Barry Sanders Now You See Him: His Story in His Own Words [Hardcover]

Barry Sanders (Author), Mark E. McCormick (Collaborator)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 10, 2003

Why did Barry Sanders, one of the game's most exciting and explosive running backs, suddenly retire just as he was closing in on the all-time NFL rushing record? At the height of his career, he walked away without explanation. In this amazing book, Sanders reveals for the first time how he came to make the biggest decision of his life.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Barry Sanders is the third all-time leading rusher in NFL history. He was recently inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2004, his first year of eligibility.

Mark McCormick is Barry’s life-long friend and is the crime and safety team leader, editorial board member and columnist for the The Wichita Eagle.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: Clerisy Press, Emmis Books; Har/DVD edition (December 10, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1578601398
• ISBN-13: 978-1578601394
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 8.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #365,430 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Worth the price of admission, December 23, 2003

By 

"skippyas" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Barry Sanders Now You See Him: His Story in His Own Words (Hardcover)

If you've ever been a Barry Sanders fan, you owe it to yourself to get this book. It's an easy read with lots of pictures and gives a good background on why Barry was the way he was - why when he was promoting abstinence, he had a child out of wedlock and why he retired the way he did. If you had respect for him as a player you will have even more for him as a man.

Look, he's a football player so his life is obviously not going to be as interesting as say a Benjamin Franklin so it's good the book is short and sweet. Oh, and did I mention you get a DVD filled with great Barry runs. That's worth the price of the book alone.

One gripe I would have is that the NFL Films footage is shot from angles near the field and hence you get almost a 2D perspective of someone watching at field level instead of up higher in the stands. Think NFL Films vs. actually watching a game on TV. Also the runs are edited so you don't see them from the snap of the ball and can't fully appreciate the play develop. Here's hoping a full DVD of Barry Sanders' highlight runs gets released some day.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Barry Sanders Highlight DVD...... FINALLY!!! But......., July 8, 2006

By 

Nathan J. Stalker "N. Stalker" (Eatontown, NJ) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Barry Sanders Now You See Him: His Story in His Own Words (Hardcover)

I've been looking for a Barry Sanders highlights DVD for years.... good news - there finally is one, it comes with the book. Bad news? It's only about 20 minutes long, and doesn't show many of his spectacular runs. The book is outstanding, as it's written pretty much by Barry himself, and has great comments from other players in the NFL, giving him the praise he deserves. Michael Jordan, Wayne Gretzky, they have entire 60 minute DVD's (and more) on their lives.... if any player in the history of football should have one, it's Barry Sanders. All in all, if you like football at all, and appreciate magic, this is a must have, from the most talented running back in the history of the game.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Detailed Look at a Modest Man, January 19, 2004

By 

Francis Demmler - See all my reviews

This review is from: Barry Sanders Now You See Him: His Story in His Own Words (Hardcover)

Barry Sanders tells of his life, including his tenure as a Detroit Lion, in this semi-autobiography. Certainly most people who want to know why Barry walked away from football will buy this book, but the book does not focus just on his decision to leave the game. Barry writes about his childhood and the influence his religion and parents would have on his life; his mother was a loving, caring woman, and his father was a stern, hard-working man who always said that the greatest running back ever was Jim Brown. He details his life through college football as an Oklahoma State Cowboy, the NFL, and up to the present, where he has settled down with a wife and a son.

Barry always made certain when playing football that he never lost track of his goal as a player: to win the game. He passed up on achieving personal records many times because he simply did not value them enough; all he wanted to do was win the game. Whenever he ran with the ball, his goal as a running back was to run toward the end zone any which way possible. He mentions in the book that his father told him to run like a scared rabbit when playing football, and watching the footage on the DVD, that is just what he did.

It is unfortunate that there are not that many players of Barry's caliber in professional sports today, and by "caliber," I do not mean that the players should be tantamount in playing ability; I mean their approach to the game and the ultimate goal they should strive for, winning the game. Certainly there are some who are primarily team-oriented, but unfortunately they do not receive the media attention in this era where individual achievements seem to be held in an inordinately high regard. Whenever Barry scored a touchdown, he did not do an end zone celebration or spike the ball; he simply handed the ball to the official. Many NFL players receive attention for their bizarre end zone celebrations, but Barry Sanders showed everyone that great players do not need to get attention. If someone is great, he does not need to do anything more than be great to be recognized.