Imagine having a running back like Barry Sanders on the same team as Thurman Thomas. Both of them future NFL Hall-of-Famers. It happened for Oklahoma State University. The Cowboys had both of them in 1986, with Thomas starting. That’s right, the great Barry Sanders was actually the understudy to Thomas.
Sanders had to find a way to be noticed for two years, and he did it by leading the entire country in yards per kickoff return (31.6). Special teams, where speed is more praised than power, helped OSU decide that Sanders would start after Thomas left for professional football.