"I quit because I didn't feel like the Detroit Lions had a chance to win. It just killed my enjoyment of the game." -- Barry Sanders
Barry Sanders was professor of History of Ideas and English at Pitzer College in Claremont, California and a prolific author. Sanders retired from Pitzer College in 2005 but remains active as an author.
In 1998 Sanders was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize by Harper's magazine for his book Alienable Rights: The Exclusion of African Americans in a White Man's Land, 1619-2000. In 1994 Sanders received his first Pulitzer nomination from Random House for his book A is for Ox: Violence, Electronic Media, and the Silencing of the Written Word. He is also the author of Sudden Glory: Laughter as Subversive History.
In 2005 Sanders won a Fulbright Senior Scholar Grant to investigate the idea of the Commons in Greece.
He has recently been featured on WNYC's RadioLab and currently teaches at Pacific Northwest College of Art.
"Christianity affects your whole life. I feel I'm more competitive, a better player, but off the field is where there is always a battle.""I want to thank all of the fans and media who made playing in the NFL such a wonderful experience. I have had the pleasure of meeting many of them.""I wish my teammates, coaches and the entire Lions organization all the best.""It was a wonderful experience to play in the NFL, and I have no regrets. I truly will miss playing for the Lions. I consider the Lions' players, coaches, staff, management and fans my family. I leave on good terms with everyone in the organization.""Let's just win it and go home.""My desire to exit the game is greater than my desire to remain in it. I have searched my heart through and through and feel comfortable with this decision.""Shortly after the end of last season, I felt that I probably would not return for the 1999-2000 season. I also felt that I should take as much time as possible to sort through my feelings and make sure that my feelings were backed with conviction.""The game is the ultimate significance to me because it is so important to a lot of people. It has left a mark on our culture to be voted as one of the best to ever play."