Bob Sanders and His Football Career

Demond Sanders was born in Erie, Pennsylvania on February 24, 1981. When he was young, he told his mother he would like to change his name because it was hard to say, his mother suggested Bob, and he has used that since. He attended school in Erie, where he lettered in football. As a senior, he went to the state championship. He then attended college at the University of Iowa, where he received a scholarship. During his first year, he had Honorable Mention All-Big Ten, and this was where he earned the nickname of The Hitman. During his senior year, he was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week, was the defensive team captain, and named MVP.

Even though he did not play as much his senior year due to an injury, when it came time to impress the scouts, he did it by being able to do the 40 yard dash in 4.35 seconds. Bob was the 44th pick in the second round of the draft in 2004 by the Indianapolis Colts. In his first year, he only played in six games.

In the 2006 season, he played free safety for the American Football Conference Pro Bowl. Due to a knee injury that year, he was only able to play in 4 games. He made a comeback and was able to play in the playoffs to help the defense, which enabled the Colts to go on to win the Super Bowl over the Chicago Bears.

In December of 2007, Bob signed a new 5-year contract, making him the highest paid safety in the NFL.

In September of 2008, it became apparent that he would be out for one to two months with an ankle sprain.