Detroit Lions · Franchise era 4 of 7
Barry Sanders: the Detroit Lions story
Franchise era
1989—1998
Barry Sanders
Detroit Lions
The story in one sentence
Sanders turned every carry into possibility and led the 1991 Lions to the NFC Championship Game, the franchise's lone playoff win of the era.
01
The league's most elusive runner
02
Barry Sanders, Herman Moore and Chris Spielman gave the era its recognizable core.
03
Its ending created the conditions for from barry's exit to 0–16.
Timeline
How it unfolded
Before 1989
What came before
Detroit produced elite players but only intermittent contention, and Sims's career-altering injury removed the brightest offensive hope.
1992-01-05
Divisional Round: Dallas Cowboys vs Detroit Lions
1992-01-12
Conference Championship: Detroit Lions vs Washington
1994-12-31
Wild Card: Detroit Lions vs Green Bay Packers
After 1998
What came next
Sanders retired abruptly and years of poor roster construction culminated in the league's first 0–16 season.
The core