry's retirement was some sort of hold-out and that eventually he would come back. He had six years left on his contract and was only 30. He had to come back, why wouldn't he?

But Sanders didn't come back, ever, and he left the Lions without their star player. Detroit made the playoffs in 1999 but would struggle mightily over the next decade, even suffering an 0-16 season in 2008.

In his 2003 autobiography, Barry Sanders revealed an explanation for his abrupt departure. Sanders was unhappy with the Lions' downward spiral over the years, particularly the disassembling of the '91 team that nearly made it to the Super Bowl. "When they got rid of Kevin Glover," Sanders wrote, "They convinced me that their goal wasn't anywhere close to being about winning games. I didn't realize it at the time, but part of me left with him, just as part of me left with those other guys I mentioned."

In the end, the losing culture of the Lions and their bungling management took its toll on Sanders. "I didn't see what good there was in hanging around when the organization wasn't trying to put together a winning team. Looking at what other teams in our division had done... I didn't think we were as serious about winning as our competitors." Sanders also wrote that there were tears in his eyes on the last day of the 1998 season, a 19-10 loss to the Bengals. "I knew it was over."

Sanders finished his career as second on the All-Time rushing list, behind only “Sweetness” Walter Payton. Since his retirement in 1999, Emmit Smith broke the All-Time rushing record and now Sanders is ranked third with 15,269 yards and 109 touchdowns.

Some of Sanders accomplishments include: 10 consecutive Pro-Bowl selections, six-time First-Team All-Pro, 1989 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, 1991 NFL Bert Bell Award (Player of the Year), 1994 NFL Offensive Player of the Year, 1997 NFL MVP, 1997 Bert Bell Award, 1997 NFL Offensive Player of the Year. As well being named to the NFL’s 1990’s All-Decade Team,

Sanders was also rated the no. 1 Most Elusive Running Back of All-Time by NFL.com and rated the no. 17 NFL Player of All-Time by NFL.com.

Sanders was inducted into Canton’s NFL Football Hall of Fame in 2004.

Check out the video below of Sanders' Top 10 plays Sports Center style:

1932 NFL Championship Game

On Dec. 18, 1932, at the end of the 1932 NFL season, the Chicago Bears and Portsmouth Spartans finished tied atop the standings.

The Bears were 6-1-6, the Spartans were 6-1-4.

To resolve the tie and crown an NFL champion, a playoff game was staged in Chicago, on Dec. 18, 1932.

At the time, there were no playoff formats as the team with the best record at the end of the season was crowned the best of the year.

A blizzard made playing outdoors at Wrigley Field impossible. The game was moved to Chicago Stadium, an indoor venue that had a smaller field. The field was just 60 yards long and 30 yards wide.

The lone touchdown was a controversial pass play from Bronko Nagurski to Red Grange.

The Bears won the game 9-0. A year later, the first officially scheduled playoff game was held as the NFL entered a new era with postseason play.

Few historical artifacts remain from the impromptu postseason game. One such item is a game program that survived a fire at the offices of the Chicago Bears in the 1960s.

The program cost just 10 cents and was four pages long. The roster of each team was less than 25 players in 1932. The Spartans moved two years later and became the Detroit Lions.

Since the first playoff game 1932 the NFL has had much success building a playoff system that went on to include the AFL in the late 1960’s and after the two leagues merged the Super Bowl was created. The Super Bowl is now one of the most watched television events every year.

Simpson Breaks NFL Record

On Dec. 16, 1973, that Buffalo Bills running back O.J. Simpson became the first man to rush for over 2,000 yards in a single season. Simpson accomplished the feat in just 14 games as that was the length of the schedule at the time.

Simpson entered the final game of the season against the New York Jets needing 197 yards to reach 2,000 for the season. The Bills were intent on getting Simpson to the milestone as they gave him the ball 34 times. In the end, he would finish the game with an even 200 yards and an amazing 2,003 rushing yards for the season. O.J. was the only running back to reach the 2,000 yard mark while playing just a 14 game schedule.

Since the NFL changed to a 16 game schedule in 1978, six men have joined Simpson in the 2,000 yard club.

In 1984 Los Angeles Rams' Eric Dickerson ran for 2,105 yards which still stands as the NFL record. Detroit Lions' Barry Sanders joined the club in 1997 and the very next year Denver Broncos' Terrell Davis became the fourth member. Baltimore Ravens' Jamal Lewis had the second highest total in NFL history in 2003 with 2,066 yards, and in 2009 Tennessee Titans' Chris Johnson totaled 2,006 rushing yards. Last year Minnesota Vikings' Adrian Peterson rushed for 2,097 yards, putting himself above Lewis and into sole possession for second most rushing yards in a single season, only behind Dickerson.

Though OJ Simpson is just one of six men to rush for 2,000 yards he is more known for his involvement in the 1994 murder of Nicole Brown Simpson, his wife. In 1995 O.J. was acquitted after a lengthy, internationally publicized criminal trial, the People v. Simpson. In 1997, a civil court awarded a judgment against Simpson for their wrongful deaths; to date he has paid little of the $33.5 million penalty.

Than in the late 2000’s O.J. was back in the headlines, again for something other than football. Simpson was arrested in Las Vegas, Nevada, and charged with numerous felonies, including armed robbery and kidnapping, that surrounded his memrobilia. In 2008, he was found guilty and sentenced to thirty three-years’ imprisonment, with a minimum of nine years without parole.