Barry Sanders Wins the Heisman at Oklahoma State | A Football Life

>>> JUST A FEW MONTHS AFTER WORRYING HE WOULD NEVER GET A RECRUITMENT LETTER, BARRY SANDERS HAD TWO OFFERS, ONE WAS FROM TULSA, THE OTHER WAS FROM OKLAHOMA STATE, WHO ALREADY HAD AN ALL-AMERICAN RUNNING BACK IN SOPHOMORE THURMAN THOMAS. WILLIAM SANDERS WANTED HIS SON TO GO TO TULSA AND PLAY RIGHT AWAY. >> I LOVED THE FACT THAT THURMAN WAS THERE. I THOUGHT IT WAS COOL THERE WAS A GUY THAT HAD ALL THAT SUCCESS, AND THEN I GOT TO GO TO SCHOOL WITH HIM. MY MIND WAS SOMEWHERE TOTALLY DIFFERENT. >> BARRY CHOSE OKLAHOMA STATE AGAINST HIS FATHER'S WISHES. >> THAT WAS ONE OF THE MOST DIFFICULT DAYS OF MY LIFE AT THAT POINT. HE WAS NOT EXCITED ABOUT ME GOING TO OKLAHOMA STATE. THE MORNING OKLAHOMA STATE ACAME TO SIGN ME. COACH CAME, COACH TRIED TO SHAKE HIS HAND, HE WOULDN'T SHAKE HIS HAND, HE WALKS OUT OF THE HOUSE AND SAID I THINK HE'S MAKING A MISTAKE. AND HE WALKS OUT. I WAS SO HURT AND CONFUSED. I KNEW FOR ME THAT WAS THE RIGHT THING TO DO. THAT WAS PROBABLY THE FIRST TIME IN MY LIFE I EVER WENT AGAINST HIS WISHES OR WHAT HAVE YOU, BUT IT WAS JUST A VERY DIFFICULT DAY FOR ME. >> WILLIAM WAS ALSO A HUGE FAN OF THE UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA. A CONFERENCE RIVAL OF OKLAHOMA STATE. >> FOR MY DAD, I TOOK THE POSITION, HEY, LOOK, I WAS AN OKLAHOMA SOONER FAN WELL BEFORE YOU WERE BORN, I WILL ALWAYS BE ONE, LONG BEFORE YOU'RE GONE FROM OKLAHOMA STATE, THAT'S MY TEAM. >> AT THE FIRST TWO SEASONS AT OKLAHOMA STATE, BARRY DID NOT START BUT EXCELLED ON SPECIAL TEAMS. IN 1987, HE LED THE NCAA IN KICK RETURN AVERAGE. >> IT WAS MY SENIOR YEAR. WE WERE PLAYING -- GETTING READY TO PLAY THE UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA, AND BARRY SWITZER, WHO IS THE HEAD COACH AT THE UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA SAYS, WHATEVER YOU DO, DON'T HURT THURMAN. I'M LIKE. >> AND THEY ALL LOOKED AT ME LIKE I WAS CRAZE ZI. THEY SAID YOU DON'T WANT TO PLAY AGAINST THIS FRESHMAN, BARRY SANDERS, I HAD NEVER HEARD OF BARRY SANDERS. WE HAVE TOUGH ENOUGH TIME WITH THURMAN, BUT YOU'LL NEVER TOUCH THIS KID. >> IT WAS TREMENDOUSLY FLATTERING, BECAUSE THERE WAS NO GUY THAN MY DAD HELD IN HIGHER ESTEEM THAN BARRY SWITZER. I DIDN'T THINK I WAS THE GUY TO START AT THAT POINT. THURMAN HAD A GREAT CAREER. HE WAS WELL ON HIS WAY TO THE PROS. I KNEW WHEN HE LEFT I WOULD HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY. >> TONIGHT, THE BIG QUESTION IS, WILL BARRY SANDERS REPLACE ALL AMERICAN THURMAN THOMAS IN THE BACKFIELD. >> TOUCHDOWN, BARRY SANDERS. >> 30, 40 YEAR. >> BARRY SANDERS! >> IT DIDN'T TAKE LONG TO GET ON THE BAND WAGON REAL QUICK. >> SANDERS HAD ARGUABLY THE GREATEST COLLEGIATE SEASON EVER, SETTING 34 RECORDS. HE RUSHED FOR 2,628 YARDS. AND SCORE 39 TOUCHDOWNS IN 11 GAMES. >> I WOULD CALL -- I HAD THE NUMBER TO THE FIELD -- ON THE FIELD. THEY TELL VIESZED A LOT OF GAMES BACK THEN. I WOULD CALL. NOW WE GOT ABOUT 300 YARDS, FOUR TOUCHDOWNS. >> BARRY SANDERS TO THE 1 YARD LINE GOING IN. >> I'M THE KID THAT REMEMBERS ALL OF THE GREAT COLLEGE RUNNING BACKS THAT I STUDIED AS A KID. SO FOR ME TO FIND MYSELF IN THAT POSITION, IT WAS UNREAL. >> THERE WERE JOURNALISTS WAITING FOR HIM ON THE PRACTICE FIELD, AND THAT THERE WERE PEOPLE THERE WHO WANTED TO REPRESENT HIM AS A PROFESSIONAL. HE WAS REALLY UNCOMFORTABLE WITH THIS. HE WANTED TO GO AND PLAY FOOTBALL. HE REALLY ENJOYED COLLEGE LIFE AND HE WASN'T READY FOR THIS KIND OF INTRUSION. >> I THINK PEOPLE TAKE THIS GAME TOO SERIOUS, YOU KNOW, AND THE HYPE AND EVERYTHING. IT'S JUST THEY MAKE YOU SEEM AS IF YOU'RE DIFFERENT THAN EVERYONE ELSE, AND THAT'S THE MAIN THING. >> SANDERS WAS A HEISMAN CANDIDATE BUT HIS TEAM WAS SCHEDULED TO PLAY IN TOKYO ON THE DAY OF THE ANNOUNCEMENT. LIVE VIA SATELLITE, SANDERS WATCHED THE CEREMONY. >> THE 1988 WINNER OF THE HEISMAN AWARD IS BARRY SANDERS OF OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY. >> HE FELT LIKE HE WASN'T WORTHY BUT HE HAD TO GO ALONG WITH IT. HE WON THE THING AND KNEW WINNING IT WOULD BRING MORE ATTENTION, MORE MEDIA SCRUTINY, MORE MEDIA AND THAT'S NOT WHAT HE WANTED. >> BARRY DON'T WANT IT. IF HE WANTS IT, HE WANTS IT FOR HIS FATHER. YOU KNOW HOW I FEEL ABOUT HIM AND MY FRIENDS BACK HOME AT WICHITA. I DON'T THINK HE WANTED IT FOR HIMSELF. >> BARRY'S HEISMAN TROPHY STILL SITS IN WILLIAM AND