1. Emmanuel Niamiah Sanders was born on March 17,1987 and is an American former professional football wide receiver who played for 12 seasons in the National Football League.
51 Facts About Emmanuel Sanders
1. 2.
Emmanuel Sanders played college football for the SMU Mustangs, and was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the third round of the 2010 NFL draft.
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Emmanuel Sanders attended Bellville High School in Bellville, Texas, where he was a four-sport star in football, basketball, baseball, and track.
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In football, in which he was most notable, Emmanuel Sanders was a first-team All-District performer at running back, wide receiver, and safety.
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Emmanuel Sanders was named Team MVP and Tri-County Offensive Player of the Year following his senior season.
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Emmanuel Sanders was awarded All-Conference honors his last two seasons.
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On October 20,2007, Emmanuel Sanders had eight receptions for 155 yards and two touchdowns against Tulane.
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Emmanuel Sanders led Conference USA in receiving yards in 2009.
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Emmanuel Sanders was the seventh wide receiver selected and was the first of two wide receivers the Steelers selected in 2010, along with Antonio Brown.
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Emmanuel Sanders missed the next three games as a healthy scratch after the Steelers' coaching staff elected to use Antonio Brown instead due to his added special teams abilities.
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On October 17,2010, Emmanuel Sanders caught a 22-yard pass from quarterback Ben Roethlisberger in the second quarter to mark his first NFL reception.
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Emmanuel Sanders finished his rookie year with 28 receptions for 376 yards and two touchdowns in 13 games and one start.
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Emmanuel Sanders had 25 kick returns for 628 yards and logged ten combined tackles on special teams.
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On February 6,2011, Emmanuel Sanders played in Super Bowl XLV and had two catches for 17 yards before leaving in the second quarter after suffering a foot injury while making a 13-yard catch.
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Emmanuel Sanders was immediately carted off the field and was unable to return.
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Emmanuel Sanders entered training camp competing against Antonio Brown and Antwaan Randle El for the No 3 wide receiver position.
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Emmanuel Sanders was unable to play in the first three preseason games after developing a stress fracture in his foot.
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Emmanuel Sanders was named the fourth wide receiver on the depth chart to begin the regular season, behind Hines Ward, Mike Wallace, and Antonio Brown.
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Emmanuel Sanders missed games in Week 9 and Week 10 after undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery.
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Emmanuel Sanders missed three more games during the season after developing inflammation in his left foot.
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Emmanuel Sanders finished the 2011 season with 22 receptions for 288 yards and two touchdowns in 11 games and zero starts.
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Emmanuel Sanders entered camp as the third wide receiver on the depth chart, but began competing to be a starting wide receiver after Mike Wallace held out due to his contract.
23.
NFL Vice President of Operations Ray Anderson used video evidence of Emmanuel Sanders out-sprinting his teammates, just one play after sitting out from his injury, as proof that the injury was fake.
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Emmanuel Sanders finished the 2012 season with 44 receptions for 626 yards and a touchdown in 16 games and seven starts.
25.
On March 15,2013, Emmanuel Sanders attended a private visit with the New England Patriots and received an offer sheet.
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Emmanuel Sanders finished the 2013 season with 67 receptions for 740 yards and six touchdowns in 16 games and ten starts.
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Emmanuel Sanders became a free agent after 2013 and was a highly sought-after player.
28.
Emmanuel Sanders received offers from the New England Patriots, Oakland Raiders, Kansas City Chiefs, Denver Broncos, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers and had a visit planned with the San Francisco 49ers.
29.
Emmanuel Sanders was signed to replace Eric Decker, who departed for the New York Jets in free agency.
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Emmanuel Sanders finished the 2014 season with a career-high in receptions, receiving yards, and touchdowns and started all 16 games.
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Emmanuel Sanders was inactive for the Broncos' Week 11 victory at the Chicago Bears due to an ankle injury.
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Emmanuel Sanders finished the 2015 season with 76 receptions, 1,135 receiving yards, and six touchdowns in 15 games and 15 starts.
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Emmanuel Sanders was ranked 74th by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2016.
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Emmanuel Sanders finished the 2016 season with 79 receptions, 1,032 receiving yards, and five touchdowns in 16 games and 16 starts.
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Emmanuel Sanders sprained his ankle during the third quarter of the Broncos' Week 6 loss to the New York Giants and missed the next two games.
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Emmanuel Sanders was sidelined for the last two games of the season after sustaining another injury to his ankle.
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Emmanuel Sanders finished the 2017 season with 47 receptions for 555 yards and two touchdowns in 12 games and 11 starts.
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Emmanuel Sanders started the season off strong with 10 receptions for 135 yards and a touchdown in a victory over the Seattle Seahawks.
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Emmanuel Sanders returned from injury in time for the season-opener against the Oakland Raiders on Monday Night Football.
40.
On October 22,2019, Emmanuel Sanders was traded to the San Francisco 49ers along with a 2020 fifth-round pick in exchange for 2020 third- and fourth-round picks.
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Emmanuel Sanders made his 49ers debut during Week 8 against the Carolina Panthers.
42.
In Week 17 against the Seattle Seahawks, Emmanuel Sanders became the first player to catch a pass in 17 games in a season, since he was traded by the Broncos before their bye week and after the 49ers' bye week.
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Emmanuel Sanders finished the 2019 season with 66 receptions for 869 receiving yards and five receiving touchdowns.
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Emmanuel Sanders helped the 49ers reach Super Bowl LIV after defeating the Minnesota Vikings and Green Bay Packers in the playoffs.
45.
Emmanuel Sanders finished the 2020 season with 61 receptions for 726 receiving yards and five receiving touchdowns in 14 games and five starts.
46.
On March 16,2021, Emmanuel Sanders was released by the Saints.
47.
On March 17,2021, Emmanuel Sanders signed with the Buffalo Bills.
48.
Emmanuel Sanders announced his retirement on September 7,2022, as an honorary member of the Broncos who he had won Super Bowl 50 with in 2016 and where he spent most of his career.
49.
On September 21,2022, it was announced that Emmanuel Sanders will join the NFL Network as an analyst.
50.
Emmanuel Sanders made his debut on NFL GameDay Morning on September 25,2022.
51.
Emmanuel Sanders appears regularly on various NFL network programs and across NFL Media's podcast lineup.