Barry Sanders: Life After a Heart Attack, His Growing Legacy, and Leaving the Game at 99 Rushing TDs

Hall of Famer Barry Sanders joins Roman Harper and Peanut Tillman on the NFL Players: Second Acts Podcast for a wide-ranging conversation. Barry explains why winning the Heisman Trophy remains the most meaningful accolade of his career and talks about how his legacy has continued to grow in retirement, with many young fans discovering him through Madden and social media, and how he’s become more open to sharing his story over the years. Barry also opens up about recovering from a heart attack and his recently released documentary Making of a Heart Attack, which details that life-changing experience. The guys dive into the resurgence of the Detroit Lions and what it means for the city, reflect on Barry’s decision to step away from the game just one rushing touchdown shy of 100, and hear which of his records he believes will stand the test of time.

The NFL Players: Second Acts podcast is a production of the NFL in partnership with iHeart Media.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:10):
What's up, everybody. I'm Peenut Tillman and this is the.

Speaker 2 (00:13):
NFL Player's Second Act podcast and with me as always
as my trustee co host, Roman Harper.

Speaker 1 (00:19):
I got no nicknames for you.

Speaker 3 (00:21):
Well, I appreciate that you're being normal, but it's only uh,
you're usually fanboying when this next, this next guest is around.
But we're all on our best behavior because we've got
family in the room. So I just get through the names.
Let's let's go through it. Go through the resume, which
he really doesn't need a lot to explain.

Speaker 2 (00:37):
Yeah, Hall of Fame running back, NFL and VP, pro bowler,
All Pro author, humanitarian, ambassador, businessman, Ladies and gentlemen, please
welcome Barry Sands to the pop.

Speaker 1 (00:53):
Gentlemen, gentlemen.

Speaker 2 (00:54):
I could have I could have said so much morement
I'm just so I'm happy right now because you were
my favorite player as a kid. I was so my
nickname is Peanut. I'm a little guy. You were a
smaller guy. I never played running back, but I just
modeled my game after you as a dB or just
as a little kid when I used to play, you know,

(01:15):
in the yard in the hood. So I just was like, Oh,
we got we got Barry on the show, Like.

Speaker 3 (01:19):
Oh, this's gonna be dope.

Speaker 2 (01:20):
It's gonna be it's gonna.

Speaker 1 (01:21):
Be real dope.

Speaker 2 (01:22):
So I'm excited, even though I know you, I'm still
excited just to have you on Apostle.

Speaker 1 (01:26):
This is pretty cool. Great to be here, man, Great
to be here. Glad to know I influenced you in
some way.

Speaker 2 (01:30):
Absolutely, you influenced so many people. You influenced a lot
of people. You are him.

Speaker 3 (01:37):
I still call you my favorite running back in the NFL.

Speaker 1 (01:40):
So and he too.

Speaker 3 (01:41):
And I'll be honest with you. P Nut and I
we were when we were in Detroit at the draft.
P Nut and I are sitting there. We have our
two younger kids with us. I had my son. He
had his daughter, who's just a little bit a year
or so old.

Speaker 1 (01:54):
Yeah, my son.

Speaker 3 (01:56):
And you know, we're sitting out there and we're out
on the stage and we're just trying to take it
all in. We got our kids with us. We also
have some flag football kid that they gave everybody to
walk out with. So I got the spare kid on
one side and I got my son on the other side.

Speaker 1 (02:11):
This is true.

Speaker 3 (02:12):
Peanuts Shorter and Pa and then another spare football kid right,
and we're sitting there and we're just taking the videos
like what everybody does nowadays. And we looked to our
right and is Barry Sanders just like from.

Speaker 1 (02:23):
Like right here.

Speaker 3 (02:24):
And he's just standing there and you're being your normal
Barry Sanders person, kind of just in the back, not
trying to make a scene. Just I'm out here chilling,
just chilling. And we're like, dude, it's Barry Sanders. And
my son goes crazy because it actually just watched your
Amazon special, the run Berry run Berry what was it
called the Bye Bye Berry, Bye Bye Berry, And it

(02:48):
was just really really cool because my son had just
figured out who you were and he flipped out. That
was his highlight. We went back. He showed the video
to all of his kids in his first grade class.
And so you have not only influenced us, but you've
also influenced a whole other generation of younger people as
well by just being you, which is just a humble person.

(03:08):
You came over, took a picture and was just like yeah, man,
just acting so nice. So I appreciate you.

Speaker 1 (03:13):
My daughter no idea who.

Speaker 2 (03:15):
You were, but I was thankful that you came and
gave us the picture was it was.

Speaker 1 (03:19):
I was like, do you know what that is? She
was like, no, Dad, who I don't know? And I
was looking.

Speaker 3 (03:25):
I was like, I know, myself is going crazy. So yeah, man,
I appreciate that. So thank you for such a great
event too. In Detroit with just the many hundreds of
thousands of.

Speaker 1 (03:35):
People, it might have been the best draft. I mean,
no argument for me, it might have been the best draft.
I didn't think Detroit was going to show up and
show out like that.

Speaker 3 (03:44):
Y'all.

Speaker 1 (03:45):
Y'all came through. It was awesome. It was great.

Speaker 2 (03:49):
I thought it was awesome for the city. I thought
it was great for the league, like the town, all
the little businesses like it was amazing.

Speaker 1 (03:54):
It's amazing.

Speaker 3 (03:55):
Let's also be honest. There was no crime as well.
Nothing bad happened, nothing it went, nothing bad that happens.
We can come back, absolutely, you know what I mean.
That's especially that many people gathering downtown Detroit. You know,
when I first got there in the late eighties, you
could not have said that. Uh you know, so, so yeah,
we're we're people are still talking about the draft, and hey,

(04:15):
anytime they want to come back, you know, accepting with
open arms.

Speaker 1 (04:18):
But yeah, it was well.

Speaker 3 (04:21):
You guys there, yeah, thank you guys, appreciate it. Thank
you all right, Barry, listen, our first real question is
why did you choose number of twenty? We're going around
we want to know because you wore twenty one at
Oklahoma State, why did you pick number twenty at Detroit?

Speaker 1 (04:37):
I picked number twenty. Excuse me when I When I
got to Detroit, Coach Sponsor was the head coach, and
and he had because all of us were familiar with
Billy Sims, who had who had recently played for the Lions,
who were number twenty, and he said, Coach Sponsor was like, well,

(04:57):
you know, I want to put you in Billy Sims number.
And growing up being a big fan of Billy Sims
at the University of Oklahoma, then I was like, absolutely, yeah,
I were Billy Sims number plus. There was a there
was a I think there was someone had twenty one.
It was an older guy who who already had twenty one.
But for me, it was it was an absolute privilege.

(05:19):
You know, I knew that obviously. Like I said, I
was very familiar with Billy and and and you know,
for me, it was no pressure at all. It's like, hey,
look I love the word number twenty. So that's kind
of how it happened.

Speaker 2 (05:33):
Yeah, did you have a welcome to the NFL moment?
I know we all are humbled when we get to
this next level. What was your humbling moment when when
you got to the league?

Speaker 1 (05:43):
I think my welcome to the NFL moment. I feel
like I maybe had several of them, but I think
going our second week, my second week we played at
the Middlelands against the Giants, and just you know, just
going up against you know, l T and Carl Banks,

(06:07):
you know, and Harry Carson's and Bill you know, Bill Parcells,
you know Sideline Bill Peljack been defensive coordinator, and it
was the competition level was so much different than I
had ever seen or experienced, and I just I just

(06:28):
had that feeling like, wow, we're so out matched right now,
we don't we don't belong on the same thing with
those guys. That's just how it felt, you know, And
so so yeah, I would think that would be that
would have been my welcome to the NFL moment. I mean,
I you know, I'm pretty sure you know, obviously I

(06:49):
was always aware of like where LT was. He was everywhere. Absolutely,
he was everywhere. He was everywhere and we couldn't block him.
But I'm sure he got me a few times whatever.
But but I so I would say for me, that
was like, you know, just being in the Meddowlands, being
in that game and just realizing, wow, okay, this is

(07:11):
what was different. Deal? What was the hardest hit you took?

Speaker 2 (07:13):
Where you was you got up because normally you're you know,
you're the shifty guy, you know, not getting hit moving
around doing your thing. What was that one hit like
where he was like, yeah, dang, like who is did
you not work line?

Speaker 3 (07:27):
Come on?

Speaker 1 (07:27):
Block this guy? Was it was? There? Was there that
one hit where he was like w T F. Well
I know that that game in particular, I remember getting
the win knocked out of me and it was it
was it wasn't l T. It was a deep dB.

Speaker 3 (07:40):
Yeah you like like you like that, right, you almost
like a yeah, I love.

Speaker 1 (07:46):
It, you know, but but I remember I remember that happened.
But you mean, just like throughout my career, the hardest hit,
your hardest hit, Yeah, this is your hardest Wow, Like
twice I felt like I feel like you always take
heart hits. I mean, you know, it happens all the time.
But but I would say the hardest hit would probably be,
you know, blitzing linebacker or lineman.

Speaker 3 (08:10):
And you had to block.

Speaker 1 (08:13):
Blitz. It was never because you know, you guys knew that.
What you know, they pretty much knew that's not his
favorite thing, you know, picking up the blitz. So we
got we're gonna blitz all the linebackers this guy, you know.
But yeah, I mean, obviously, when I'm carrying the ball,
I feel like when you when I'm you know, when

(08:36):
you have the ball, when you're when you're carrying the ball,
you are, excuse me, almost expected, right, you expected, you
braced for it most of the times, and then sometimes
obviously you can avoid it. Uh but but yeah, so
you know, it's it's too many to remember remember, like
the hardest one, you know what I mean. And I
played against so many great defensive players, you know, but

(09:00):
his pickups were the hardest pick up. It was the
hardest hit I think.

Speaker 3 (09:10):
All the sense in the world. Yes, versus Barry Sanders,
when they keep him in on third down, we are blitzing,
so then he doesn't get the ball. Makes all the
absolute world, all the sense in the world.

Speaker 2 (09:20):
Did you think about returning puncher kicks when you got
to the league.

Speaker 1 (09:25):
Or did you try to? Yeah? I would have loved to,
because that's that's what I did in college.

Speaker 3 (09:29):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (09:30):
Absolutely, I did in college. And I felt like, I'm
not gonna say it's easier to score from from you know,
returning punch and kickoffs. But there's so much wide open space,
right and you make that one move whatever, you hit
that one crease and you can take it the distance.
So I thought about it. I just think coach Coach Fonts,

(09:53):
he wasn't you know, he knew, he knew that. Obviously
there's the risk side of it. There was that Curvis
station ever discussed or not really not really. I never
went over in like lobby for or anything like that,
you know, so it never really happened. But but I
would have definitely. I would have definitely done that. I
would have been glad to do it.

Speaker 3 (10:12):
I'm shocked that this conversation never came up. Like you
were so good at punt return and everything else in college.
We had some guys we had we had this guy
named Mail Gray. Oh yeah, I forgot great. Yeah, he
was a great half.

Speaker 1 (10:30):
My size, right, he was half my size, but just
had he would just run up in there. Sometime he
would literally just get knocked out. You know. He had
no fear. Now, I wasn't. I wasn't. I wasn't like that,
you know, you know, kind of tippy.

Speaker 3 (10:44):
Yeah yeah, yeah, mal Gray, great, great guy, no fear.
He forgot about Mail Greg yeah the game too.

Speaker 1 (10:51):
Yeah yeah you said you played with Mail on the game.

Speaker 3 (10:54):
Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, he was number twenty three,
I believe, Yeah, yeah, exactly, yeah, yeah, yeah, but little
really really guy.

Speaker 1 (11:00):
But but had a lot of great years as like
a receiver returner. Yes, but you know with mel Grade
there and then, Yeah, he was a guy for that.

Speaker 3 (11:08):
I'm interested to hear this answer. And you know, I'm
not gonna say you don't have one yet, but out
of all the accolades that you've won, which one do
you probably put at the top of them at the list?

Speaker 1 (11:21):
Because it's a lot out of all the accolades, I mean,
I think about I think about the Heisman, Yeah, just
because of you know, growing up watching it's the most
prestigious and watching Tony door set when the Heisman Nny
Testaverdi and micros Year, Earl you know, Earl Campbell, herschel Walker,

(11:45):
you know, just being there being that kid, you know,
just with my dad, you know, who's a huge football fan,
and just you know, yeah, it was it just seemed
like there was nothing that was any bigger than that,
and so and for me, it was one of those
things that just changed so many things, like that moment
I won the Heisman, then so many things changed, like

(12:07):
just being instantly like recognized and being sort of like
officially put onto like the football map for you know,
to football fans and for the football world. I mean
it's not obviously you know, the Hall of Fame is
is uh, you know, the NFL Hall of Fame is
such an elite, precious honor an award. But for me,

(12:33):
I guess it all started with with the Heisman. And
and I hate, I hate, I hate to have to
choose one. You know, it's my fault. Yeah, blame you
a little bit.

Speaker 3 (12:45):
Let me.

Speaker 1 (12:46):
Yeah, I like it though.

Speaker 3 (12:46):
It's a good but you still, I mean, you still
get to do all the Heisman house stuff. You guys, look,
you have a ton of fun. It looks like it
looks very fun. You guys do a great job of
doing all those things, all the good running backs. And
another player is that you guys from just all the
different paths. So I love that you chose that because
the Heisman is one of the most actors. Yeah, the

(13:08):
acting is hey plus hilarious.

Speaker 1 (13:11):
It's just y'all having fun.

Speaker 2 (13:12):
I think that's the beauty of those commercials because it's acting.

Speaker 1 (13:16):
But y'all aren't acting.

Speaker 2 (13:17):
Y'allogists, y'all sells with like one or two words, but
y'all just y'all just having fun.

Speaker 3 (13:22):
It's also our heroes that we've seen grow up, you know,
right right from you know, oh my gosh, Archie Griffith,
you know what I mean, Like you know, to all
of a sudden we see mark ingram Uh to all
a sudden Reggie being back in the house now.

Speaker 1 (13:39):
So you know, like everyone always loves seeing Tim Tebow.

Speaker 3 (13:42):
Yeah, they love, they love. So it's like all of
these things the way that it continues to evolve, so
like this this year, like this very good.

Speaker 2 (13:56):
What comes to mind when people call you the goat
of running backs? Like, what's the first thought that comes
to mind when when you hear that?

Speaker 1 (14:07):
When I heard I think about I think about Jim Brown, right,
also also think about just I guess a lot of
those guys that that you know, I looked up to
growing up watching the game, who's your who'd you look
up to? I mean the first guy would have been

(14:30):
you know, number thirty two Buffalo Bills, but you know,
and then Marcus came along, right, Marcus came along. But
at USC there were even before Marcus. It was Charles White,
you know, he didn't have a great NFL career, Anthony Davis,
you know, but if I had to choose one all time,
you know, I think Tony dor said because I remember

(14:54):
him at the University of Pittsburgh. I was eight nine
years old, and it was something about him and I
knew that he wasn't very big, right, and I knew that,
you know, that was that was really like the very
beginning of my sort of organized football career, and I
knew I was kind of smaller of stature, and just

(15:14):
the way he dominated the game. They were always on TV.
I guess he I guess he won the seventy six,
seventy seven Heisman or whatever year that was. But that
had that had a big impact on my career. As
just a young football player, like, Okay, look at this
guy out here. I don't know how big he is,
but I know he's not very big and he's playing
the game and he's the most dominant player out there.

(15:37):
But then there was you know, but I mean anyone.
I mean guys like you know, Joe Morris, you know
who who really at those formative years, like right before
I came into the NFL, I knew, okay, Joe's not
very big and he's again he's a terrific running back.
Or you know Greg Pruitt, Terry mccalf. I mean, it

(15:58):
was so many guys I just I just love to
watch and just I would almost say I just studied them, like,
you know, look at those the movements, because it almost
and really Marcus, the way Marcus moved, you know, just
a very such so fluid right and he never took
a solid shot. He wasn't the fastest guy, but he

(16:19):
had that just terrific game speed. And then just seeing
him go to USC, go from USC going to the Raiders,
that was my favorite team. So Marcus had a big,
big influence on me. So how was it when you
met those guys? Oh? It was it was amazing. It
was amazing. I mean, you know, Marcus was I think
he was the first guy in college run for two
thousand and the first time I would have been and

(16:45):
Marcus presence would have been I think nineteen ninety one
the Lions played the Raiders on Monday night. He was
going through the whole thing with Al Davis because Bow
had taken over then. But I knew Marcus au yeah,
over there watching and I tried to show out, you know,
I absolutely try to show out. And it was it
was a great It was a great game. It was

(17:06):
kind of like you know, Barry Vosa's boat, you know,
bowl type thing, you know. But but yeah, for me,
it was it was it was a real treat, you know,
just meeting you know, Marcus. And then when I met
Tony Dorsett. I think the first time I met Tony
would have been and maybe at my Hall of Fame
uh ceremony, and he was kind enough to stop by

(17:28):
and had had a few moments with him. But but yeah,
so but there's there's there's so many guys that I
just really followed, But those are just a few, you know,
So what.

Speaker 3 (17:38):
Is what is Barry Sanders? What is Barry Sanders reactions
when he meets like a tony door set, because like,
I know our reactions when others meet Barry Sanders, But
what is Barry sanders reaction when he meets somebody? He
looked up to him was like, oh my gosh, well,
I tried my best not to make him uncomfortable. Good advice,

(18:02):
I to make them uncomfortable, and then you know, trying
not to go up and grab, you know, hugging whatever
it is, you know. But but yeah, I think I'm
normally just, you know, pretty cordial but excited, you know.

Speaker 1 (18:15):
And I may read off a few stats from childhood
that I remember watching watching these guys play or something
like that.

Speaker 2 (18:23):
But what we're doing, yeah, kind of like that we're doing.
So we for for for your Hall of Fame ceremony?
Who puts your coat on? Who did you pick to
help you put your coat on?

Speaker 1 (18:32):
Who put my coat on? With? My dad put my
co on? Okay he did? My dad didn't speak no, no, no,
I'm talking about at the dinner. Do they not do
that at the dinner? I don't even who put my
I don't, I don't they didn't do four. I'm not sure.
I should know that you don't think they did it
back then.

Speaker 3 (18:50):
Okay, we're gonna take a short break and we'll be
right back. I want to know about the the growth
of the legacy of Barry Centers since you know, since retirement,

(19:12):
how has it changed, especially since you're more in the
public eye now, I mean you you have an Amazon special.
I told you my son knows Barry Sanders, not because
he played with you in the video game, not because
he watched your own TV, but because he learned about
you from a documentary and that we all remember Barry
Sanders just walking away from the game, kind of going

(19:33):
into exile, and we just wanted more. And now that
you're giving us more of Barry Sanders' life, like, how
has the legend of Barry Sanders probably grown throughout this journey.

Speaker 1 (19:45):
Yes, it's been interesting because I mean you mentioned the documentary,
but also as you as you pointed out that your
son doesn't know me from the video game, but a
lot of kids do, a lot of kids do know
me from the video that was me, you know, and
so or you know, they they know me from you know,

(20:05):
whatever else I've done after my career, you know, and
that that part is very interesting. I mean, it's not
something that it's not something that I necessarily had planned
at the time at the end of my career when
I retired, just kind of something that's that's happened. You know.
You can you can maybe thank my agent sitting over there.

(20:27):
You know, he's keep me, keeps me pretty busy doing
stuff post retirement or post playing days, and and but
it's it's honestly like, it's pretty cool to have your
career just live on in that way, you know. And
because when I retired, I mean, and I don't know how,

(20:48):
I don't know how new the Madden game was at
that point. We weren't thinking we'd be sitting here, you know,
twenty thirty years later, and generations of kids know of
you through you know, things like that. So it is
and I think, and I think I like to think
that the kids see me in the positive light and that,

(21:12):
you know, because again I remember sort of being influenced
by certain players who played the game, whether it's it
was Roger Staubach or someone like that, or Kenny Stabler
or you know, or the guys that I mentioned before,
Walter Payton, you know, just being being you know, just
being sort of set on a certain course by seeing

(21:34):
certain people you looked up to. You can never really
put a price on that, you know. And and and
when I met Walter Peyton, you know, he was a
guy he ran up and almost tackled me right just
because he was excited, you know.

Speaker 3 (21:52):
And and he was just that that kind of guy though,
was just that kind of guy, you know. And I'm
surprised I wasn't even you know, avoiding, you know, I
couldn't you ran up to me and Hugby, but just
guys like that to be able to meet them and
want he was such a great guy. And so I'm
glad just looking back that I was, you know, looking

(22:14):
up to someone like him, you know.

Speaker 1 (22:16):
And and so to answer your question, yeah, I mean
it's it's remarkable to be able to have that kind
of impact on generations and kids who didn't see you play,
but no of you in other ways after you're playing.

Speaker 3 (22:31):
Days do you do you think a lot of this
has to do with maybe where social media, where the
streaming service space is, because like during your career, you
didn't do a lot of media stuff. You weren't the
person that was very seemed very engaging, like you were
just more to yourself. And that's fine. But do you
think this era, what is what has helped you like

(22:54):
soften all of that. Do you think it's because of
the space or like what is it? I just would
like to know myself? Oh, personally, Yeah, I think for me,
it's something it's something I try to get more comfortable
with over years and and and even with like social media.
It's something that I didn't grow up with it, but
but you know, post career, it's.

Speaker 1 (23:15):
Just ever present. It's all over the place, right, So
you know, my kids, you know, they've they've grown up
with it, right, and so there's a certain you know,
I've kind of adopted it to some degree and because
of that, you know, but but yeah, I mean it's
it's everywhere. I mean, it's just kind of a you
know what, especially this generation of athlete. You know, it's, uh,

(23:38):
it's just second nature to them and they you know,
hopefully they balance it well. And and and you take
guys like I mean, you take the biggest athletes, whether
it's someone like Lebron or whatever, and they understand the
value right, right, and they use it in a certain way,
you know, And so and so yeah, for me, I've
tried to tried to come along. You know, I know

(23:59):
I'm a little slow with it, but I've tried to
come along with it, and I think, for the most
part is that positive.

Speaker 2 (24:05):
I think, I know we've been blessed to play in this.
I played my thirteen. You play what ten? You've been blessed?
You played, don't We've been blessed. We got thousands and
thousands of man, we got thousands.

Speaker 1 (24:22):
Of snaps on us.

Speaker 2 (24:23):
And I'm pretty sure I could I could tell you,
like my number one favorite play of my career, just
Barry Centers have a favorite.

Speaker 1 (24:32):
Play anytime we played the Bears, you know, anytime we
played the Bears, you know, right, love, come on tell
me that. I was, like, I want to know, because
I wasn't out there. I wasn't out there. No. But
the play that I think about a lot is my

(24:55):
first run from scrimmage, my first run just because and
what team was that we were. We were playing the
the Arizona Cardinals. I think they had just moved. I
think they had just moved from Saint Louis, but Arizona
Cardinals nineteen eighty nine, September whatever. I had I had

(25:16):
set out of camp, right, I missed all the camp
training camp. I signed the with the Wednesday or Thursday
before the first game, so I wasn't supposed to play,
and coach spont said, well, we'll put you in your
uniform just so the fans can see you whatever, you know,
And because you know, I hadn't hadn't had any you know,

(25:37):
I hadn't, you know, and so and so during the game,
it was I guess around I don't know, the end
of the third quarter or something like that. I mean,
he asked me, did I want to go in the game,
and I was like, yeah, I'll go in. And so
they just showed me. They showed me a few plays
on the sideline, and I go in and my first

(25:58):
run was for like seven teen yard or something like that.
They always show it. Yeah, and and you know, that
was like, you know, the start of my NFL career.
You know, that's the one that you know, it was. Yeah,
so and the fan, the fans just they just woke
up in the silver arm. I mean, they just went crazy,
just woke up because well, it was you know, to
that point, it was kind of a you know, boring game.

(26:19):
You know, and and so and so. Yeah, so there's
that one. There's the one.

Speaker 3 (26:25):
There's one in the playoffs against the Cowboys, of course,
you know where it's kind of off tackle play to
the right and kind of go into a crowd and
bounce off with one of their guys and and keep
running for a touchdown. And that was you know, that
was my only playoff win during that game and really
kind of before that Cowboy dynasty, right, you know, so

(26:48):
there's that one. So yeah, did you know that the
one d Lineman I don't even remember who it was,
the one that kind of like gave up on the play.
He was kind of just chilling and then all of
a sudden, you're like running right by him, Like did
you see any of that? Like like what stood out?
I think yeah it was. It was so like did
you like, when you're doing all these things, are you
seeing the small little how slow.

Speaker 1 (27:09):
Is the game for you? As you're breaking down?

Speaker 3 (27:12):
Boom you make guys run into each other, you know,
the one versus the Patriots where you got my face
way and then he goes back this way, like are
you just doing this? Like playing with these people? Like
how are you doing this? They told me this, How
slow is this for you? When all these things are
going on? What details do you see?

Speaker 1 (27:32):
You know, it's interesting because because it was always you know,
going going back and watching it right right right, and
watching it always look kind of different, right because you
never really know how it looks because everything happened so fast.
I don't, I don't. I don't know if I can
say the game slowed down. Okay, I guess that's good.
I guess that's that's a good way to put it.

(27:53):
But I think, you know, being at you know, being young,
being athletic, and and just for me, I just always
felt like I was a natural runner, right and being
able to put you know, being able to sometimes put
defense guy in a bad situation what you know, however
you want to call it.

Speaker 3 (28:12):
That's nicely, you know, I appreciate that very you know,
it's mutual.

Speaker 1 (28:18):
Yeah, but and so and so, Yeah, I think, but
that was the thing that was always for me sort
of interesting. Is that now? I mean, you're not seeing
every detail, so no, during that run, I don't I
don't recall seeing Tony necessarily the way that he Ye,
he was.

Speaker 3 (28:36):
Chilling, he was chilling, literally chilling.

Speaker 2 (28:42):
Is there ever a fault when you when you make
a move on a guy like I've seen, I mean,
your your entire highlight reel, is you just going one
way and bouncing this way and going that way in
your mind? Are you're like, we got him? Yeah, I
fin to get him right, yep, got him too, hah,
keep going like do you ever think that? Because I
know when I would come up forward time, I.

Speaker 1 (29:00):
Was like often to get him the business.

Speaker 2 (29:01):
He ain't looking, I'm finna and I just you tee
off into a guy or whatever. Observe any thought processing
that when you like, I'm making this guy I'm making
not really, because I know, for me, a.

Speaker 3 (29:16):
Couple of times I was like, offinite, Oh yeah, he ain't.
I'm finn to punch this because it's happening to me.
I feel like it's happening so fast. It's happening so
fast that I'm not necessarily thinking that now. Yeah, I'm
definitely trying to give him you know whatever. Yeah, but yeah,
but because you don't, because you know, I mean the
great thing about highlights, right is that they show all.

Speaker 1 (29:36):
Your all your great plays, you know. I mean, you
know I did believe it or not. I did have
some negative ones, you know, so they don't ever show those.
They never exactly.

Speaker 3 (29:47):
I got some numbers for you. I'm gonna talk to
you about that a little bit later. Really, yeah, okay, no, no, no, no, no.

Speaker 1 (29:56):
All right, so pick it up. I got one for you.

Speaker 2 (29:59):
Did you know that you were one touchdown away from
a hundred when you retire?

Speaker 1 (30:04):
When I retired, did I know that? Yeah? No, you
did not know. If you would have known that, do
you think that would have changed? Oh?

Speaker 3 (30:13):
Lord, don't make the whole sites about so this question
has come from my producer.

Speaker 2 (30:20):
So all right, but do you think if you would
have known you were one away from one hundred.

Speaker 1 (30:27):
You would just changed things? I don't. I don't think so,
I don't. I don't. It's funny because when I when
I first saw that, then I just thought about the
few times that runs got called back, you know, for
like you know, stupid holding penalties whatever, or a lot
of times you know, sometimes they would take me out

(30:47):
on goal line situations, you know, and bring in like
the heavy package whatever you know. So but but no,
I don't. I don't. I don't know that I would
have I probably would not have hung on for another year,
just just because of that for that reason, does that
actually is pretty good? Though? Yeah? I mean that's that's
that's great. They could have actually Roger Roger Goodell, he

(31:09):
could have just he could have just given me the
extra touchdown you just added added to the record.

Speaker 2 (31:13):
He's still he still can just call him up on
the phone. I think he still can't.

Speaker 1 (31:18):
Does that actually piss you off? Though?

Speaker 2 (31:19):
When you do all the I ain't gonna say you
do all the work, but when you do a lot
of you carry a lot of the load and you
take it down on the goal line and you're like,
all right, pull you out and then bring another guy in.

Speaker 1 (31:28):
Does that kind of like, God, dang it, we got
this close.

Speaker 2 (31:31):
Let me just going to finish it.

Speaker 3 (31:32):
Sometimes, yeah, sometimes I would have definitely lobbied, you know,
I feel like maybe I could have lobbied a little
harder to stay in.

Speaker 1 (31:39):
But you know it, I can't complain. But yeah, so
in the moment, Yeah, sometimes you have that feeling.

Speaker 3 (31:46):
You can complain.

Speaker 1 (31:47):
It's okay, You've you've earned the right to complain, you
know what.

Speaker 3 (31:50):
Talking about complaints, you know, this is something that's off
the cuff, completely off the cuff. Before we go in
fullback versus no fullback. This is like a huge thing
for Barry Sanders' career. Everybody had, you know, EMMITTT. Smith
had Moose. Everybody talked about how great it was. That's
who everybody compared you to all the time. At the
time he had a fullback. You didn't what was the benefit?

(32:13):
Did you want to full back? Tell me the benefits and.

Speaker 1 (32:17):
The negatives or pros and cons. Yeah, well, well if
you're talking about pros, then I would say, yeah, if
you if you're saying give me Moose, don okay, absolutely,
God give me give me Moose. There was only one.
I love you guys like that. But you know, I

(32:39):
don't think even even like we had a guy, he
wasn't necessarily well known like those guys was naming Cory Slashinger.
I remember, Yeah, he was good, he was a good blocker. Yeah,
but everybody's not those guys, right, you know, So, so
it really it really kind of depends on that. It
depends on obviously when you think about Moose. You know

(33:00):
you also, I mean, you know, the look at the
offensive line like right, yes, yeah, but but I grew up,
I grew up playing that brand right with a fullback,
you know, I, you know, dotting the I type formation.
So that's something that I would have been comfortable with,
you know, with underwrite circumstances.

Speaker 3 (33:21):
Okay, okay, all right. I just I just remember this
very vividly that used to always talk about, well, Barry
Sanders doesn't he didn't want a full back because you
guys were more of a sin running shoot. So it
was just a different style and it you know, I
just always wanted that, and it just came to my head, like, dude,
that's not in the thing, but I wanted to know
that because that was something they always talked about when
I was watching the games, was the fullback versus Barry Sanders,

(33:45):
like the kind of one of the few running backs
at the time that was just one single running back.

Speaker 1 (33:51):
Yeah. Yeah, I mean my my first year, and I
mean I had so many different offensive coordinators, but my
first season it was a guy named Mouse Davis, I
think Mouse Mouse Davis and then maybe the name June Jones,
you may June. Both of those guys kind of absolutely yeah,
they were they were at the forefront of like the

(34:11):
whole running shoot, uh philosophy and offense, and so that's
what we did. So that was a that was a
change for me right coming out of college because I
had a fullback in college, and so the whole running
shoot thing that was, yeah, I was I was just
learning it myself. When I got to Detroit. I had
never heard about it, you know. So, so but to

(34:33):
answer your question, yeah, I mean running shot was good
for certain things, you know, but not having a tight end,
you know, it just felt like, you know, those the
ends were like naked, you know what I mean, Like
it just feels like someone needs to be over here,
you know. Yeah, but but but I feel like, you know,
I mean, I think defenses were still trying to figure
it out too, right, you know. So there were certain

(34:54):
advantages to it, but but.

Speaker 3 (34:58):
You know, make long you know the again, ask you
a question. Yes, I would love to have Mose Johnson
in front of it.

Speaker 1 (35:04):
That's the question.

Speaker 3 (35:05):
I'm glad that your birthday comes every year, but I
think it was really could this year because you know,
you've just recovered from your health situation. So what does
it mean do you take a little bit more advantage of.

Speaker 1 (35:18):
It last year? Yeah? I mean right, last year June
of twenty four right, June fourteenth, I believe it was
had like a heart attack and so and so, yeah,
I mean this was a special birthday. Yes, is getting
and you know, just really learning about heart disease and learning,

(35:39):
you know, meeting other people who's had different struggles. You
know mine mine could have been much worse. But but yeah,
so so just understanding like you know, different risk factors
and and just becoming aware that you know, and really

(36:00):
meeting people who you know, some people have the hereditary
factors that play into it. It's not like they can
really do anything about it, you know. And and so
but for me, it's been a real education and it's
been drape because just understanding you know, just things like

(36:23):
what a heart healthy workout is, you know, and that
kind of thing, and you know, incorporating that into my life,
you know, doing more walking and and so yeah, it's
been it's been very beneficial in a lot of ways.
Just so so yeah, to answer your question, Yeah, it's
been big year. The birthday I didn't I didn't do

(36:43):
a big birthday badge, but it was significant just because
of what happened last year.

Speaker 3 (36:47):
And I saw you were you're working on another doctor
making of a heart attack and that's where you come
in with some other people to talk about the same
things you talked about, where you discuss having some you know,
your stroke and discovering the hidden secrets or a heart attack. Yeah, sorry,
a heart attack, but I think others that had some
other conversations, and so.

Speaker 1 (37:07):
You gotstro closely tied and there was there was the
making of a heart attack documentary that I was a
part of, and really just talking about my story, but
also the story of really just other individuals who, I
mean some some of the things that some of the
things that some of these individuals have have just been

(37:28):
able to fight through right come out on the other
side of and just be really staunch advocates for you know,
it's really amazing and and so yeah, it's been to me,
it's just been a real, real sort of education and
you know, I know, we're going to help a lot
of people just because so many people don't so many

(37:49):
of us don't understand, don't know what a lot of
those risk risk factors are, you know, and so it
gets into you know, just whether it's your diet or
whether you know, having those conversations with your doctor about
you know, about back cholesterol and what you can do
to lower it, you know, and and starting as early
as possible and and all that stuff. But but yeah,

(38:11):
I was I was excited to be a part of that,
just because when you to me, those stories of those
individuals really just have just a very powerful you know,
and and and we all it's funny because none of us,
you know, we're when we first had had certain symptoms,
was thinking heart attack, right, So that's how that's how

(38:32):
deceptive it can be. And that's why I think it's
a great information piece for a lot of people. So yeah,
it was great to be a part of that.

Speaker 2 (38:40):
You always say it though, and when you're affected by something,
you become an advocate. You become an advocate for it.
So my my daughter, uh sh had a heart transplant.
Knew nothing about hearts, knew nothing about heart disease or
any anything like that. And today actually her seventeenth heart

(39:01):
day of all days. But I became an advocate for
transplants or organ donation because she received one, and learning
about it and and and just kind of educating myself
in the public and letting people know, like, you know,
it's it's it's actually a good thing, and it is
a great thing to be an organ donor and just

(39:21):
just educating yourself ultimately is what I did. Now I'm
a huge advocate for UH organ transplants and and and
being a donor and just everything about the heart kind
of educating myself.

Speaker 1 (39:32):
And I mean I was really into Google looking up.

Speaker 2 (39:34):
These crazy words that I had no idea how to spell.

Speaker 1 (39:39):
Uh what I want to ask you? You can get more
serious than that than you only got one. It's crazy
you only you only you only got one? How are
you feeling the day right now? How how's your health
right now? Real good? Feel good. I was able to,
you know, get some good treatments from the doctors and
and really get good good plan going forward. Yeah, right,

(40:00):
and just being you know, I had to lose little weight.
I probably probably could, you know, lose maybe five or
ten more pounds, but just really understanding how to move
forward after it and lower those risk factors, you know. Yeah,
but yeah, I feel I feel really good. Deserve a
moment where you were in the hospital.

Speaker 2 (40:18):
He was just like, damn, I just had a heart attack.
Like I gotta, I gotta get my life together. I
gotta switch some things up. I gotta I really got
was there was that that one moment like an epiphany,
was just like, Holy, this is this is not cool.
I gotta I really need to be here from my family,
my kids, my you know, friends. What was there reserve
of that moment for you where you just had to

(40:39):
sit there and just kind of take a step back
and just like really process what had happened.

Speaker 1 (40:43):
It sounds like you were there, man with me.

Speaker 3 (40:46):
You must have been there, because no, for sure, because
you know, I went in and I just had like this.

Speaker 1 (40:52):
Little mile kind of burning in the middle of my chest.
I wasn't thinking. I wasn't thinking a heart attack, you know.
And so when they when they said those words, I
was like, wow, are you serious? And I was there
for like three days at the hospital, so that gave
me a lot of time to just reflect like wow,
I mean, how is this possible? Right? Right? I mean

(41:14):
I wasn't doing anything crazy.

Speaker 3 (41:16):
I wasn't I wasn't someone who you know, my weight
wasn't far out of control or whatever, you know, and
then you know, just other habits or whatever. And so
I was, yeah, I certainly had had those moments, but
like I said, there's a lot I learned that I
could be doing. It's as far as being more active

(41:37):
in the right way right and cutting back on certain things,
and even like you know, with certain medications you may
have to go on, you know, to the lower your
back cholesterol. So you know, because I you know, I was,
you know, I was in my mid fifties, so I mean,
you know, that's certainly the age where certain things start
to change, things, things happen, whatever, and I was. I'm

(42:01):
fortunate enough that I was able to have that experience
but also really move on in more you know, normal
kind of regular ways as far as its not having
lingering effects, you know, in my daily life, you know. So,
but yeah, I absolutely had those kind of moments where
I was reflecting, like wow.

Speaker 1 (42:22):
I mean how you know, how how is this possible?
How did I get here where it's this serious of
a condition. You know that that brought about something like this.

Speaker 3 (42:31):
So absolutely, Barry tell me this man, and I hope
you can share a really good story or maybe some insight,
because we all go through something at some point in life,
and for somebody like you, where dude, some of us
look at you as like invincible or Superman. You weren't
hurt a lot, Nobody ever could hit you and all
of a sudden, something like a heart attack is the

(42:51):
thing that slows you down or is the one that's
gonna trip you up. How do you not go into
this place of blaming or why woe is me? And
you look at it's like, oh no, well, this is
what I could be doing. How maybe give some of
our viewers or our listeners a perspective into that from
your from your eyes, from your view of Barry Sanders

(43:13):
the Great, And then how I bounce back from something
like this? Well, for me, I think I guess it
all always comes back to, like your perspective whatever. But
I realized, I mean I realized that although it was
something very serious that happened, but you know, there's also

(43:41):
things you could do to prevent it, to help prevent it,
to to you know, lessen your your chances of it
happening again, even like even you know, some of the
individuals that I met through the making of an art
attack documentary, seeing just what type of advocates they are,

(44:04):
right and how fierce of advocs advocates they are and
getting the word out right, and and but also just
you know, back back to my own case, just just
understanding that you know. I mean, I wasn't you know,
I wasn't a heart attack or a stroke. It's one

(44:25):
of those things where it happens every.

Speaker 1 (44:31):
Forty seconds or something like that. And and sometimes you don't,
you know, you don't get a chance, right, you don't
get a second chance, right. And so for me, I
guess my outlook is. You know, I'm I'm here, I'm alert.
You know, I don't have sort of lingering lingering effects.
I mean, I know, I know people who who suffered

(44:53):
a heart attack or stroke and it takes years to
get back right, and and so you know, these these
are very serious things. And and and if you can
live to tell about it and talk about it and
those kinds of things, it's you're really fortunate. And so
that's kind of that's kind of how I see it

(45:15):
that that, you know, and I you know, I mean,
like you said, people may see me as invincible. Obviously,
I understand that I'm not invincible, you know.

Speaker 3 (45:26):
And and uh, and you know, I mean, like I
said before, I'm I'm mid fifties.

Speaker 1 (45:33):
You know, I'm not.

Speaker 3 (45:34):
I'm not twenty years old anymore, you know, and and
uh and and so and so yeah, I mean so
that's that's kind of how I said that, Like it's
a great, great chance to get the word about out
about something that hopefully other people can help prevent, you know,
and it happens far too often, you know. And and

(45:55):
and you know, I think also just you know, you know,
I was really supported and embraced my family. You know,
my mom still she's still here, you know. And and
I mean for me, I know, I have a lot
to live for, you know, and look forward to, you know.
And and so I didn't, you know, And so that
was more you know, my perspective that you know, let me,
let me see what I can do to get better,

(46:18):
you know, and and improve my own situation, and also
you know, maybe help help others, you know, to to
see if I can maybe help them prevent you know,
the same thing from happening. We're gonna take a short
break and we'll.

Speaker 1 (46:31):
Be right back.

Speaker 3 (46:41):
Are you still working with the lines as an ambassador?

Speaker 1 (46:44):
Yes?

Speaker 3 (46:45):
I mean you've got to be the best ambassador for them.
How you how you enjoyed that? How did that come about?
I mean, you know, cause you kind of walked away.
Now you're back as the ambassador.

Speaker 1 (46:58):
It's been great, it's been great. I mean last night
I went to dinner with with some with some with
Calvin Johnson and a few other like season ticket holders,
right and so and so that's like heavy lifting for
an ambassador, right, I mean, that's you know, that's the
work I get to do, right, you know. So so

(47:19):
a nice like it was a dinner at a really
nice restaurant, you know, and it was paid for by someone.
Real tough job, job, I got you, I got you.
But no, it's been great. It's been great, just you know,
being being around the team and Lions fans, you know,

(47:42):
and just seeing like what has happened with the team
over the last couple of years, you know, and and
after going through so many dark years and tough years.
I mean, they brought all y'all back thanks to Peanut
and some of his games. Lions tough pay.

Speaker 3 (48:00):
I mean, they had all you guys back for the playoffs.

Speaker 1 (48:02):
Absolutely well, I.

Speaker 2 (48:04):
Think what I appreciate, and I know we're in the
same division. I was rooting for Detroit so hard.

Speaker 3 (48:11):
I really wanted I'm telling you, I was.

Speaker 2 (48:14):
I mean, we weren't winning, we weren't playing well right right, right, right,
But I just love what the head coach has done
for the team, and it really brought the city together
and you could see it. You could see it in
the in the in the stands, on TV, in the crowd.
I wasn't like physically there, but you could you could
actually feel it, like, man, this is this is it was.

(48:35):
It was really beautiful to see. And I never even
felt that one I played in Detroit, Like, I never
feel like there was.

Speaker 1 (48:41):
A reason why you didn't feel it. But honestly, like
that that city and community like so thirsty. Yeah, you
feel that. You feel that when you go to the games.
And I was so happy for him. Yeah, man, I mean,
you know, because they're still there's still like those few

(49:02):
people around who talk about, like, you know, the late
fifties and the championships, and that's like the thing that
they can hold on to, right. But it's a it's
it's always been like a really serious and a great
football town, right. We just didn't necessarily live up to
it on the field. Right, There's always been that support

(49:25):
and those people who you know, they love all the
other sports and you know, we're proud of the fact
that University of Michigan won championship. A couple of years
ago or whatever. But yeah, I mean you got serious
Lions fans, and you saw that during the draft even, Yeah,
just the way people came out and supported. So I worked.

Speaker 3 (49:43):
He knew everybody on the roster right from Detroit. He's like, bro,
you know all the people on the roster. He doing
the draft reports, he's they're all Then I agree. I
I did not know Detroit had such good fans until
I got to go up there, and now you know,
and now that they're winning, they're all outside too.

Speaker 1 (50:02):
Absolutely, you know what I mean.

Speaker 3 (50:03):
You know, it is like they can't wear the Detroit
stuff for like eight years, and all of a sudden,
now they're like, shoot, I mean.

Speaker 1 (50:09):
I still fit.

Speaker 2 (50:10):
I saw a whole bunch of acts of folly Lions jackets, that's.

Speaker 1 (50:13):
I mean, they came out, they all came out to support.
It's funny because you know, you say, you're talking about apparel,
what you see in the apparel around town, but you're
also seeing like vehicles, you know, like Ford F one
fifties with the Lions painted logo on all that stuff.
I mean, it's all back. It's yeah, sure, it's all back. Absolutely.

Speaker 2 (50:32):
I reann to read a quote from nineteen eighty eight. Uh, okay,
I see myself. So a lady asked you, where do
you see yourself twenty years from now? And you quickly
respond and say, I see myself happily marrying and being
a strong Christian. I see myself having or having four kids,
four or five kids, living in a middle class neighborhood

(50:53):
with a steady job.

Speaker 1 (50:55):
Now.

Speaker 2 (50:57):
Nineteen eighty eight, Barry Sanders said that, Wow, how would
you say you've lived your life to.

Speaker 1 (51:02):
This point in time? Right now? I would say I've lived,
you know, pretty close to that. I've lived pretty close
to that. Can you expand upon that a little bit?
I mean I think just you know, growing up in church, right,
and so you know, having those values is being important, right,

(51:23):
you know the marriage part, I mean I was married
for I don't know ten years, yeah, twelve or something
like that.

Speaker 3 (51:32):
And so and then the four or five kids right
at four sons, I.

Speaker 1 (51:38):
Said that in eighty eight.

Speaker 3 (51:39):
Huh wow, eighty eight that's crazy, laughing about not bad.

Speaker 2 (51:47):
Shout out to the producer that was his He did
research on now on that's pretty good.

Speaker 1 (51:51):
That's a good one.

Speaker 3 (51:52):
He also did the research on the birthday too. But
we'll keep it moving, all right.

Speaker 1 (51:59):
Damn you didn't have to on one of the bus,
but you shouldn't have praised him.

Speaker 3 (52:02):
Go ahead, go ahead, Barry, Sorry to cut you off.

Speaker 1 (52:04):
No, No, that was it that. Yeah, I think, you know,
I mean so I think of so, I'm I'm I'm glad.
I was thinking, you know, I like how the twenty
year old. Yeah, Barry was thinking. You know, so, I
think that's pretty pretty mature level in a way to
think about it, and so to go through like you know,

(52:24):
ten years of the NFL and and now twenty five
years of retirement.

Speaker 3 (52:30):
So I like it, all right, Barry. We'd like to
ask all of our guests this give us a whole
rounded perspective. Who's on your personal Mount Rushmore of influence?
You get four? Who has my personal Mount rush Mount Rushmore?
Only that influence? Only Fall Sanders? Who Barry Sanders is.

Speaker 1 (52:55):
I would love to hear my dad's comment about this.
So my dad he's definitely on there, Yes, for sure, Right,
Jim Brown is his favorite running back.

Speaker 3 (53:08):
Jim Brown is his favorite right, you know which? Yeah,
but that's the whole other Wow.

Speaker 1 (53:16):
And if if I put my dad on there, then
I have to put my mom on there.

Speaker 3 (53:21):
Right, or you can put them at like on It's like,
you know, we've had people do that too, Do what
mom and dad?

Speaker 1 (53:29):
Mom and dad is one thank you?

Speaker 3 (53:30):
Thank you? Yes?

Speaker 1 (53:33):
Okay. Yeah. Also I would have to put my high
school coach Daryl Dale Workholder there right because he's the
one that moved me from from kind of slot to
running back. You know, he was like, I think that
Sanders kids is running back, not not a defensive back
or or wing back. Was a nice at the time.

(53:57):
Was wing back was just like kind of like lot slot,
you know, kind of like you know, tight end slot.
You know you're in you're in the same position as
a tight end, but you're off the line type thing.
So I was doing a lot of blocking and you know,
running route which I thought I thought I was a
pretty good defensive back and and wing back.

Speaker 2 (54:17):
Show me some film, I could say, I'll be to
judge that right, right, right.

Speaker 1 (54:22):
Right, And so coach brokeholder, So that what's that to y? Wow?

Speaker 3 (54:33):
Man, that's I need I need a little bit to
think about this one, coach b And then.

Speaker 1 (54:44):
Yeah, I don't know, I don't know. After that, I
mean there's so many that I could I could choose
to choose from. How about how about Tony dor set right?
Just because I was, you know, saying, and you know that,
you know, I feel like all four of them could
be running backs, you know, on the list. But certainly

(55:06):
Tony dor said just because that young berry, you know,
drawing those pictures of football men, you know, just that
passion that I had for the game and interesting the
players and following them. So so I'll put Tony dor
set up there, and then maybe Michael Jordan's right, Michael

(55:27):
Jordan just because you know, just fierce competitor, love, you know,
just following his career and and just you know the
influence he had, just his approach to the game right
and obviously how successful he's been in business. So so
since you guys are twisting my arm for for four,
then I'll have those for for for today for right now.

Speaker 3 (55:50):
Have you ever got to meet Michael Jordan's hang around.

Speaker 1 (55:53):
I've never really hung out hung around him like that,
but golf events that he used to have in Bahamas.
Just met him there. I met him there once. He
actually came when we played the Bears once early nineties.
There was he had a teammate that was from Wichitas State,

(56:14):
Cliff Livingston. So Cliff brought him to the locker room.
That was the first time I would have met Mike, okay,
you know, and so we just chatted for a few
minutes during you know whatever year that would have been,
you know, early nineties in Chicago. That would have been the
first time I met him. But then the next time
would have been at his golf tournament. And and mohammas.

Speaker 2 (56:35):
Now I know, I know romaxual earlier about was there
another like running back whatever?

Speaker 1 (56:40):
Was there ever?

Speaker 2 (56:41):
Like you're Barry Sanders, you were at the the Krim
Dayla Krim of like top athletes? Is there or was
there ever a celebrity where he was like I got
to meet him, I got to meet her. Was there
ever a celebrity, actor, rapper, entertainer, someone that.

Speaker 1 (56:58):
You just like, no, I got to meet this person.

Speaker 4 (57:01):
Saying that I have to like go out of my
way to try to meet just like, no, I'm really
a fan of I'm a just example, like I'm a
really big fan of Denzel Washington, Like I would love
to meet Denzel a movie premiere whatever, Like I really
want to.

Speaker 2 (57:14):
Go meet this individual, not really go out of your way,
but just like I'm excited to meet a Denzel something
something along those lines.

Speaker 1 (57:21):
I mean, not necessarily like that. I mean there's been
people that I've been excited to meet, right, Like for instance,
when we in college, they used to have like All
American teams. I think it was the Bob Hope All
American Teams, right, I don't know if you guys know
that name, but that there was no bigger name in
Hollywood than Bob Hope. And so he used to have that.

(57:42):
He used to have a show that he would do, right,
and he would announce all the All Americans and so
doing the Bob Hope doing the Bob Hope All American
Show was that was huge. And meeting Bob Hope was
he was older then, right, but he was you know,
he was a comedian actor. You know most of his
stuff is in like black and white. But there was

(58:02):
no bigger starter that is that's crazy. Did they do
the research? Yeah? Yeah, I mean yeah, I'm sure.

Speaker 2 (58:10):
Somebody shows Yeah, I know I Hope is yeah, yeah, yeah.

Speaker 1 (58:15):
All right.

Speaker 3 (58:16):
We got a couple of quick kiters. I want to
I want to run down these quick kiters real quick.

Speaker 1 (58:19):
You got it? Hit away? Good, swing away.

Speaker 3 (58:23):
Did you ever dish out trash talk?

Speaker 1 (58:28):
No?

Speaker 3 (58:29):
Okay, because John Randall I've seen him on tape. He
will always be yell her name, Hey, Barry, Hey Barry,
Like did you ever respond?

Speaker 1 (58:37):
I made have responded, but I wasn't. It wasn't. But
but John said so much. John was always talking. He's
still talking.

Speaker 3 (58:46):
Do you just laugh like it's like, dude, this guy
like he like you're lining up to run about. He's
just barking from in a three point stands from across
the line of scrimmage. Have you any have you met
anybody else in that realm of that Charles Haytes really
Charles Haley, you know he talks about Charles crazy man,
really like officially crazy Like well I heard that, yeah,

(59:10):
well just but he was he was. He would be
talking to the lineman, you know about how sorry they were,
you know, talking recklessly.

Speaker 1 (59:18):
He's gonna run through them all day, you know what
I mean, talking to the quarterback. I mean, yeah, Charles Leley,
he was. He was that guy, okay, kind of like
kind of like John. I couldn't even understand all the
stuff John was saying.

Speaker 3 (59:27):
Right we didn't either. Yeah, he have a face painted
with some kind of Native American I don't know what
it was, but but yeah, uh, those were probably the
biggest two talkers that I ran into. Oh wow, Okay, I.

Speaker 2 (59:44):
Figured he was gonna say no, even Calvin Johnson say
he wasn't a trash talker.

Speaker 3 (59:48):
Yeah, I didn't, no idea. Did you know that you
had the most carries in your career the last season
of your career? I think I had seen that before.
I think i'd seen that. Okay, this is another one
I have for you. Out of all the NFL records
that you held, I don't know if you still hold

(01:00:09):
them all, but when you retired, all right, which one
do you think will be the one that will never
be broken? Is it season with fifteen hundred yards rushing
or more, which is five consecutive games with one hundred
yards yards rushing or more or more yards rushing one
hundred yards and more rushing. That's fourteen, all right, games

(01:00:32):
with one hundred yards are more rushing in the season,
Fourteen one hundred and fifty plus yard rushing games in
a career, twenty five one hundred and fifty plus scrimmage
yards per game forty six. I think somebody's already tied this,
but first running back that you were the first to
have two eighty yard runs in one game. But this

(01:00:54):
is the last one. Most negative yards rushing in a
career with minus nine hundred and fifty two yards. So
you talk about the highlight plays the low lights minus
nine hundred and fifty two yards, which will never be broken.

Speaker 1 (01:01:09):
Yeah right there?

Speaker 3 (01:01:10):
Wow, okay man, which of those you think will never
be broken?

Speaker 1 (01:01:17):
I think I think the most challenging one. I mean,
I mean, you know, negative nine hundred yards, that's hard.
It would be hard to beat that one. I think
it's hard to be done.

Speaker 3 (01:01:31):
I was hoping you picked that one.

Speaker 1 (01:01:32):
I was it was like, yeah, dang, that's all from
a defensive you like that one? Like that? Well?

Speaker 3 (01:01:36):
I always remember, like when I would watch your games,
they would have like sometimes the negative yards that you had,
but then your ultimate total, you know, you have negative
twenty something. But I guess, like just overtime, I don't
think I realized it was almost a whole thousand yards
negative and rushing yards throughout your career's just crazy because
all you ever tell people now, especially my around my

(01:01:57):
little flag kids. When I'm playing, it's like just upfield,
just get up all forward, just get upfield, and all
of them want to cut back like Barry and it's minus.
I mean, they're not you. So it's really interesting. I
didn't know that stat So that was just really cool
when I was doing some stuff that that's what they.

Speaker 1 (01:02:15):
Haven't added on. You don't think they've added on a
few yards to that one.

Speaker 3 (01:02:21):
In front of your face? Yes, I think I think
they totally added on. Thank you, I'm done. I'm off
the hot seat.

Speaker 2 (01:02:28):
You are off the hot seat. We appreciate you coming
on the pod and just blessing us and appreciate the
stories and and everything.

Speaker 1 (01:02:33):
He told us.

Speaker 2 (01:02:34):
I'm glad you're you're feeling better. Happy belated birthday. Uh yeah,
that's it.

Speaker 1 (01:02:39):
That's that's it already. That's that's that's all.

Speaker 3 (01:02:43):
Who's your favorite? Running back to watching the NFL right now?
If you don't have a favorite, Troy, I mean, well.

Speaker 1 (01:02:52):
I mean has been around longer obviously, Yeah, you know,
so with the with the what do you think about that?
Just the backward I'm going to jumped. He was amazing.
It was amazing.

Speaker 3 (01:03:02):
Have you seen any anybody do that.

Speaker 1 (01:03:04):
No, no, nothing, that's the first time that. No, not
not like leaving leaving the turf like that. No, that
was sweet.

Speaker 3 (01:03:11):
That's a thing you never really did that. Did they
not teach you all to jump over guys? Because a
lot of guys jump.

Speaker 1 (01:03:16):
Now, I was like, wait, who teaches you how to?

Speaker 3 (01:03:19):
I feel like it was it was almost coach that
it was you can't jump? Okay, yeah, yeah, I do
I think jump remembering, I don't know if you remember
Billy Sam was running and jumping and kicking someone right,
he jumped.

Speaker 1 (01:03:32):
He was running and he jumped and he like kicked
this defensive guy in the helmet. You know. But I
always thought you couldn't do that. But anyway, but no,
it was a phenomenal play by And I'm not like
a high hurdler, so I don't I don't know how
high I would have been able to get over the guys,
but that may not have been good. But yeah, you
got some hops. He was. You know what I feel like,

(01:03:54):
I was always you know, when you leave the turf
like that, I feel like you give that defensive guy,
you know, a chance to just pop you like you know,
it was we're always what I thought if you junk
because but but no, it was it was a beautiful play.

Speaker 3 (01:04:06):
And how did you get involved with that celebrity dunk contest?

Speaker 1 (01:04:10):
Well, they used to they used to do that every year.
It was called the foot Locker Slam Dunk Fest and
it was televised, right, Yeah, so a lot of you know,
so obviously they would get guys from all different sports
other than basketball, right, And so no, it was fun, man,
it was fun to go there, and you know, you'd
have like these great pickup games with all these guys
like Gary Bonds, you know, and and because everyone you know,

(01:04:34):
fashioned himselves as a hooper, right, you know, everybody's everyone
as a hooper, you know. So so you get some
really competitive like Dion and guys like that, you get
some really competitive pickup games, but with the dunk counts, yeah,
I mean, and in the coolest part was that it
was it was judged by like these older NBA guys

(01:04:55):
like Will Chamberlain, you know, Calvin Murphy and and you
know just some of those old like sixties seventies NBA players.
Yeah that's cool. Well, yeah, you're definitely off the hot Seaton.

Speaker 3 (01:05:06):
Man.

Speaker 1 (01:05:06):
I appreciate it.

Speaker 3 (01:05:07):
Man, Thank This was a whole lot of fun.

Speaker 1 (01:05:09):
It was.

Speaker 3 (01:05:09):
It worked out man, Yeah, man, no doubt same here man.
Thank you man, where thanks to all our viewers. To you,
I know you guys are gonna love this episode. Wherever
you pick up your podcast with this Apple Podcasts iHeartRadio app,
make sure you give us a like, subscribe, hit that
follow up, buddy, leave a couple of comments. We'll make
sure we respond. You can also check us out on
the NFL Pages YouTube channel and up Peanut Man, get

(01:05:31):
us about of.

Speaker 1 (01:05:31):
You, man, I'm Peanut.

Speaker 2 (01:05:33):
That's Roman and that is Barry Sanders and This Barry
Center is the NFL Player's Second Act podcast and we
out