29 greatest NFL players to never win a Super Bowl
By Mike Dyce
2. Barry Sanders
Some consider the former Detroit Lions running back to be the greatest at his position in National Football League history. Many football fans believe that if Sanders hadn’t retired prematurely he would’ve put the NFL all-time rushing record out of reach.
Instead he finished with 15,269 yards, a mark that ranks third all-time behind only Emmitt Smith and Walter Payton. He passed the 2,000 mark in his penultimate season, and had plenty of football left in him. Sanders won an MVP award for that season as well.
Sanders was a 10-time All-Star and a 10-time All-Pro, making the first team on six different occassions. Sanders led the NFL in rushing on four different occassions.
Despite his incredible statistics, and even more remarkable highlight reel, Sanders was unable to lead the Lions to a Super Bowl. The closest Sanders ever got was when the Lions made it to the 1991 NFC Championship game against the Washington Redskins.
In that game Sanders rushed just 11 times for 44 yards. Sanders would finish with a 1-5 record in the post season and never really got close to a Vince Lombardi Trophy. Had he not retired prematurely, perhaps he wouldn’t be on this list.
Next: 1. Dan Marino