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Eric Woodyard
DETROIT — With Eminem’s “Lose Yourself” blasting through the Ford Field sound system, 64,201 fans — their eyes fixed on the massive video boards behind each end zone — go wild as cameras capture the legendary rapper late in the second quarter of the Detroit Lions’ Sept. 14 home opener.
Seated in a suite and wearing a grey Lions playoff hat, the 15-time Grammy winner briefly applauds the crowd before quickly pointing to his left. When the cameras pan out, the cheers grow into a frenzy as the screens reveal another Detroit legend — Lions Hall of Fame running back Barry Sanders — seated beside him.
Eminem warmly wraps his left arm around Sanders, his childhood hero. The two men look into the camera, clap and repeatedly yell “let’s go” to pump up the rapturous crowd.
When the game resumes, Lions running backs Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery, taking note of Sanders’ presence at the stadium, get back to work in the Week 2 demolition of the Chicago Bears, combining for 153 rushing yards and a pair of touchdowns in a 52-21 victory.
“Every time he’s at the game, I just want to show out,” Gibbs, who rushed for 94 yards against Chicago, told ESPN. “Like, s—, that’s Barry Sanders. So, every time he’s at the game, I try to make sure I’m on point.”
At 57 years old, Sanders’ NFL playing days are behind him, but Gibbs and Montgomery continue to look to Sanders’ Hall of Fame career as an example. Sanders, who survived a heart attack in the summer of 2024, developed relationships with each shortly after they joined the Lions in the spring of 2023. And they say his increased presence around the organization has served as a constant reminder of the lofty standard he set in the Lions’ backfield — one they are determined to live up to as Detroit prepares for its “Monday Night Football” matchup with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN).
“I think for us, it gives us the ability to realize the standard and what we’ve got to live up to, just knowing that Barry walked the same grounds that we walked,” Montgomery told ESPN. “It’s only right for us to respect him by paying homage by running with a kind of authority that he ran with.”
GIBBS WAS “STARSTRUCK” when he arrived in Detroit for the first time as a Lion.
Sanders was one of several franchise legends who greeted Gibbs when the rookie’s jet landed at the Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport a day after Detroit made him the 12th pick in the 2023 NFL draft.
When it was time to head to the Lions’ practice facility in Allen Park, Sanders and Gibbs rode in the same car. Though the 23-year-old wasn’t alive when Sanders played his last game in 1998, as a teenager at Dalton Junior High School in Georgia, Gibbs began studying Sanders’ moves through YouTube clips and social media. He even wore No. 20, in honor of the Lions’ great, in his first middle school game.
During the car ride, Sanders and the wide-eyed Gibbs shared personal stories of schoolyard games and their love of football. Gibbs told Sanders of his love of playing ball in his backyard and how those games helped develop the style that eventually made him one of the NFL’s best offensive players.
The two have shared a bond ever since. And Gibbs says, although Sanders is known for his humility and private nature, he knows he can call on Sanders whenever needed, for which the Hall of Famer often has a simple response.
“He just says, ‘Go kill ’em.’ That’s all he needs to say,” Gibbs said. “I don’t need no motivational words. I’m already self-motivated, but when he says those words, I appreciate it.”
Montgomery also couldn’t watch Sanders during his playing career, but like Gibbs, he admired his game after watching highlights. Montgomery connected with Sanders shortly after signing as a free agent in March 2023. Montgomery doesn’t remember when or how they met, but Sanders quickly became a powerful influence on the former Chicago Bears running back. The two talk occasionally. And although Montgomery isn’t comfortable sharing the nature of their discussions publicly, Sanders’ impact has been profound.
“He’s definitely shared some information with me that I hold close to my heart,” Montgomery told ESPN.
Sanders, who was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2004 and now serves as a Lions team ambassador, is more present around the team than he has been since his sudden retirement in 1999. The Lions’ running backs have been some of the main beneficiaries. They witnessed Sanders become the first player in franchise history to be immortalized with a bronze statue outside of Ford Field in September 2023. They also attended the premiere of his “Bye Bye Barry” documentary at the Fox Theatre on Nov. 17, 2023, earning a greater appreciation for Sanders’ record-breaking career and story.
During his heyday, Sanders was viewed as one of the most electrifying players in league history. He remains fourth on the NFL’s all-time career rushing list with 15,269 yards in just 10 seasons, and his jaw-dropping plays have continued to touch younger players such as Gibbs and Montgomery far beyond his playing years.
“That made me just want to work harder,” Montgomery said. “I want to do as much as I can to even be like a morsel as good as he was. So, it just gave me a wide perspective that I need to go harder.”
Lions wide receiver and assistant head coach Scottie Montgomery, who coached the running backs last season, said Sanders’ influence on Gibbs, particularly, has helped him strive to be an all-time great at the position.
“It was a tremendous ability for him to see what greatness looks like and now, the barometer for what a great player is maybe changed from one of the top 15 backs in the league to absolutely having the best back in the league that ever played the game in the same building with you,” Montgomery said.
“So, your standards, they change quickly when guys like that are around,” he said. “Not only that, but just the type of human that [Barry Sanders] is and how modest he is, but also his standard for doing things the right way so our guys are really, really blessed to have him around.”
SANDERS GOT THE scare of his life on the morning of Sunday, June 16, 2024, during Father’s Day weekend. That day, he woke up with a small burning sensation in the middle of his chest — one that he couldn’t seem to shake.
Despite the persistent pain, he joined his youngest son, Noah, for a football recruiting trip at the University of Toledo, just an hour outside of Metro Detroit, where Sanders resides.
”I thought it was like heartburn or a pulled muscle or something,” Sanders told ESPN. “It wasn’t the worst pain; it was just very persistent. It was just kind of annoying, honestly.”
Sanders cut the visit short. He drove back to Michigan, and, with the pain worsening, he checked himself into the emergency room at Henry Ford Hospital. Once admitted, he was stunned to learn from doctors that he had experienced a heart attack.
Doctors told him his top risk factor was high LDL (Low-Density Lipoprotein), cholesterol. Sanders never lost consciousness, but spent three days in the hospital. While there, he leaned on his mother, sisters and his four children for support.
“They were very involved in the conversations with doctors and everything,” Sanders said. “Mom, sisters, they were very concerned as I was, but they definitely just wrapped their arms around me, and several of my sisters were immediately on the airplane to Detroit shortly after the phone call, as well as my son.”
His doctor developed a treatment plan for more exercise, dieting and medication, which Sanders says has helped him recover and continue to be around for more events, such as Lions games.
He gets reinforcement from his four children, particularly his oldest son, Barry J. Sanders, who relocated from Orlando, Florida, to Metro Detroit to spend more time with his father. The younger Sanders holds his father accountable for doctor’s visits and his workout regimen after the heart attack.
“I was the only child who was around when he was playing, so I remember him during his playing days,” Barry J. Sanders said. “So, it’s just a very crazy dynamic to see where he was when I was younger ’til now, with me having to make sure he eats his vegetables and he’s exercising.”
Knowledge of Sanders’ health scare was shocking to everyone in the Lions’ organization, including Gibbs and Montgomery, who said he was saddened by the news.
“You don’t ever want to hear nobody having issues like that, but for anyone who knows Barry,” Montgomery said, “he’s a fighter, so I wasn’t too much worried about how he was going to recover.”
The usually private Sanders has become more open about his health journey. Sanders participated in “The Making of a Heart Attack” documentary, in which he connected with four others to share their experiences. He has also supported cardiovascular work through sharing his story on various panels and by spreading the word about lower LDL cholesterol.
“I didn’t know I was vulnerable to something like this, and it feels like it came out of nowhere, which generally it doesn’t just come out of nowhere,” Sanders said. “It’s something that develops over time, and that’s why it’s important to know where you stand, and the only way to do that is to go see your doctor.”
ON A SUNNY August afternoon during a joint practice with the Miami Dolphins, Sanders, gripping an ice-cold water bottle, kneels down on the sideline. He’s trying to get a clearer view of his protégés as they get reps during a series of red zone drills.
“You can see in this practice they’re finding the running lanes,” Sanders tells ESPN. “They’re running tough. David Montgomery runs tough and just fits perfectly with this offensive line, who’s tough and physical and creates those lanes.”
Since joining forces in 2023, Gibbs and Montgomery have made a habit of finding running lanes. Last season, they helped the Lions average 146.4 rushing yards per game, which was the highest mark by the team in a season since 1997, when the Sanders-led Lions averaged 154.0 rushing yards. Gibbs, who finished third in all-purpose yards last season (1,929), and Montgomery have also scored a touchdown in the same game 14 times since becoming teammates. And against Tampa Bay, the duo will have an opportunity to break a tie with the Cowboys’ Emmitt Smith and Daryl Johnston for the most touchdowns by a pair of running back teammates in the Super Bowl era (since 1966).
Sanders envisions another big year for Detroit’s running backs.
Entering Week 7, the duo was on pace to each eclipse 1,000 rushing yards. Gibbs leads the team with 390 rushing yards (12th in the NFL) and four touchdowns. Montgomery was just behind him with 334 yards (21st) and four TDs.
“I do like what I’m seeing,” Sanders said, before shifting to Gibbs’ prospects. “… When you see him on the field, you see how much faster he is and just the suddenness in his game and how he’s so great in open space and also just shifty. I feel like last year was definitely his coming-out party, and I’m excited to see what he does this year.”
For their part, despite what they’ve already accomplished, Gibbs and Montgomery know the bar is even higher. They understand Sanders is watching, and the responsibility of carrying his legacy is not something they are taking lightly.
“It feels good,” Gibbs said. “Since we’ve both got here, we’ve been talking about making history and making a difference, and that’s what we plan on doing.”
