Charlie Sanders

Charles Alvin Sanders (born August 25, 1946) is a former American football player who played tight end for the Detroit Lions from 1968-77. On February 3, 2007, Sanders was voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Playing career
Sanders attended James B. Dudley High School in Greensboro, North Carolina and the University of Minnesota. The Lions chose him in the third round of the 1968 NFL Draft, and he became their starting tight end for the next ten seasons. He had 336 career receptions and was known as a superior blocker as well as a receiver. He was chosen for the Pro Bowl seven times (1968–1971 and 1974–1976), and was named to the NFL 1970s All-Decade Team as selected by voters of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Sanders is also a member of the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame. In 2008 he was chosen as a member of the Detroit Lions 75th Anniversary All Time Team.

After retirement
Sanders served as a color analyst on Lions radio broadcasts from 1983–88, worked with the team as an assistant in charge of wide receivers from 1989–96, and is currently their assistant director of pro personnel. In 2005, he co-authored Charlie Sanders' Tales from the Detroit Lions, a book of anecdotes about the team and its players.

Current roles
He is now the pre-game and halftime show co-host and sideline reporter of Detroit Lions pre-season games on the Detroit Lions Television Network. He also appears on the network's regular season pre-game show The Ford Lions Report.

Personal
Sanders and his wife, Georgianna, have nine children and live in Rochester, Michigan. One of his daughters, Mary Jo is a pro boxer, and three of his sons played college football one at Ohio State University, and had a brief NFL career with the Detroit Lions, one son formerly played at Saginaw Valley State University and one son is currently playing at Michigan State University.