Barry made every Thanksgiving in the 90s that much more enjoyable. Dinner, family and Barry destroying defenses. Everyone tuned in for Barry.

He had a low center of gravity, his legs were like pillars, incredible reflexes and flexibility. One of the greatest athletes to ever walk this planet.

He made Hall of Fame defenders look like average players. Truly the G.O.A.T. of running backs

I recall a running back saying that you could put Barry in any era of the game and he would dominate that era as well. Truly the GOAT of football.

Not only the greatest running back of all time but such a humble guy as well!!

The run against the Colts is my favorite. After Barry changes direction, he takes three steps and Rodney Peete the QB raises his his arms to signal "Touchdown" because he already KNEW no one was going to get him, even from the 20. I had season tickets, and had the privilege of watching him his entire career. He is the greatest pure running back of all time.

He is still, to this day, my ABSOLUTE FAVORITE PLAYER of ALL TIME!!!!

I was his neighbor when he lived on Volusha street in Wichita. I was the house directly across the street when he opened his front door. I have an engineering degree from Notre Dame and I am still astonished at how amazing he was. A really good classy guy. My cousin was on the North high school football team with him and he confirmed that Barry genuinely was a good guy. I was also in the same class as his little sister. They were all nice people to be around. Best of all was his mother. I remember going into his house when I was small and they read a Bible story to me and gave me cookies. To everyone else we were just bad kids but his mom respected me like I was actually a real person. I will never forget that. Thanks

For those too young to have seen him play...this man, #20....is the single greatest running back to ever touch a football...at any level...in any country...in any universe or galaxy...there is not a debate.

His strength in his legs was a huge factor. Especially whe he can accelerate to full speed in 2 or 3 strides. POWER! low center of gravity, agility, awareness, acceleration. He was a locamotive/ drag racer/ UFO changeing direction on a dime, then add a dancer with his foot work. Greatest of all time.

I love that little high kick he does when he changes gears. When that leg comes up you know he's about to hit the turbo.

I remember my heart broke when he announced his retirement. I couldn't believe we would never see his mastery again.

I actually saw him once in person wearing shorts. Each of his legs looked as thick as his waist. These massive tree trunk legs is where he derived so much of his power and acceleration, while lowering his center of gravity even more.

The ability to change direction quickly is agility. Barry was certainly one of the most agile backs in history.

Not just the greatest RB of all time, but also one of the best players in nfl history.

I actually tear up when I watch his highlights. Hes so amazing. The greatest.

The man was the best of all time, it was a sheer joy watching him perform some kind of athletic magic.

On #3 (against the Bears), he got away because the defender tried to rip the ball away from him instead of take him down. The defender tried to use his weight to wrench the ball away from Sanders by falling backwards, but Sanders neutralized the weight issue by spinning the same way as the force exerted, until the guy's back hit the ground, at which point his weight was no longer useful to pressure the ball, and Sanders was then able to wrench the defender's arms away, complete his spin and keep going. Barry's instinct and self-awareness of where his body (down to the part level) is in relations to everything and everybody around him, are out of this world.

I lived in Pontiac MI not to far from the silver dome. Watching him was a privilege. Met him once at a golf dome putt putt sport place, they say don’t meet your hero’s, well his class was as stellar off the field as well as his class on the field. Super great person. I have the highest respect for him.

This man is (was) incredible...he deserved a ring....

I remember seeing an early interview where the reporter asked him how he could juke and move the way he did to keep from being tackled. He said when he was still at Oklahoma St he separated his shoulder and didn't tell anyone, cuz he knew they wouldn't l et him play, and started the crazy footwork to keep from getting hit and hurt his shoulder even more, that became what we all know and love about Barry Sanders.

I cried the day Sanders retired. I met him once in Honolulu. He was a quiet, humble, incredibly nice guy.

That he did what he did with THAT team makes it even more amazing! He was consistently running through defenders rather than running through holes. If he had had an offensive line like Emmit Smith had for so long with Dallas he could very conceivably have averaged 2000 yds/season. I don’t even think that’s hyperbole.

I grew up in Stillwater Oklahoma...got to meet him and autographed by him in the 5th grade when he come to visit us at my elementary school..his sophomore year ..and seen him play as #21 and 20...he left a mark on my heart as a youth..words can't compete to who he is on and off the field...Records don't mean anything as a fan ...he is and will always be The greatest of all time ...in my Heart and many more ..

The greatness of Barry came from how he used his opponents' momentum against them. We analyze it in slow motion, but in real time, he had the instinct to calculate a would-be tackler's speed and direction, and change his course to let the defender take himself out of the play. In an era of the game when being big mattered a great deal, Barry was ahead of the curve, by using his vision, quickness and speed.

My background is in biomechanics etc, so my interest in Barry was, at first, academic. Then, it occurred to me that he was actually running differently from most of the NFL p layers, who are not slow by any measure. So, as I studied him, I became a lunatic fan! Nearly drooling! And he did all this in a losing program. One example of his amazing talents, as the main target of tacklers, is that he carried the ball 884 times with a total of ONLY 6 fumbles.

OMG! I really enjoyed this video! Been a Lions fan since 1985! I had the privilege to go to the Lions practice & take pictures with Barry Sanders & get my football cards signed! He is the Greatest Running Back of All-Time!!💪🏾💯❤

“Of all the players I faced there was only one I FEARED, because he could beat you at any moment. And that was Barry.” - Reggie White

Barry's freshman year at Oklahoma State: Oklahoma coach Barry Switzer saw film of Sanders and told his players before the game "You better hope (future NFL Hall of Famer Thurman) Thomas doesn't get hurt, because his back up is even better."

He's my all time fav nfl player...grew up watching him. Every time he ran the ball I got goosebumps. And not only was it talent, it was those so called "tree trunks" that we call legs.

The greatest athlete of all time. He did things video games cant mimic.

Just watching these highlights brings back so many memories. Before his Lion days I watched him play college ball at OSU. He's from another planet. I doubt there will be another like him, or another back as fun to watch. Was a superhero!

No disagreeing here, Barry's the best running back of all-time. As a lifelong Detroit Lions fan, I thoroughly enjoyed watching him run the ball for 10 years, but I will say watching this video and other Barry highlight videos, I truly appreciate all of his gifts that made up the total package that much more. There is only one Barry Sanders, and who in the heck knows if there will ever be someone even close to being on his level in the future.

A = F/m During the off season Barry would come back to Oklahoma and work out at the local YMCA where his son played basketball. I would often see him working the squat rack. He did 600lb squats for reps. That is generating some force.

The greatest running back that I have ever seen play football. Barry Sanders was the complete package: speed, strength, agility, juke, stiff arm, spin move, TD!

I loved this analysis. One thing not commented on is the uncanny ball handling. Barry always moves the ball to the arm furthest away from the oncoming tacklers.

I gotta give props to my brother. I got a Barry Sanders rookie card in a pack as a kid and my brother went through it with me and told me to make sure I keep that one in perfect condition. I remember him saying he was going to be great. If not the greatest. He was absolutely right. Thanks bro! P.S. I still have that card.👍

After watching the greats such as Jim Brown, Walter Payton, Earl Campbell, Eric Dickerson, etc, etc, Barry Sanders was truly the GOAT! Mind blowing what that man could do! We were all privileged to see him in his incredible career! Ironically, my Packers could have had him with Farve as Detroit picked him at number 3 while the Pack had the number one choice and took Tony Mandarich. How many more Super Bowls might have Green Bay had with a combo such as Farve and Sanders? You put together an amazing compilation here on the physics of Barry Sanderson! Well done, my man!

It was such a joy getting to grow up in Michigan and cheer for Barry. I had a chance to meet him on a flight from Oklahoma (his home) back to Detroit after he retired, and he was the kindest, nicest celebrity I've ever met. He meant so much to us and lived up to it. The greatest.

I saw him live many times. My undergrad was physics too. A few things not mentioned that I noticed when watching him was his ankles and ability to keep his torso upright while his lower half was almost touching the ground. I use to compete in slalom course water sking and he reminded me of a water skier running the slalom course. He looked like a cartoon character the way he ran and it was his normal style. I think in a inside the NFL they had a podiatrist look at his moves and commented on his ankles the ability to really bend them at extreme angles and not hurt himself. He was a mutant form of a human. That is why you wont see another like him, you can't teach it you can't train for it.

I am in total agreement with you and in total awe Barry Sanders. On top of that I love the humble nature of Barry which is what really makes him not only a great runningback but a great man!

Watching numerous highlight videos of Barry, I've several highlights where he's horse-tackled. I'm amazed he was never seriously injured being horse-tackled so many times during the era he played in.

The ability to pivot direction on demand combined with acute awareness of his balance explains every play in your top 10. The Dallas play, he literally stopped dead and waited while defends fell on top of each other expecting him to drive into them. As they fell, he took off. Awareness of his surroundings made those plays possible.

I met him at an autograph signing after he'd been retired for years. Grand Rapids Michigan. He was only supposed to be there for 2 hours, and I arrived late (as I always do with everything it seems) so I figured I would at best see him as he left. Dude stayed with his entourage an extra couple hours so that he could have at least a moment with everyone there. I remember someone passed through to the back of the line that Barry said he'd wait, and we were just collectively in awe of this guy. When it was finally my turn, nearly an hour and a half after he was supposed to leave, he hadn't looked tired or impatient at all. He shook my hand, thanked me for coming out, I stuttered out something about him being amazing and how much my father and I respected him. He just smiled and told me how much he appreciated it, signed a few things, and I kept going not wanting to hold him up further. Still took the time to say bye to me after I was walking away and I felt rude haha. Barry is the classest of class acts.

Yup. It was the incredible strength in those massive legs. Add to that his phenomenal “big picture” awareness and innate instinct that simply cannot be taught…. He’s one of my favorites as well. He WAS the Lions in the 90s…

Hands down the best running back ever in the NFL and probably one of the greatest athletes of all time. He is rarely mentioned as that. If the Lions teams he played for were not so mediocre and he played for a team like the 90's Cowboys he would have easily had like 3 or more Superbowl rings as well as several MVP's. I have been a diehard Giants fan since I was a kid but Barry Sanders was hands down my favorite player then as well as to this day. GREAT VIDEO!

With all that greatness and the amazing runs he had for touchdowns. Never once did he do some stupid dance. He always just dropped the football or handed it back to a ref. Definitely a role model for young kids wanting to play football.

Growing up in Michigan, watching Barry was the reason I fell in love with the game. Absolutely magical.

I never saw a runner like Barry. His cuts, strength, speed, agility, acceleration, and vision, was like no other. I highly doubt there ever will be another RB like Barry. He is a once in a lifetime type of player. I was lucky to watch him play.

Glad to see somebody educated review Barry. Also my favorite runner. Man, what a freaking athlete. He could seriously make anyone watching him just be like jeez. It's crazy

I was lucky enough to watch Barry every Sunday for 10 years. He is as humble as he was electrifying. I was at the game for #9. Also #8 and #6 were the in the same game. He absolutely torched the Bucs.

Amazing player and just as humble

The best ever…without a doubt!!

200-odd lbs, 5'8" - but could squat 600+ lbs!!! The one attribute I think you miss was just how STRONG he was for his size. It's why he could drag people with him even once they got ahold of him - you see this in your #3 & #2 runs.

Barry was awesome. Nostalgic football clips hearing John Madden, good work with selecting the high lights and breaking it down. An amazing life I lived during the time of some of the greatest sports atheletes ever. Memory Gold!

Easily the greatest running back I ever saw. He was so much fun to watch. As a life long Patriot’s fan, #2 really stands out to me. It was like he was in video game mode. It wasn’t fair to the rest of the league.

Those of us who had the previlige of growing up in the 90s watching Barry Sanders and Bo Jackson were probably the luckiest fans ever!!Those 2 are the greatest to ever run the ball! By far!

What is even more incredible is that the Lions, basically, had no other offensive weapons at that time and everyone in the stadium (and those watching TV) knew he was going to get the ball. As a Packers fan, I was able to see Barry in 2 games per season and I watched every other game I could when the Lions were on TV. My brother went to several of these games and even though he was a die-hard Packers fan, he had to admit that being able to see Barry play was a big part of why he and his buddies went to those games.

Awesome mover, incredible ability to stop, start, accelerate, spin, without losing momentum. It was great to hear John Madden calling the play again too. Miss you John.

Several times a year when I'm bored , I grab a beer and watch Barry Sanders highlight. It never fails to put a smile on my face

The undisputed GOAT. It's scary to think what his numbers may have been in a decent team.

Finally an enthusiast or fanatic that appreciates the mechanics of greatness. Barry IS the greatest athlete of the gridiron. Wish I had the math aptitude because I love sport kinesiology. Thank you for this awesome vid. Please do more within or even outside of football 💣💥🙏🏿

Thanksgiving dinner then Detroit and Barry Sanders. I grew up in Nor Cal and you’re either a 49er or Raiders fan. But on Thanksgiving we were all Detroit & Barry’s Sanders fans. Thanksgiving hasn’t been he same since. You’re spot on and and I’m glad you explained what made him so great but you left out one major thing…. Class. Most classy and humble football player.

The best ever ! Smiled every play . Witnessed Barry s magic in Detroit live many times .

I’m really glad I watched this!!! I always knew Barry Sanders was special but when you actually SEE it up close and realize what is happening it’s jaw dropping! I think I might just go along with considering him being the greatest of all time. Only a few guys I can think of special like him!

Watched him every Saturday at OSU and Sunday with the Lions. Thanksgiving isn't the same without Barry shredding the defense.

I couldn't agree more. My all time favorite sports hero. No doubt the best running back in NFL history and there will never be another runner like this. All that greatness and never once spiked the ball.

the spin he gave to the Bills team on the goal line is probably his best spin in my opinion. It was just effortless, so smooth and fast it was just ridiculous!!! peace and love y'all 🤟

He was built like a real life NFL Blitz character!🙏💯

Love this! Barry has an acceleration speed like no other! The greatest when changing speed of direction and shift + cut.

Great video! Explains very succinctly what made Barry so great physically. The thing that really put him over the top into legendary status was his hard work and humility. He always felt he could improve. He somehow got faster as he got older and he did that by focusing on it in his training. And I love how after he scored a TD, he would usually just flip or hand the ball to the ref nonchalantly, no big deal. Still my favorite football player, and one of my favorite athletes, of all time.

Aww man, haven’t seen a deep dive on my favorite player of all time in a while, especially not a science-based one! Love it, subscribed. Good stuff! Edit: shook Sapp and Lynch on the same play! Geeeeeeeeze he embarrassed Tampa a lot. Love that the number one was the absolute devastation of the collective ankles of the Dallas Cowboys.

He was magical. I'm glad I had the pleasure of watching him play. Too bad he never really had a supporting cast 😢

Of course he had astonishing athleticism, but I think what distinguished him from other top running backs was his unmatched technical footwork and phenomenal vision.

So fun to watch! Thanks for the video

There's nothing to say except greatness that is Mr. Barry Sanders

I agree and have for a long time. My favorite was when as he was being tackled, he put one hand on the ground as he spun around, changed direction and broke free on the other side of the field.

as a die hard lions i feel badly he and johnson didn't have the opportunity that stafford got, and can you imagine if they were on the rams team right now calvin and cooper un stoppable !

This is really good content. I just paused about halfway through the video to post this. After the video is over I will be checking out what else you have for content. This is very intriguing and I hope there is more. This seems more fun than anything due to the fact using just one subject as your sample size and all the variables that come with that but I would love to see more scientific/physics based football analysis. Really cool stuff and hope there is more to come.

Agreed 💯. Absolutely the most skilled RB EVER!!! Once in a lifetime...

Thank you for the scientific analysis to try and explain Barry Sanders, I couldn't. The first thing that came to mind when I saw some of his moves was extra-human or super-human. Some things are hard to explain. I also thought that about Beast-Mode (Marshaun Lynch). Excellent presentation.

Thanks for taking me down memory lane! He truly was the greatest

Thanks for highlighting Barry sanders. This was great

Such a superb human being too!!! Full of Humility. Thanks for sharing Dr. Physics!

THANK YOU! You were able to articulate what many of us fans were watching and wondering about for years. I saw a short Barry Sanders video which was narrated by Wynton Marsalis.. comparing him to a Jazz musician. As a longtime Jazz fan, the connections were very clear. Now I also see the Science part of his game. I'm very curious about how you would see the Nicholas Brothers from a Physicist's point of view. They were dancers who made their mark in film and theater mostly during the 1940's and 50's. Their most famous performance can be seen in the film Stormy Weather with Cab Calloway. I've always been fascinated by the role science plays in areas of life that, on the surface, don't seem to be related. By the way, I just "stumbled across your spot here just minutes ago. New subscriber now!

Now that this is physics focused, I've seen 11:39 a billion times now, and I think what happened is that those linebackers never got Barry Sanders off balanced from his center of gravity. I mean they looked like they had him wrapped around, but it didn't seem that Barry really was at their whim to getting tackled. Which sort of makes that highlight more amazing

Real true he was the best ever seen just to much fun to watch! 👀

As a 51yr old life long Lions fan, we've only had a few things in all these yrs to enjoy with our Laydowns. Barry was of course #1! We had season tickets growing up, so I saw him live so many times at the Silverdome, he is the best there ever was and will be. Had he been behind Emmitt's line in Dallas, and had the Lions not done Barry dirty and not release him, causing him to retire several yrs too soon, he would own every RB record there was and they would never be broken with the modern day dual back system. Even if he'd stayed on the Lions and finished a full career, he would own all those same records, just not as huge #'s as if he were behind an even, just capable O-Line. The Silverdome when Barry would run was the most amazing experiences one could ever have. He could have -12yds at halftime & end up over 100 for the game. He played with true heart and humbleness. Never acted a-fool after a long TD run. Never taunted anyone. Respected the game and the Officials...He was a true inspiration and a man to be admired. God Bless Barry Sanders!

I don't think there's ever been any question that he is the greatest running back of all time.

The physics lesson quickly went away. Would have been interesting to understand the coefficent of friction on his runs

Amazing breakdown!!!

Every time this guy got the ball in his hands I was on the edge of my seat thinking, something great is about to happen. He's a class act, humble man and the greatest of all time. I'll admit, if I had his skills I would not have been as humble. I probably would have been a showoff.

The most elusive running back the game has ever known. If he would have had an offensive line throughout the majority of his career he would have set yardage and touchdown records no one would be able to touch.

He trained on the dunes by lake Michigan. Dude had legs like tree trunks.

I just wish he played more in the league. The guy is a legend and class act. Watching him is a joy.

I can watch Barry Sanders highlights forever! Thanks for the video man. Subscribed!!

His wide stance was a great advantage when making his jewk moves - when there was no contact. But a wide stance is NOT a stable base, except along the "strong line." A wide stance is a 2-point contact, which is increasingly UNSTABLE the wider the stance. In Judo and Aikido, and perhaps other martial arts, you avoid a wide stance because during a wide stance you are at your most vulnerable position. To illustrate, take and hold a wide stance. Imagine a line running from foot to foot. This is your "strong line." Have someone push you along that strong line in either direction and they will not be able to move you. But now, while still holding that wide stance, imagine a perpendicular line, crossing the strong line right at the midpoint between your feet. This is your "weak line." While you step into or stand in that wide stance someone could merely push you along the weak line with the slightest force, with their pinky, and you will fall over. The point is that a wide 2-point stance is not stable. It just takes good timing to push the person perpendicularly DURING that wide stance. In Barry's case, he's not holding one wide stance but it's a DYNAMIC, quickly changing, wide stance. So just like when in a real fight, the martial artist will have an awareness and anticipate the opponent's steps/footwork to keep awareness of and take advantage of the opponent's weak line. Boxers do this, too. Similarly, when trying to tackle Barry Sanders those D-lineman and LB's and DB's needed to practice and focus on timing of running back's footwork to know when to apply that force to Barry's weak lines, perpendicular to his stepping direction - perhaps anticipating his steps. I know - easier said than done, but he was vulnerable to this during some of those plays, like #3, where they were clumped together. The problem was they were all going after stripping the ball and not trying to tackle him during some of those plays.

Thanks for sharing this.. I never watched him but heard the stories. Amazing

Not only was Barry Sanders a once in a lifetime athlete with the quickest feet I've ever seen on any RB( and I've been watching football since 1980) his vision to see a hole where it looked like there wasn't one was phenomenal and his oline and team in general were bad. Every opponent on defense knew Barry was the Detroit offense and they would put 8 or 9 on the line of scrimmage and still couldn't stop him. I've been a lifelong NE Patriots fan and I would watch Lions games just to see what Barry would do next. Barry Sanders is one of those very special athletes that in every game he did something amazing that would make your jaw drop!!

Barry Sanders was already my favorite player....this video just makes me like him even more!