TE Charlie Sanders is Inducted into the Hall Of Fame

Former Lions TE Charlie Sanders will be inducted with the 2007 NFL Hall of Fame class, it was announced this weekend. Sanders played 10 seasons (1968-77) for the Lions and was a Pro Bowler in seven of those seasons. Sanders was the next in line of evolution at the Tight End position, after Mike Ditka and John Mackey, as it became more specialized and was just prior to superstars like Ozzie Newsome and Kellen Winslow, who have become prototypes for the position. Sanders finished with 336 receptions for 4, 817 yards (14.3 yards per catch!) and 31 touchdowns.

Sanders languished on several poor Lions teams and played in only one playoff game during his tenure in Detroit. The Lions poor performance coupled with a previous bias which undervalued the tight end position all contributed to it taking 30 years for Sanders to finally be enshrined. Sanders has remained involved with the Lions as a broadcaster and currently works in scouting and personnel evaluation. Now that he has been enshrined, the Lions should also retire his jersey number.

The sad truth is that Sanders is likely the last viable Lions Hall of Fame candidate for the forseeable future. In becoming the 17th Lions Hall of Famer, the Lions should really go all out to celebrate someone who has remained so loyal to the organization in spite of all of it's failings.