Emmanuel Sanders facts for kids
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Sanders with the Bills in 2021
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| No. 88, 10, 17, 1 | |||||||||||
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| Position: | Wide receiver | ||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||
| Born: | March 17, 1987 Bellville, Texas, U.S. |
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| Height: | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||||||||||
| Weight: | 180 lb (82 kg) | ||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||
| High school: | Bellville | ||||||||||
| College: | SMU (2005–2009) | ||||||||||
| NFL Draft: | 2010 / Round: 3 / Pick: 82 | ||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||
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| Player stats at PFR | |||||||||||
Emmanuel Niamiah Sanders (born March 17, 1987) is a former American football player. He was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons. Sanders played college football for the SMU Mustangs.
The Pittsburgh Steelers drafted him in 2010. Emmanuel Sanders won Super Bowl 50 with the Denver Broncos. He also played for the San Francisco 49ers, New Orleans Saints, and Buffalo Bills.
Early Life and High School Football
Emmanuel Sanders grew up in Bellville, Texas. He was a talented athlete in high school. He played four different sports: football, basketball, baseball, and track.
Football was where he shined the most. He played running back, wide receiver, and safety. As a senior, he scored many touchdowns. He was named his team's MVP.
Sanders received several honors during his high school career. He chose to play college football at SMU.
College Football Career
After high school, Sanders played for Southern Methodist University (SMU). He was a key player for three years. He earned All-Conference honors in his last two seasons.
In 2006, as a freshman, he scored his first college touchdown. He had a great game against Houston, catching nine passes for 151 yards. He finished the year with 46 catches and nine touchdowns.
As a sophomore in 2007, he continued to score touchdowns. He had 74 catches for 889 yards. In 2008, his junior year, he had 67 catches for 958 yards. He scored nine touchdowns again.
His senior year in 2009 was his best. He caught 98 passes for 1,339 yards and seven touchdowns. He also returned punts for extra yards. SMU won the 2009 Hawaii Bowl that year.
College Statistics
| Season | Team | GP | Receiving | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rec | Yards | TD | |||
| 2005 | SMU |  Redshirt |
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| 2006 | SMU | 12 | 46 | 605 | 9 |
| 2007 | SMU | 12 | 74 | 889 | 9 |
| 2008 | SMU | 10 | 67 | 958 | 9 |
| 2009 | SMU | 13 | 98 | 1,339 | 7 |
| Total | 47 | 285 | 3,791 | 34 | |
Professional Football Career
The Pittsburgh Steelers picked Emmanuel Sanders in the third round of the 2010 NFL draft. He was the 82nd player chosen overall.
Pittsburgh Steelers (2010–2013)
2010 Season: Rookie Year
Sanders signed a three-year contract with the Steelers. He made his NFL debut in the first game of the season. Later, he caught his first NFL pass.
In Week 10, he scored his first NFL touchdown. He finished his first year with 28 catches for 376 yards. He also had two touchdowns.
Sanders, along with teammates Mike Wallace and Antonio Brown, were called the "Young Money Family." This nickname came from a rapper named Lil Wayne. They also called themselves the "Bugatti Boys."
The Steelers made it to Super Bowl XLV that year. Sanders played in the Super Bowl. He had two catches before getting a foot injury. The Steelers lost the game to the Green Bay Packers.
2011–2013 Seasons
Sanders had foot and knee surgeries in 2011. He played in 11 games that season. He caught 22 passes for 288 yards and two touchdowns.
In 2012, Sanders became a more regular player. He played in all 16 games. He had 44 catches for 626 yards. He was fined by the NFL for an incident where he appeared to fake an injury to stop the clock.
In 2013, Sanders became a starting wide receiver. He had a strong season with 67 catches. He gained 740 yards and scored six touchdowns. After this season, he became a free agent. Many teams wanted to sign him.
Denver Broncos (2014–2019)
In 2014, Emmanuel Sanders signed with the Denver Broncos. He quickly became a key player for them.
2014 Season: First Pro Bowl
Sanders had a fantastic first year with the Broncos. He caught a career-high 101 passes. He gained 1,404 receiving yards. He also scored nine touchdowns.
His great performance earned him his first Pro Bowl selection. The Broncos made the playoffs but lost in the first round.
2015 Season: Super Bowl Champion
In 2015, Sanders continued to play well. He had 76 catches for 1,135 yards. He scored six touchdowns.
The Broncos had a great season. They won the AFC West division. They made it to Super Bowl 50. Sanders helped lead the team to victory. He caught six passes for 83 yards in the Super Bowl. The Broncos defeated the Carolina Panthers 24–10. Sanders became a Super Bowl champion!
2016–2019 Seasons
In 2016, Sanders signed a new contract with the Broncos. He had another strong year. He caught 79 passes for 1,032 yards and five touchdowns. This was his third straight season with over 1,000 receiving yards. He was selected for his second Pro Bowl.
In 2017, Sanders dealt with ankle injuries. He played in 12 games. He finished with 47 catches for 555 yards.
The 2018 season started well for Sanders. He had several big games. However, his season ended early. He tore his Achilles tendon during practice in December. He finished with 71 catches for 868 yards.
Sanders returned from his injury for the 2019 season opener. He played seven games for the Broncos. He caught 30 passes and scored two touchdowns.
San Francisco 49ers (2019)
In October 2019, Sanders was traded to the San Francisco 49ers. He quickly made an impact with his new team.
He scored a touchdown in his first game with the 49ers. He also had a game where he threw a touchdown pass! Sanders helped the 49ers reach Super Bowl LIV. In the Super Bowl, the 49ers lost to the Kansas City Chiefs.
New Orleans Saints (2020)
In April 2020, Sanders signed with the New Orleans Saints. He had a career-high 12 catches in one game. He was placed on the team's health protocol list for a short time. He finished the season with 61 catches for 726 yards.
Buffalo Bills (2021)
On his birthday, March 17, 2021, Sanders signed with the Buffalo Bills. He changed his jersey number to 1. In his only season with the Bills, he played in 14 games. He caught 42 passes for 626 yards and four touchdowns.
Retirement
Emmanuel Sanders announced his retirement from football on September 7, 2022. He retired as an honorary member of the Denver Broncos. He said he gave the game his all.
Post-Playing Career
After retiring, Sanders joined the NFL Network. He became a football analyst. He appears on various NFL Network shows and podcasts.
NFL Career Statistics
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Won the Super Bowl | |
| Bold | Career high |
Regular Season
| Year | Team | Games | Receiving | Rushing | Returning | Passing | Fumbles | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Ret | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | TD | Int | Fum | Lost | ||
| 2010 | PIT | 13 | 1 | 28 | 376 | 13.4 | 35 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | 29 | 688 | 23.7 | 48 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 1 |
| 2011 | PIT | 11 | 0 | 22 | 288 | 13.1 | 32 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | 8 | 115 | 14.4 | 25 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 100.0 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2012 | PIT | 16 | 7 | 44 | 626 | 14.2 | 37 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4.0 | 4 | 0 | 10 | 120 | 12.0 | 63 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 2 |
| 2013 | PIT | 16 | 10 | 67 | 740 | 11.0 | 55T | 6 | 1 | 25 | 25.0 | 25 | 0 | 10 | 268 | 26.8 | 46 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 0 |
| 2014 | DEN | 16 | 16 | 101 | 1,404 | 13.9 | 48 | 9 | 8 | 44 | 5.5 | 13 | 0 | 4 | 65 | 16.3 | 22 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 0 |
| 2015 | DEN | 15 | 15 | 76 | 1,135 | 14.9 | 75T | 6 | 3 | 29 | 9.7 | 24 | 0 | 18 | 116 | 6.4 | 14 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 2 |
| 2016 | DEN | 16 | 16 | 79 | 1,032 | 13.1 | 64 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 4.0 | 4 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 0 |
| 2017 | DEN | 12 | 11 | 47 | 555 | 11.8 | 38 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | −2 | −1.0 | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2018 | DEN | 12 | 12 | 71 | 868 | 12.2 | 64T | 4 | 4 | 53 | 13.3 | 35T | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | 100.0 | 28 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2019 | DEN | 7 | 7 | 30 | 367 | 12.2 | 53 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 |
| SF | 9 | 8 | 36 | 502 | 13.9 | 75T | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | 100.0 | 35 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2020 | NO | 14 | 5 | 61 | 726 | 11.9 | 51 | 5 | 1 | 12 | 12.0 | 12 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 0 |
| 2021 | BUF | 14 | 13 | 42 | 626 | 14.9 | 41 | 4 | 2 | 31 | 15.5 | 24 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 172 | 122 | 704 | 9,245 | 13.1 | 75T | 51 | 21 | 202 | 9.6 | 35T | 1 | 81 | 1,370 | 16.9 | 63 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 100.0 | 78 | 2 | 0 | 12 | 5 | |
Postseason
| Year | Team | Games | Receiving | Rushing | Fumbles | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Fum | Lost | ||
| 2010 | PIT | 3 | 0 | 7 | 91 | 13.0 | 20 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2011 | PIT | 1 | 0 | 6 | 81 | 13.5 | 18 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2014 | DEN | 1 | 1 | 7 | 46 | 6.6 | 17 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2015 | DEN | 3 | 3 | 16 | 230 | 14.4 | 34 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2019 | SF | 3 | 3 | 5 | 71 | 14.2 | 22 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 | NO | 2 | 1 | 8 | 51 | 6.4 | 16 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 | BUF | 2 | 2 | 3 | 52 | 17.3 | 34 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 15 | 10 | 52 | 622 | 12.0 | 34 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
Personal Life
Emmanuel Sanders' mother passed away in 2011. He has two younger sisters.
In 2013, Sanders married Gabriella Waheed. They have two children together. Their son, Princeton, was born in 2014. Their daughter, Zoie, was born in 2016.
Images for kids
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Sanders in 2012
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Sanders in 2018
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In Spanish: Emmanuel Sanders para niños
