So, I got curious about Barry Sanders’ dad, William Sanders. You know, Barry, the legendary running back for the Detroit Lions? Well, his dad’s story is pretty interesting, too.
I started digging around and found out William was a roofer and carpenter in Wichita, Kansas. That’s where Barry was born, the seventh of eleven kids. Can you imagine? Eleven kids! I started out by reading some old articles and obituaries online.
William was apparently a pretty tough and outspoken guy, the opposite of Barry, who was always so humble and quiet. I watched a few interviews with Barry, and he mentioned how his dad was the reason he never celebrated touchdowns. He said he saw Tony Dorsett celebrate once, and his dad was like, “Nope, not in this house.” I learned that from an old interview clip I stumbled upon.
- First, I read up on William’s life in Wichita.
- Then, I dug into the family dynamic – eleven kids and all that.
- I watched some interviews to get a feel for their relationship.
I also learned that William was a huge Oklahoma Sooners fan, even though Barry played for Oklahoma State. He even swore he’d root for OSU in every game except when they played Oklahoma! I got that tidbit from an old sports column I found.
Then, things got a bit sad. William passed away in 2011 from lymphoma. He was 74. I read his obituary and it mentioned how different he was from Barry, personality-wise.
Later, I found out that Barry has a son named Barry James Sanders, born in 1994. He named him after his ex-girlfriend’s dad, James. Apparently, they split up when little Barry was just two. Discovered that little nugget in a biography I found.
My Process of Finding Information
- Read various articles and obituaries about William Sanders.
- Watched old interviews with Barry Sanders talking about his father.
- Looked into sports columns and articles about the family’s sports allegiances.
- Found biographical information about Barry Sanders’ children.
It’s fascinating how different fathers and sons can be, right? William was this tough, outspoken guy, and Barry was this quiet, record-breaking superstar. But you can tell there was a lot of love and respect there. I think this whole thing just shows you how complex family relationships can be. It was definitely an interesting little research journey!
