How many rushing yards did Barry Sanders have in 1997?
2,0531997 Regular Season
Barry Sanders recorded 2,053 rushing yards in the 1997 regular season, 1st in the NFL.
- Barry Sanders' best regular season for rushing yards in 10 seasons on file.
- Up 500 from 1,553 in 1996.
- 83% of the Detroit Lions' rushing yards that regular season.
Best of 10 regular seasons, 1989 through 1998. Figures come from ESPN's box scores and were last read on September 22, 2026.
| GP: Games the player appeared in, however briefly. | YDS: Yards gained — through the air for a quarterback, on the ground or after a catch for everyone else. | TD: Touchdowns, worth six points before the extra point. | AVG: Yards per attempt: per pass, per carry, per catch or per punt, depending on the player. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 |  DET | 15 | 1,470 | 14 | 5.3 |
| 1990 | DET | 16 | 1,304 | 13 | 5.1 |
| 1991 | DET | 15 | 1,548 | 16 | 4.5 |
| 1992 | DET | 16 | 1,352 | 9 | 4.3 |
| 1993 | DET | 11 | 1,115 | 3 | 4.6 |
| 1994 | DET | 16 | 1,883 | 7 | 5.7 |
| 1995 | DET | 16 | 1,500 | 11 | 4.8 |
| 1996 | DET | 16 | 1,553 | 11 | 5.1 |
| 1997 | DET | 16 | 2,053 | 11 | 6.1 |
| 1998 | DET | 16 | 1,491 | 4 | 4.3 |