The NFL in the 1990s were synonymous with Barry Sanders. When the football was in his hands, fans knew something special was likely to happen as defenses feared him. Known for his elusiveness, Sanders took the league by storm and proved he belonged right from the start of his career. The Detroit Lions running back rushed for an impressive 1,470 yards in his rookie year to go with 14 rushing touchdowns. Sanders would rush for over 1,000 yards in every season of his career and led the league in rushing yards in four of them. His greatest season came in 1997 when he shared MVP honors due to a 2,053 rushing yard and 11 rushing touchdown season. Sanders was selected to the Pro Bowl in all 10 seasons he played, while being named an All-Pro First Teamer in six of them and All-Pro Second Teamer in the other four. His run of dominance was one that was very rare in the NFL and he was a no-brainer to be elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame on the first ballot, which came in 2004.

This football is autographed by Barry Sanders. Sanders’ signature was witnessed by an Upper Deck representative as part of UDA’s 5-step authentication process.