Barry David Sanders (July 16, 1968-) (RB) was one of the most gifted, elusive and explosive running backs the National Football League has ever seen, despite playing on the struggling Detroit Lions. Barry originally gained national attention after replacing Thurman Thomas as Oklahoma State University’s lead running back in 1988. His 1988 season was one of the most productive in NCAA history as he rushed for 2,850 yards and 42 touchdowns en route to the Heisman Trophy and consensus All-American honors. The Detroit Lions took Barry with the third overall pick of the 1989 NFL Draft and he made an immediate impact on the NFL winning the 1989 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. Sanders rushed for 1,470 yards and 14 TDs in his rookie year, beginning a string of ten consecutive seasons with 1,000 yards or more, becoming the first player to ever do so. In 1997, he became only the third player in NFL history to rush for more than 2,000 yards in a single season. He led the National Football League once in rushing touchdowns, twice in all-purpose TDs and yards from scrimmages and four times in rushing yards and yards per game.

Barry was named to the NFL Pro Bowl in each of his ten NFL seasons, all of which he played with the Lions (1989-1998), and he was a six-time NFL All-Pro First Team selection. Sanders’ best season came in 1997 when he rushed for league leading 2,053 yards, 128.3 yards per game and 2,358 yards from scrimmage. He was named the 1997 NFL AP, PFWA and News Enterprise Association Most Valuable Player Award winner, as well as the AP Offensive Player of the Year and Bert Bell Award winner (Player of the Year). Barry shocked the football world and saddened fans as he retired abruptly and unexpectedly in July of 1999 at the top of his game, later citing Detroit’s consistent losing as having doused his competitive fire. Barry Sanders retired second on the all-time rushing list with 15,269 rushing yards, behind Walter Payton’s 16,726 yards. He is now third behind Emmitt Smith (18,355) and Payton. In ten seasons in Detroit, along with his 15,269 rushing yards, Sanders also posted 99 rushing touchdowns and a 99.8 yards per game average over the course of 153 contests. In all, Barry Sanders amassed 18,308 total yards, scored 654 points on 109 all-purpose touchdowns and recovered 13 fumbles. Barry Sanders was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2003 and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2004.

Troy Kenneth Aikman (November 21, 1966-) (QB) was offered a baseball contract out of high school by the New York Mets, but turned down the offer to play football. Originally the starting quarterback for the University of Oklahoma before succumbing to injury and losing his starting position, Aikman finished his playing career at UCLA where he finished his college career as the second leading passer in school history. He was named the 1988 recipient of the Davey O’Brien Award honoring the nation’s top quarterback. The Dallas Cowboys selected Troy as the Number 1 overall pick in the 1989 NFL Draft out of UCLA. The Cowboys struggled during Troy’s initial couple of seasons before assembling the powerful offensive nucleus of Aikman, Michael Irvin and Emmitt Smith that won three Super Bowls in four seasons (Super Bowls - XXVII, XXVIII, XXX). Troy was named the Most Valuable Player of Super Bowl XXVII. He was a three-time All-Pro selection and six-time Pro Bowl selection. Aikman retired the Dallas Cowboys all-time leading passer and completed more touchdowns in a decade than any other player in history prior to his retirement – 90 touchdowns in the 1990s. (Peyton Manning and Tom Brady surpassed the record in the 2000s with 115 and 97 respectively.) Troy played his entire career with the Dallas Cowboys (1989-2000). Often injured throughout his career, he suffered his 10th concussion in 2000 and retired after the season with 32,942 career passing yards, 2,898 pass completions in 4,715 attempts (61.5%), 165 touchdowns, 141 interceptions and an 81.6 career quarterback rating. Troy Aikman was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2006. Following his retirement as a player, Aikman made a successful transition to the broadcast booth as a color commentator.