Six former players will be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame later today as apart of the Class of 2007. First and foremost, former Lions tight end Charlie Sanders, a 7-time Pro Bowler, is included as one of those six players. The other five are Gene Hickerson, Michael Irvin, Bruce Matthews, Thurman Thomas, and Roger Wehrli.
Sanders had a successful career in Detroit and is very deserving of this honor. Here are just a few things he accomplished during his playing days.
- Chosen by the Hall of Fame committee as tight end on the NFL's Team of the `70s.
- He appeared in SEVEN Pro Bowls, and was twice named All-Pro.
- Played in 128 games and missed only 12 games during his career.
- Sanders was inducted into the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame in 1990, the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame, his native state, in 1997, and the Guilford County (Greensboro, N.C.) Sports Hall of Fame in 2005.
- As a two-sport star (football and basketball) at the University of Minnesota, Sanders concluded his senior season as the Gophers' leading receiver after hauling in 21 receptions for 276 yards and two touchdowns helping his team win a share of the 1967 Big Ten title.
Sanders is the first Lion to be inducted into the Hall of Fame since running back Barry Sanders was enshrined in 2004. You can watch coverage of the enshrinement at 6:00 p.m. ET on ESPN and the NFL Network today.