Chris Sanders (wide receiver)
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| Position: | Wide receiver | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
| Born: | May 8, 1972 Denver, Colorado, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Weight: | 210 lb (95 kg) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| High school: | Denver (CO) Montbello | ||||||||||||||
| College: | Ohio State | ||||||||||||||
| NFL draft: | 1995 / round: 3 / pick: 67 | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||||
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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.[1]
Ohio State
[edit]Sanders was a member of the Ohio State 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
[edit]Sanders was selected by the Houston Oilers in the third round of the 1995 NFL draft.[2] He stayed with the team for seven years, recording 177 career receptions for 3,285 total yards. He also holds 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,[3] however they lost to the Kurt Warner-led St. Louis Rams.
NFL career statistics
[edit]| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Led the league | |
| Bold | Career high |
Regular season
[edit]| Year | Team | Games | Receiving | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Tgt | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | ||
| 1995 | HOU | 16 | 11 | 87 | 35 | 823 | 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 |
| 97 | 55 | 403 | 177 | 3,285 | 18.6 | 83 | 17 | ||
Playoffs
[edit]| Year | Team | Games | Receiving | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Tgt | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | ||
| 1999 | TEN | 4 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 49 | 16.3 | 26 | 0 |
| 2000 | TEN | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| 5 | 1 | 10 | 3 | 49 | 16.3 | 26 | 0 | ||
Coaching career
[edit]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.[4]
Personal
[edit]- 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.[5] In 2014, C.J. committed to play football at the University of Notre Dame as a wide receiver.[6]
References
[edit]- ^ Wulf, Bo (October 1, 2020). "Meet Chris Sanders, the record holder for fewest rushing yards in NFL history". The Athletic. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
- ^ "1995 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
- ^ "Super Bowl XXXIV Team Rosters". sportspool.com. Archived from the original on December 4, 2015. Retrieved April 13, 2012.
- ^ Huggins, Harold. "New MBA football coaches loaded with pro experience". The City Paper. Nashville. Archived from the original on December 8, 2008. Retrieved June 30, 2008.
- ^ Greenberg, Pierce (September 1, 2011) BA's Sanders to face dad in football matchup Archived 2016-03-25 at the Wayback Machine. brentwoodhomepage.com
- ^ Loy, Tom (May 6, 2014) [1]. notredame.247sports.com