Before he became a legend with the Detroit Lions, Barry Sanders was one of the greatest college football players the sport had ever seen. Oklahoma State takes great pride in the success he had with the school in the late-1980s, and the Cowboys are planning to showcase that in a big way.
While speaking with reporters at Big 12 Media Days on Tuesday, Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy revealed that the university is planning to dedicate a statue to Sanders in the near future.
“It’s in the works right now,” Gundy said, per Nathan Ruiz of The Oklahoman. “I don’t think it’ll be much longer and we’ll have a statue of Barry up.”
Sanders rushed for 2,628 yards in 1988, and that remains the NCAA Division I FBS record for most rushing yards in a season. Sanders actually rushed for 2,850 yards that year, but his 222 yards and five touchdowns in the Holiday Bowl were not counted toward his season-long stats. The NCAA did not begin including bowl game statistics until 2002. In total, Sanders scored an incredible 42 touchdowns in 1988.
Despite the incredible amount of success he had at Oklahoma State, Gundy feels there is not enough awareness of his achievements from incoming players. He wants to see that change with a statue and some other ides, one of which is a ring of honor at Boone Pickens Stadium.
“There’s been a lot of players at Oklahoma State that have been very, very successful that we know because we’ve been around it 10, 15, 20 years,” Gundy said. “But the young men we’re recruiting don’t have a clue. They only know who’s played the last couple years. That’s why it’s important in my opinion.”
Gundy has had some issues with the higher ups at Oklahoma State in recent years, but there’s no reason to believe he’ll get any pushback on wanting to honor Sanders. If anyone deserves a statue, it’s Barry.
