With the NFL Scouting Combine coming up in the not-too-distant future, it’s natural to start wondering how today’s prospects stack up against the legends of the past. That curiosity recently led me down a rabbit hole that ended with one of the coolest Barry Sanders stories you’ll ever read.
Specifically, it got me thinking: what did Barry Sanders run in the 40-yard dash?
That question led me to a piece written by longtime NFL executive and Senior Media Analyst Gil Brandt back on July 22, 2004, just weeks before Sanders was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Rather than trying to paraphrase a story that deserves to be told exactly as it was, here is Brandt’s full excerpt describing what happened at Sanders’ Pro Day at Oklahoma State:
“Barry decided to come out early but did not work out or run at the combine. Instead he showed off his wares at his Pro Day at Oklahoma State. In those days, the timing days weren’t as well attended as they are now, so there must have been 20 or 25 teams represented.
Everyone’s ready for the workout to start and Barry is nowhere to be found. Word was he was out of town picking up some hardware (trophies) but was on his way. So he flew into Tulsa and came right from the airport to the workout. He got out of the car, got into some sweats, limbered up a little bit and ran a 4.37 in the 40-yard dash! I remember standing next to Wayne Fontes, who was the Lions head coach at the time. The Lions picked third and we (the Cowboys) were picking first, and it was pretty obvious we were taking Troy Aikman. So Fontes whispers to me, ‘Hey, I don’t care if he works out or not, we’re taking him No. 3.’ I joked with him and told him not to be so sure he’d be there, but he didn’t fall for it.”
Let that sink in.
Barry Sanders didn’t train for weeks. He didn’t stretch for an hour. He didn’t even change into workout gear. He walked off a flight, threw on some sweats, warmed up briefly, and casually ripped off a 4.37 forty.
That story perfectly captures who Barry Sanders was: a once-in-a-generation athlete with effortless explosiveness, legendary humility, and game-breaking speed that required no hype or buildup.
There are slight variations of this story floating around, but when it comes from someone with Gil Brandt’s credibility and eye for talent, it carries serious weight. And considering what Sanders went on to do in Detroit, it’s hard to imagine the tale being anything but true.
Even decades later, the legend of Barry Sanders somehow keeps getting better.
