Question 1

True or false: Barry Sanders won the Heisman Trophy before being drafted by the Detroit Lions.

Accepted Answer

True. He won the 1988 Heisman at Oklahoma State, then was picked third overall by Detroit in the 1989 NFL Draft.

Question 2

True or false: Barry Sanders never played in a Super Bowl during his entire NFL career.

Accepted Answer

True. The Lions reached the NFC Championship in 1991, but Sanders was a rookie that year and they lost; he never made the Super Bowl.

Question 3

True or false: Barry Sanders retired just 39 yards shy of breaking Walter Payton's all-time rushing record.

Accepted Answer

False. Sanders retired with 15,269 yards, over 1,400 yards short of Payton's record. The myth persists because of his peak efficiency.

Question 4

True or false: Barry Sanders averaged over 5.0 yards per carry for his entire career.

Accepted Answer

True. He finished with a career average of 5.0 yards per carry, the highest among running backs with at least 3,000 carries.

Question 5

True or false: Barry Sanders was drafted by the Detroit Lions as the first overall pick.

Accepted Answer

False. He was selected third overall in 1989. Troy Aikman went first to Dallas, and Tony Mandarich second to Green Bay.

Question 6

True or false: Barry Sanders never had a single 2,000-yard rushing season in his career.

Accepted Answer

False. He rushed for 2,053 yards in 1997, joining Eric Dickerson and O.J. Simpson as the only backs with a 2,000-yard season at the time.

Question 7

True or false: Barry Sanders lost more fumbles than any other running back in NFL history.

Accepted Answer

False. He had 34 fumbles, but players like Emmitt Smith and Eric Dickerson had more. His low fumble rate is often overlooked.

Question 8

True or false: Barry Sanders once returned a punt 85 yards for a touchdown in the playoffs.

Accepted Answer

True. In the 1991 NFC Championship against Washington, he returned a punt 85 yards for a TD, though the Lions lost 41-10.

Barry Sanders Trivia Questions