Today is Barry Sanders 50th birthday. For many Detroit Lions fan, Barry was their pathway to becoming fans of the team. While Detroiters were likely born that way, Sanders’ jaw-dropping career brought a team of NFL fans outside of Michigan over to the side of the Honolulu Blue.
And Barry’s career did wonders for those in Michigan, too. After decades of being a miserable, hopeless Lions fan, Barry gave Detroit hope. He brought a downtrodden franchise to relevance and even helped get them a game away from the Super Bowl—a task the franchise had never accomplished before and hasn’t accomplished since.