Chris Sanders (quarterback)
Encyclopedia
Christopher Sanders was formerly an American football
quarterback
in the Arena Football League for the Dallas Desperados
, among other teams. He played college football
at Tennessee-Chattanooga.
as the 1995 5A Offensive Player of the Year at Edward S. Marcus High School
in Flower Mound, Texas
. Sanders was the starting quarterback for the first successful passing team in Texas High School Football.
s in 20 games, including 10 starts. He then transferred to Tennessee-Chattanooga. While there, Sanders started 22 games for the Mocs. He set school records for passing yards (7,230), touchdown
s (49), completions (584), 200-yard passing games (22), 300-yard passing games (12) and total offense (7,247). Sanders was one of 16 finalists for the Walter Payton Award
recognizing best player in NCAA Division I-AA football his senior season. He led the Southern Conference
in all major passing categories as senior, throwing for 3,691 yards while also tying a school record with six touchdown passes against Mississippi Valley State. Sanders was an All-America
n honorable mention as a junior with 3,539 yards and 27 touchdown passes.
in the 2001 NFL Draft
. He then signed a contract with the Tennessee Titans
as a rookie
and went 11-of-21 for 151 yards in the preseason before being released.
and was assigned to Frankfurt Galaxy
of NFL Europe
but was later waived before the start of the season. He then signed with the Roanoke Steam
of af2
and was named af2 Offensive Player of the Week in his first game, throwing for 211 yards and four touchdowns. Sanders left the team a shortly after to re-sign with the Titans who he spent training camp with.
. His performance earned him a start at New York
in Week 10 where he was 21-of-36 for 213 yards and five touchdowns in a 46-39 upset win. He completed 14-of-25 passes for 134 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions at the Orlando Predators
. Sanders completed 12-of-33 passes for 127 yards and one touchdown at Los Angeles
.
of af2 where he played in 16 games, passing for 4,184 yards and 66 touchdowns. He set seven team records, while finishing second in the league in passing and also led the team in rushing with 129 yards. Overall, Sanders ranked second in the league in rushing touchdowns with 18 fora total of 84 touchdowns on the season.
as he made his first start for the Predators in place of Hamilton and completed 20-of-34 passes for 236 yards and three touchdowns along with a rushing touchdown. He was 18-of-31 for 262 yards and five touchdowns at the Philadelphia Soul
. Sanders was 13-of-37 for 221 yards and five touchdowns and one interception against the Austin Wranglers
.
in Week 8 at the Austin Wranglers and started the next seven games. He tied for 14th in the AFL with 115 rushing yards - third among quarterbacks - and second with 13 rushing touchdowns - first among quarterbacks. Sanders set single-season team records for rushing attempts (46), yards (115), touchdowns (13), pass completions (184), completion percentage (66.2%), passing yards (2,018), passing touchdowns (36), quarterback rating (126.1), and total offense (4,538). He tied for second in expansion team
history in single-game rushing touchdowns with three against the Georgia Force and fifth in single-season rushing touchdowns (13). Sanders was named Offensive Player of the Week at the Nashville Kats
on April 22 and Offensive Player of the Game twice: April 1 against the Georgia Force and April 22 at the Nashville Kats. He completed one-of-two passes for 10 yards in a relief role in the team opener at the Dallas Desperados
. Sanders completed three-of-five passes for 32 yards and threw his first touchdown of the season against Philadelphia. In his first start of the season at Austin he threw for 229 yards on 16-of-36 passes with three touchdowns and two interceptions. Sanders threw for a season-high 320 yards on 26-of-42 passes with five touchdowns and two interceptions at New York. Against Georgia he completed 29-of-41 passes for 272 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions and rushed three times for 16 yards with a career-high and single-game franchise-tying three touchdowns. Sanders threw a season-best seven touchdown tosses against Los Angeles
while completing 26-of-32 passes for 265 yards and rushed five times for 11 yards and one touchdown. Against the Colorado Crush
he was 24-of-36 for 244 yards with five touchdowns and three interceptions while also adding 10 rushing yards on five attempts with two touchdowns. He notched season-highs in completions (30) and attempts (43) while passing for 282 yards with four touchdowns and one interception and ran nine times for 25 yards and two touchdowns at Nashville. Sanders was six-of-12 for 80 yards with one touchdown and one interception against Orlando.
. That season, Sanders completed 50-of-100 passes for 634 yards with 11 touchdowns and six interceptions in seven games with two starts for the Desperados. He made his first appearance of the season in Week 4 against the Gladiators
, completing one-of-two passes for seven yards. He threw his first touchdown of the season against Nashville as he hit three-of-five passes for 63 yards while also throwing an interception in relief of Sherdrick Bonner
. Sanders competed one-of-four passes for 30 yards and one touchdown in Week 9 at New York. He completed his only pass of the game for a 16-yard touchdown in Week 11 against Austin. Sanders made his first start of the season in Week 15 against Los Angeles for an injured Bonner to complete 22-of-37 passes for 266 yards with four touchdowns and two interceptions while also scoring three rushing touchdowns in the contest. He started his second game of the year at the San Jose SaberCats
in Week 16 to complete 22-of-49 passes for 252 yards with four touchdowns and three interceptions.
Sanders also was the unnamed quarterback used on the Spike TV show "4th and Long."
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
in the Arena Football League for the Dallas Desperados
Dallas Desperados
The Dallas Desperados were a professional Arena Football team. The Desperados played in the Southern Division of the now-defunct Arena Football League from 2002 to 2008....
, among other teams. He played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
at Tennessee-Chattanooga.
Early life
Sanders was voted by the Associated PressAssociated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
as the 1995 5A Offensive Player of the Year at Edward S. Marcus High School
Edward S. Marcus High School
Edward S. Marcus High School is one of five main high schools in the Lewisville Independent School District, Texas. The school opened in 1981 and was the second high school in the district. It services students who live in northern Flower Mound, Highland Village, Double Oak, Lewisville, and Copper...
in Flower Mound, Texas
Flower Mound, Texas
Flower Mound is a town in Denton and Tarrant counties in the U.S. state of Texas, and a suburb of Fort Worth and Dallas. Its population was 50,702 at the U.S. Census Bureau's 2000 census, and 64,669 at the 2010 Census. The town derives its name from the prominent mound located in the southern...
. Sanders was the starting quarterback for the first successful passing team in Texas High School Football.
College
Sanders started his college career at Southern Methodist University, throwing for 1,728 yards and 12 touchdownTouchdown
A touchdown is a means of scoring in American and Canadian football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone.-Description:...
s in 20 games, including 10 starts. He then transferred to Tennessee-Chattanooga. While there, Sanders started 22 games for the Mocs. He set school records for passing yards (7,230), touchdown
Touchdown
A touchdown is a means of scoring in American and Canadian football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone.-Description:...
s (49), completions (584), 200-yard passing games (22), 300-yard passing games (12) and total offense (7,247). Sanders was one of 16 finalists for the Walter Payton Award
Walter Payton Award
The Walter Payton Award is awarded annually to the most outstanding offensive player in the Division I Football Championship Subdivision of college football as chosen by a nationwide panel of media and college sports information directors...
recognizing best player in NCAA Division I-AA football his senior season. He led the Southern Conference
Southern Conference
The Southern Conference is a Division I college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Southern Conference football teams compete in the Football Championship Subdivision . Member institutions are located in the states of Alabama, Georgia, North...
in all major passing categories as senior, throwing for 3,691 yards while also tying a school record with six touchdown passes against Mississippi Valley State. Sanders was an All-America
All-America
An All-America team is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply...
n honorable mention as a junior with 3,539 yards and 27 touchdown passes.
2001
Sanders went undraftedUndrafted
An undrafted sportsperson or undrafted free agent is specific type of sportsperson who plays, or attempts to play, in a professional sports league without first being selected in a draft....
in the 2001 NFL Draft
2001 NFL Draft
The 2001 NFL Draft took place on April 21–22, 2001 at the theater at Madison Square Garden, in New York City. This was the 66th National Football League draft in league history. The draft was broadcast on ESPN both days and eventually moved to ESPN2. No teams elected to claim any players in the...
. He then signed a contract with the Tennessee Titans
Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. They are members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Previously known as the Houston Oilers, the team began play in 1960 as a charter...
as a rookie
Rookie
Rookie is a term for a person who is in his or her first year of play of their sport or has little or no professional experience. The term also has the more general meaning of anyone new to a profession, training or activity Rookie is a term for a person who is in his or her first year of play of...
and went 11-of-21 for 151 yards in the preseason before being released.
2002
In 2002, Sanders was signed as a free agent by the Atlanta FalconsAtlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are a member of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
and was assigned to Frankfurt Galaxy
Frankfurt Galaxy
The Frankfurt Galaxy was a professional American football team that originally played in the World League of American Football and later in the resurrected NFL Europe. The team was based in Frankfurt, Germany and played in the Commerzbank-Arena, formerly called the Waldstadion.-History:In 1991, the...
of NFL Europe
NFL Europe
NFL Europe was an American football league which operated in Europe from 1991 until 2007. Backed by the National Football League , the largest professional American football league in the United States, it was founded as the World League of American Football to serve as a type of spring league...
but was later waived before the start of the season. He then signed with the Roanoke Steam
Roanoke Steam
The Roanoke Steam is a now-defunct af2 charter member franchise. They played their home games at the Roanoke Civic Center in Roanoke, Virginia. The Steam were unable to get into the playoffs during their only three years in the league...
of af2
Af2
AF2 was the name of the Arena Football League's developmental league; it was founded in 1999 and played its first season in 2000. Like parent AFL, the AF2 played using the same arena football rules and style of play. League seasons ran from April through July with the postseason and ArenaCup...
and was named af2 Offensive Player of the Week in his first game, throwing for 211 yards and four touchdowns. Sanders left the team a shortly after to re-sign with the Titans who he spent training camp with.
2003
In 2003, Sanders played for the Buffalo Destroyers as a back-up and played in five games with a pair of starts to finish the regular season with 529 yards on 52-of-103 passing with eight touchdowns and three interceptions. He saw his first significant action in Week 9, stepping in during the second half to complete five-of-nine passes for 55 yards against the Detroit FuryDetroit Fury
The Detroit Fury were an Arena Football League team. The team began play in 2001 and was based in Auburn Hills, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit, at The Palace of Auburn Hills, also the home of the NBA's Detroit Pistons. The team was co-owned by William Davidson, who owned the Pistons, along with...
. His performance earned him a start at New York
New York Dragons
The New York Dragons were an Arena Football League team based in the New York metropolitan area. The team was founded in as the original incarnation of the Iowa Barnstormers, and relocated to New York in . They played in New York until 2008, when the league folded...
in Week 10 where he was 21-of-36 for 213 yards and five touchdowns in a 46-39 upset win. He completed 14-of-25 passes for 134 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions at the Orlando Predators
Orlando Predators
The Orlando Predators are an Arena Football League team based in Orlando, Florida that was founded in 1991. Their playoff streak is currently 19 seasons in a row, as of the season, becoming the ArenaBowl champions in 1998 and 2000...
. Sanders completed 12-of-33 passes for 127 yards and one touchdown at Los Angeles
Los Angeles Avengers
The Los Angeles Avengers was an Arena Football League team based in Los Angeles, California from 2000 through 2008. They folded on April 19, 2009.-History:...
.
2004
In 2004, Sanders signed with the Manchester WolvesManchester Wolves
The Manchester Wolves were a professional arena football team, based at the Verizon Wireless Arena in Manchester, New Hampshire, which folded at the end of the 2009 season along with the rest of the league...
of af2 where he played in 16 games, passing for 4,184 yards and 66 touchdowns. He set seven team records, while finishing second in the league in passing and also led the team in rushing with 129 yards. Overall, Sanders ranked second in the league in rushing touchdowns with 18 fora total of 84 touchdowns on the season.
2005
In 2005, Sanders appeared in six games - starting three - for the Orlando Predators. For the season he was, 68-of-128 for 897 yards and 16 touchdowns with two interceptions and had a 53.1 completion percentage and quarterback rating of 100.3 while also rushing 15 times for 22 yards and three touchdowns. He was promoted to starter after his strong second-half performance in the 72-60 victory against the New York Dragons after Joe Hamilton went down in the first half with a shoulder injury. In that contest, Sanders completed 13-of-17 passes for 130 yards, two touchdowns and two rushing touchdowns. Sanders made contributions in Orlando's 52-49 victory over the Georgia ForceGeorgia Force
The Georgia Force are an Arena Football League team based in Gwinnett County, Georgia, United States that plays in the South Division of the American Conference. The team is owned by Doug MacGregor and Donn Jennings...
as he made his first start for the Predators in place of Hamilton and completed 20-of-34 passes for 236 yards and three touchdowns along with a rushing touchdown. He was 18-of-31 for 262 yards and five touchdowns at the Philadelphia Soul
Philadelphia Soul
The Philadelphia Soul are an Arena Football League team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They began play in as an expansion team. The team plays in the Eastern Division of the American Conference. They won their first ArenaBowl in 2008, defeating the San Jose SaberCats 59–56 in ArenaBowl XXII...
. Sanders was 13-of-37 for 221 yards and five touchdowns and one interception against the Austin Wranglers
Austin Wranglers
The Austin Wranglers were an arena football team based in Austin, Texas. They played four seasons in the Arena Football League from 2004 to 2007 and spent one season in AF2, the AFL's developmental league, in 2008. They made playoff appearances in the AFL in 2006 and in AF2 in 2008...
.
2006
In 2006, Sanders became the starting quarterback for the Kansas City BrigadeKansas City Brigade
The Kansas City Command is a professional arena football team in the Arena Football League. The team was founded before the 2006 season. Former Kansas City Chiefs Strong safety Kevin Porter served as head coach...
in Week 8 at the Austin Wranglers and started the next seven games. He tied for 14th in the AFL with 115 rushing yards - third among quarterbacks - and second with 13 rushing touchdowns - first among quarterbacks. Sanders set single-season team records for rushing attempts (46), yards (115), touchdowns (13), pass completions (184), completion percentage (66.2%), passing yards (2,018), passing touchdowns (36), quarterback rating (126.1), and total offense (4,538). He tied for second in expansion team
Expansion team
An expansion team is a brand new team in a sports league. The term is most commonly used in reference to the North American major professional sports leagues, but is applied to sports leagues worldwide that use a closed franchise system of league membership. The term comes from the expansion of the...
history in single-game rushing touchdowns with three against the Georgia Force and fifth in single-season rushing touchdowns (13). Sanders was named Offensive Player of the Week at the Nashville Kats
Nashville Kats
The Nashville Kats were an Arena Football League team, located in Nashville, Tennessee. They were last coached by Pat Sperduto, who coached the team's original incarnation to two ArenaBowl appearances prior to the original franchise's move to Atlanta in 2002...
on April 22 and Offensive Player of the Game twice: April 1 against the Georgia Force and April 22 at the Nashville Kats. He completed one-of-two passes for 10 yards in a relief role in the team opener at the Dallas Desperados
Dallas Desperados
The Dallas Desperados were a professional Arena Football team. The Desperados played in the Southern Division of the now-defunct Arena Football League from 2002 to 2008....
. Sanders completed three-of-five passes for 32 yards and threw his first touchdown of the season against Philadelphia. In his first start of the season at Austin he threw for 229 yards on 16-of-36 passes with three touchdowns and two interceptions. Sanders threw for a season-high 320 yards on 26-of-42 passes with five touchdowns and two interceptions at New York. Against Georgia he completed 29-of-41 passes for 272 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions and rushed three times for 16 yards with a career-high and single-game franchise-tying three touchdowns. Sanders threw a season-best seven touchdown tosses against Los Angeles
Los Angeles Avengers
The Los Angeles Avengers was an Arena Football League team based in Los Angeles, California from 2000 through 2008. They folded on April 19, 2009.-History:...
while completing 26-of-32 passes for 265 yards and rushed five times for 11 yards and one touchdown. Against the Colorado Crush
Colorado Crush
Colorado Crush were an Arena Football League team that began play as a 2003 expansion team. The Crush played in the Central Division of the American Conference until the Arena Football League suspended operations in 2009...
he was 24-of-36 for 244 yards with five touchdowns and three interceptions while also adding 10 rushing yards on five attempts with two touchdowns. He notched season-highs in completions (30) and attempts (43) while passing for 282 yards with four touchdowns and one interception and ran nine times for 25 yards and two touchdowns at Nashville. Sanders was six-of-12 for 80 yards with one touchdown and one interception against Orlando.
2007
On November 2, 2007, Sanders was signed by the Dallas Desperados to serve as the backup quarterback to Clint DolezelClint Dolezel
Clint Dolezel is Offensive Coordinator of the Philadelphia Soul, an Indoor Football team belonging to the Arena Football League . As an AFL player, he was originally signed by the Milwaukee Mustangs...
. That season, Sanders completed 50-of-100 passes for 634 yards with 11 touchdowns and six interceptions in seven games with two starts for the Desperados. He made his first appearance of the season in Week 4 against the Gladiators
Las Vegas Gladiators
The Cleveland Gladiators are an arena football franchise based in Cleveland, Ohio which plays in the Arena Football League. The team is part of the East division of the AFL's American Conference. The Gladiators play all of their home games at Quicken Loans Arena, which they share with the NBA's...
, completing one-of-two passes for seven yards. He threw his first touchdown of the season against Nashville as he hit three-of-five passes for 63 yards while also throwing an interception in relief of Sherdrick Bonner
Sherdrick Bonner
Sherdrick Bonner is a former Arena football quarterback who is currently the offensive coordinator of the Chicago Rush in the Arena Football League.-High school years:...
. Sanders competed one-of-four passes for 30 yards and one touchdown in Week 9 at New York. He completed his only pass of the game for a 16-yard touchdown in Week 11 against Austin. Sanders made his first start of the season in Week 15 against Los Angeles for an injured Bonner to complete 22-of-37 passes for 266 yards with four touchdowns and two interceptions while also scoring three rushing touchdowns in the contest. He started his second game of the year at the San Jose SaberCats
San Jose SaberCats
The San Jose SaberCats are a professional arena football team in the Arena Football League. They began play as a 1995 expansion team. They played in the Western Division of the American Conference. Their final coach in the original Arena Football League was Darren Arbet, who will be a part of the...
in Week 16 to complete 22-of-49 passes for 252 yards with four touchdowns and three interceptions.
2009
Sanders is now a part-time co-host on the High School Scoreboard show on 103.3 FM ESPN Radio in Dallas Tx. Home of the Michael Irvin Show, Galloway and Co. and GameNight w/ Choppy and Wally.Sanders also was the unnamed quarterback used on the Spike TV show "4th and Long."