Charlie Sanders - a true Hall of Famer!
NFL Football at its best. NFL Football at its craziest.
Charlie Sanders convinced Lions fans in the 70’s that he was All Pro!
When a player makes the Hall of Fame, it is big news. When a Detroit Lion makes the Hall of Fame, it is unbelievable news.
Charlie played on the Lions during my youth and was one of the few inspiring players on the team, as he made impossible catches with defenders draped all over him.
NFL Football Charlie Sanders factoid
Sanders was the only rookie selected to the Pro Bowl in 1968. He is the seventh tight end to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and his seven Pro Bowl selections are more than any of the first six tight ends in Canton. source
Here is the rundown by the Hall of Fame.
Charlie Sanders
Tight End 6-4, 230
(Minnesota)
1968-1977 Detroit Lions
Third round pick by Lions, 1968. . . Combined great leaping ability, big hands, strength, speed and elusiveness. . . Seven Pro-Bowls. . . All-NFL three straight seasons. . . Recorded 30 or more receptions seven times, 500-plus receiving yards six seasons. . . Lions’ all-time reception leader (336) at time of retirement. . . Team’s leader or co-leader in receptions six of his 10 seasons. . . Named to the NFL’s All-Decade Team of the 1970s. . . Born August 25, 1946 in Richlands, North Carolina. source
This was an era of football where the Lions had Lem Barney, Mel Farr, Greg Landry at quarterback, and Earl McCulloch at wideout.
That was pretty much it. If you were going to win it had to come from these 4 guys or Charlie and often it came from Charlie hauling in a pass over the middle as he dove across the goal line snagging the ball in his big mitts.
NFL Football Charlie Sanders factoid Sanders and his wife, Georgianna, have nine children and live in Rochester Hills, Michigan. One of his daughters is a pro boxer, and one of his sons played football at Ohio State University, and had a brief NFL career with the Detroit Lions. source
Gil Brandt talks about Charlie Sanders.
Sanders grew up in North Carolina and probably would have gone to college at Wake Forest or somewhere closer to home, but he was recruited to Minnesota by Lou Hudson, the great Gophers basketball player who, like Sanders, had attended Dudley High School in Greensboro, N.C. (as an aside, we drafted Hudson for the Cowboys in 1966, as a receiver, but he opted for a 13-year NBA career instead). source
Charlie went on to have a great pro career convincing Lions Fans everywhere that your offense should come out of your tight end.
Even though he was a rookie tight end still lining up in a four-point stance, he caught 40 passes — and he finished second in offensive rookie of the year voting, behind Lions receiver Earl McCullouch. It might be the only time that teammates finished one-two in the offensive rookie voting. Sanders averaged more than 12 yards per reception in each of his 10 NFL seasons and finished with a 14.3-yard average for his career.
Sanders is still fifth on Detroit’s all-time receiving list (336) and he still works for the Lions in their pro personnel department.
NFL Football Fan Question Did you get to see Charlie play?
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