98: Spec Sanders-NFL

Sports' Forgotten Heroes

Spec Sanders was somewhat of a football phenom. In fact, his days at the University of Texas made NFL teams take notice and in 1942 the Washington Redskins made Sanders the first-ever Longhorn to be taken in the first round when they selected him sixth overall. However, Sanders never put on the wine and gold of Washington. Following his days at Texas, Sanders joined his brothers in the Army as the U.S. was in the midst of World War II. Following his days in the military, a new league came calling, the AAFC and one of its new teams, the New York Yankees. Sanders took a chance on the new league and team and wound up putting on a show unlike anyone before him. Playing tailback and quarterback, it took Sanders just a bit to get going and by his second year he was a star rushing for over 1400-yards and scoring 18 touchdowns while also throwing for over 1400-yards and 14 touchdowns. But age and knee injuries were catching up and after just three years, Sanders called it quits. However, after taking off the 1949 season and with the AAFC shuttering its doors, a new team in the NFL, the New York Yanks, and a new coach, Ray Strader, talked Sanders out of retirement. He agreed to play but would only do so as a defensive back. Strader and the Yanks agreed … and all Sanders did was set an NFL-record with 13 interceptions in a 12-game season. For more about Spec Sanders and his incredible, but short, career, listen to Sports’ Forgotten Heroes for a wonderful conversation about a man whose impact on the game was huge, despite only playing for four seasons. . Gary Webster who wrote the book, “The League That Didn’t Exist: A History of the All America Football Conference,” returns to SFH for the conversation about Spec Sanders and the brief history of the New York Yankees and the New York Yanks.

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