Chris Sanders (wide receiver)
{{Short description|American football player (born 1972)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2024}}
{{Use American English|date=March 2024}}
{{Infobox NFL biography
| name = Chris Sanders
| number = 81
| position = Wide receiver
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1972|5|08|mf=y}}
| birth_place = Denver, Colorado, U.S.
| height_ft = 6
| height_in = 4
| weight_lb = 210
| high_school = Denver (CO) Montbello
| college = Ohio State
| draftyear = 1995
| draftround = 3
| draftpick = 67
| pastteams =
- Houston/Tennessee Oilers/Titans ({{NFL Year|1995|2002}})
- Cleveland Browns (2002)*
| highlights =
| statlabel1 = Receptions
| statvalue1 = 177
| statlabel2 = Receiving yards
| statvalue2 = 3,285
| statlabel3 = Receiving touchdowns
| statvalue3 = 17
| pfr = S/SandCh00
}}
Christopher Dwayne Sanders (born May 8, 1972) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver for seven seasons in the National Football League (NFL) for the Houston/Tennessee Oilers/Titans. He attended Montbello High School in Denver, Colorado and was a multi-sport athlete at Ohio State University. Sanders, however, holds the dubious NFL record for the fewest career rushing yards. He rushed 4 times in his career - all for negative yards.{{cite news |first=Bo |last=Wulf |title=Meet Chris Sanders, the record holder for fewest rushing yards in NFL history |url=https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/2102821/2020/10/01/meet-chris-sanders-the-record-holder-for-fewest-rushing-yards-in-nfl-history/ |work=The Athletic |date=2020-10-01 |access-date=2020-10-01}}
Ohio State
Sanders was a member of the Ohio State Buckeyes track and field team from 1992 to 1994. On February 15, 1992 he set the school record in the indoor long jump (26'9.75"). That record still stands. He was also a member of two relay teams (4x100 and 4x200) that also set Ohio State records.
On the Ohio State football team Sanders was a three-year starter at the flanker position. He had 71 career receptions for 1,120 total yards, and was such a strong team contributor that for two years he kept future Biletnikoff-winner Terry Glenn on the second team.
Sanders was named the Ohio State Athlete of the Year, across all sports, in 1994.
Houston Oilers/Tennessee Titans
Sanders was selected by the Houston Oilers in the third round of the 1995 NFL draft.{{Cite web |title=1995 NFL Draft Listing |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/1995/draft.htm |access-date=2023-03-31|website=Pro-Football-Reference.com |language=en}} He stayed with the team for seven years, recording 177 career receptions for 3,285 total yards. He also holds the record for fewest career rushing yards since the AFL/NFL merger with -36. In 1999, the Titans made it to Super Bowl XXXIV in which Sanders appeared as a substitute,{{cite news
|url=http://www.sportspool.com/football/super_bowl/Superbowl_XXXIV_roster.php
|title=Super Bowl XXXIV Team Rosters
|publisher=sportspool.com
|accessdate=13 April 2012
|url-status=dead
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151204182557/http://www.sportspool.com/football/super_bowl/Superbowl_XXXIV_roster.php
|archive-date=4 December 2015
}} however they lost to the Kurt Warner-led St. Louis Rams.
NFL career statistics
| class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
! colspan="2"| Legend |
| style="background:#cfecec; width:3em;"|
| Led the league |
| Bold
| Career high |
= Regular season =
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" | ||||||||
| rowspan="2"| Year
!rowspan="2"| Team !colspan="2"| Games !colspan="6"| Receiving | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Tgt | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | |
| 1995 | HOU
| 16 || 11 || 87 || 35 || 823 || style="background:#cfecec; width:3em;"| 23.5 || 76 || 9 | |||||||
| 1996 | HOU
| 16 || 15 || 105 || 48 || 882 || 18.4 || 83 || 4 | |||||||
| 1997 | TEN
| 15 || 14 || 64 || 31 || 498 || 16.1 || 55 || 3 | |||||||
| 1998 | TEN
| 14 || 1 || 20 || 5 || 136 || 27.2 || 46 || 0 | |||||||
| 1999 | TEN
| 16 || 0 || 48 || 20 || 336 || 16.8 || 48 || 1 | |||||||
| 2000 | TEN
| 16 || 14 || 61 || 33 || 536 || 16.2 || 54 || 0 | |||||||
| 2001 | TEN
| 4 || 0 || 18 || 5 || 74 || 14.8 || 22 || 0 | |||||||
| colspan="2"| | 97 | 55 | 403 | 177 | 3,285 | 18.6 | 83 | 17 |
= Playoffs =
Coaching career
In 2005, Sanders began coaching at Christ Presbyterian Academy (CPA), a private K-12 school located in Nashville, TN. While at CPA he worked as an assistant coach in both football and track. During the summer of 2008, he left CPA and began coaching the wide receivers position and the track team at Montgomery Bell Academy (MBA), an all-male private school also located in Nashville.{{cite news |first=Harold |last=Huggins |title=New MBA football coaches loaded with pro experience |url=http://www.nashvillecitypaper.com/news.php?viewStory=59929 |work=The City Paper |location=Nashville |accessdate=2008-06-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081208032411/http://www.nashvillecitypaper.com/news.php?viewStory=59929 |archive-date=2008-12-08 |url-status=dead }}
Personal
- Sanders was known by the nickname "Tippy Toes" as a college player for his graceful gait.
- The elder of Sanders' 2 sons, C.J., is a child actor best known for his role as the young Ray Charles in the movie Ray.Greenberg, Pierce (September 1, 2011) [http://www.brentwoodhomepage.com/bas-sanders-to-face-dad-in-football-matchup-cms-6297#.UqKFBieHrKQ BA's Sanders to face dad in football matchup] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160325012843/http://www.brentwoodhomepage.com/bas-sanders-to-face-dad-in-football-matchup-cms-6297#.UqKFBieHrKQ |date=2016-03-25 }}. brentwoodhomepage.com In 2014, C.J. committed to play football at the University of Notre Dame as a wide receiver.Loy, Tom (May 6, 2014) [https://247sports.com/college/notre-dame/article/cj-sanders-picks-notre-dame-28499373/]. notredame.247sports.com
References
{{s-start}}
{{succession box | title=Ohio State Athlete of the Year
1994 | before=Chris Nelloms | after=Blaine Wilson | years=}}
{{s-end}}
{{Houston Oilers 1995 draft navbox}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sanders, Chris}}
Category:Players of American football from Denver
Category:American football wide receivers
Category:Ohio State Buckeyes football players
Category:Houston Oilers players
Category:Tennessee Oilers players
Category:Tennessee Titans players
Category:American male long jumpers