Bob Sanders

Demond "Bob" Sanders, born February 24, 1981 in Erie, Pennsylvania, played running back and safety in high school, and was team captain as a senior. At 5'8", Sanders wasn't heavily recruited, but accepted a scholarship from the University of Iowa.

Iowa enjoyed its first undefeated conference season in 80 years when Sanders was a junior. As a senior, Sanders led the nation in forced fumbles, and was named Iowa's defensive team captain, MVP, First-Team All-Big Ten for the third time, and chosen as a Second-Team All-American. Sanders scored 348 tackles during his years at Iowa.

Sanders was a second round draft choice in the 2004 NFL Draft by the Indianapolis Colts, and plays for them as a football safety.

A man of many nicknames, Sanders chose "Bob" because people had trouble pronouncing his name. He was dubbed "The Hitman" in college, and "The Hulk" after turning pro, because of his hard-hitting tackles. "The Sandman" is a play on his last name.

In 2004, Sanders played as backup safety and special teams player. In 2005, Sanders became known as one of the NFL's top hitters. He was the first Defensive Back to make the Pro Bowl since the Colts moved to Indianapolis.

In 2006, Sanders only played four games due to a knee injury, but when he returned for the playoffs, the Colts went on to win Super Bowl XLI.

Sanders was named AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2007, and signed a 5 year contract that makes him the highest paid safety in the history of the NFL.

Sanders was named AP Defensive Player of the Year for the 2007 NFL season, the first Colt to earn the award and only the fourth safety to ever win it.