Christopher Sanders (born December 22, 1977) is a former

American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...

quarterback The quarterback (QB) is a position in gridiron football who are members of the offensive side of the ball and mostly line up directly behind the Lineman (football), offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually consider ...

. He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for SMU and

Chattanooga Chattanooga ( ) is a city in Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. It is located along the Tennessee River and borders Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the south. With a population of 181,099 in 2020, it is Tennessee ...

. He signed with the

Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. They play the ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL) after going

undrafted In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

in the

2001 NFL draft The 2001 NFL draft was the 66th draft annual of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible professional football players. The draft, which is officially referred to as the "NFL Player Selection Meeting", was held at the Th ...

. He primarily played

arena football Arena football is a variety of gridiron football designed to be played indoors. The game is played on a smaller field than American or Canadian football, designed to fit in the same surface area as a standard North American ice hockey rink, an ...

. He had two stints with the Titans and one with the

Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The Falcons were founded o ...

where he was allocated to

NFL Europe NFL Europe League (simply called NFL Europe and known in its final season as NFL Europa) was a professional American football league that functioned as the List of developmental and minor sports leagues, developmental minor league of the Nati ...

for the Frankfurt Galaxy. He played in the

af2 The AF2 (often styled as af2, and short for arenafootball2) was the Arena Football League's developmental league; it was founded in 1999 and played its first season in 2000. Like its parent AFL, the AF2 played using the same arena football r ...

for the Roanoke Steam and

Manchester 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. They played in the East Division of th ...

. He also played in the

Arena Football League The Arena Football League (AFL) was a professional arena football league in the United States. It was founded in 1986, but played its first official games in the 1987 Arena Football League season, 1987 season, making it the third longest-runnin ...

(AFL) for the Buffalo Destroyers,

Orlando Predators The Orlando Predators were a professional arena football team based in Orlando, Florida and member of the Arena Football League (AFL). The team was most recently owned by Orlando Predators LLC, a company owned by David A. Siegel, and played it ...

Kansas City Command The Kansas City Command (formerly the Kansas City Brigade) were a professional arena football team that played in the Arena Football League (AFL). The team was founded before the 2006 season. Former Kansas City Chiefs strong safety Kevin Por ...

Arizona Rattlers The Arizona Rattlers are a professional indoor American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area that competes in the Indoor Football League (IFL). The Rattlers were founded in 1992 as an expansion team in the Arena Football League ...

, Dallas Desperadoes, and

Dallas Vigilantes The Dallas Vigilantes were an Arena Football League (AFL) team based in Dallas, Texas. Like its AFL predecessor, the Dallas Desperados, the Vigilantes played at the American Airlines Center. The Vigilantes and the Jacksonville Sharks began pla ...

Early life

Sanders was voted by the

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...

as the 1995 5A Offensive Player of the Year at

Edward S. Marcus High School Edward S. Marcus High School is a public high school in Flower Mound, Texas. It is a part of the Lewisville Independent School District. Academics Marcus High School was named a National Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education in 1 ...

Flower Mound, Texas Flower Mound is an incorporated town located in Denton and Tarrant counties in the U.S. state of Texas. Located northwest of Dallas and northeast of Fort Worth adjacent to Grapevine Lake, the town derives its name from a prominent mound loca ...

where he threw for 4,284 yards his senior yea

Sanders was the starting quarterback for the first successful passing team in Texas High School Football.

College career

SMU

Sanders played

for SMU, throwing for 1,728 yards and twelve

touchdown A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Scoring a touchdown grants the team that scored it 6 points. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchd ...

s in 21 games, including ten starts.

Chattanooga

Sanders transferred to

. While there, Sanders started 22 games for the Mocs. He set school records for passing yards (7,230),

s (49), completions (584), 200-yard passing games (22), 300-yard passing games (12) and total offense (7,247). Sanders was one of sixteen finalists for the

Walter Payton Award The Walter Payton Award is awarded annually to the most outstanding offensive player in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA) of college football as chosen by a nationwide panel of media and college sports ...

recognizing best player in

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

Division I-AA The NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), formerly known as Division I-AA, is the second-highest level of college football in the United States, after the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). Sponsored by the National Collegiate A ...

football his senior season. He led the

Southern Conference The Southern Conference (SoCon) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I. Southern Conference College football, football teams c ...

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 Mississippi Valley State University (MVSU, The Valley or Valley) is a public historically black university in Mississippi Valley State, Mississippi, adjacent to Itta Bena, Mississippi.Jerry Rice Jerry Lee Rice (born October 13, 1962) is an American former professional football wide receiver who played for 20 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He won three Super Bowl titles with the San Francisco 49ers before two shorter ...

's single game receiving record for Touchdowns in a game for

/ FCS. It was also

Jerry Rice Jerry Lee Rice (born October 13, 1962) is an American former professional football wide receiver who played for 20 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He won three Super Bowl titles with the San Francisco 49ers before two shorter ...

's alma mater. The two were a record breaking duo at

. Sanders also connected with DeMatteo for thirteen completions for 207 yards and three touchdown passes at

Louisville Louisville is the most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeast, and the 27th-most-populous city in the United States. By land area, it is the country's 24th-largest city; however, by populatio ...

, a

Division I-A The NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), formerly known as Division I-A, is the highest level of college football in the United States. The FBS consists of the largest schools in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). As ...

/ FBS opponent. Sanders passed 367 yards and three touchdowns in the game. Louisville won the game 58–30, but was a career day for the duo vs a much more supreme

Conference USA Conference USA (CUSA) is a collegiate athletic conference of member institutions in the Southern and Western United States. The conference participates in the NCAA's Division I in all sports. CUSA's offices are located in Dallas, Texas. Mem ...

team. Sanders was an

All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

n honorable mention as a junior with 3,539 yards and 27 touchdown passes.

Professional career

Tennessee Titans

Sanders went

in the

. He then signed a contract with the

as a

rookie A rookie is a person new to an occupation, profession, or hobby. In sports, a ''rookie'' is a professional athlete in their first season (or year). In contrast with a veteran who has experience, a rookie is typically considered needing more tra ...

and went 11-of-21 for 151 yards in the preseason before being released.

Atlanta Falcons

In 2002, Sanders was signed as a free agent by the

Frankfurt Galaxy

From the Falcons, Sanders was assigned to Frankfurt Galaxy of

but was later waived before the start of the season.

Roanoke Steam

Sanders signed with the Roanoke Steam of

and was named af2 Offensive Player of the Week in his first game, throwing for 211 yards and four touchdowns.

Tennessee Titans (second stint)

Sanders left the Steam and re-signed with the Titans, spending training camp with the team.

Buffalo Destroyers

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 Fury The Detroit Fury were an arena football team based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. They were a member of the original Arena Football League from 2001 to 2004 and played at The Palace of Auburn Hills, also the home of the NBA's Detroit Pistons. The ...

. His performance earned him a start at

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

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

. Sanders completed 12-of-33 passes for 127 yards and one touchdown at

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

Orlando Predators

In 2004, Sanders signed with the

Manchester Wolves

In 2004, Sanders signed with the

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 for a total of 84 touchdowns on the season.

Orlando Predators (second stint)

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 Force The Georgia Force was an Arena Football League (AFL) team based in Gwinnett County, Georgia, United States (part of suburban Atlanta) that played in the South Division of the American Conference. The team was owned by Doug MacGregor and Donn ...

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, sometimes called Philly soul, the Philadelphia sound, Phillysound, or The Sound of Philadelphia (TSOP), is a genre of late 1960s–1970s soul music characterized by funk influences and lush string and horn arrangements. The ...

. Sanders was 13-of-37 for 221 yards and five touchdowns and one interception against the

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 ...

Kansas City Brigade

In 2006, Sanders became the starting quarterback for the Kansas City Brigade 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 An expansion team is a new team in a sports league, usually from a city that has not hosted a team in that league before, formed with the intention of satisfying the demand for a local team from a population in a new area. Sporting leagues also ...

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 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 A ...

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 The Dallas Desperados were a professional arena football team based in Dallas, Texas. They played in the Eastern Division of the Arena Football League from to . The franchise began as an expansion team and posted a winning record in all but o ...

. 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

while completing 26-of-32 passes for 265 yards and rushed five times for 11 yards and one touchdown. Against the

Colorado Crush The Colorado Crush were an arena football team based in Denver, Colorado. They began play as a 2003 Arena Football League expansion team. The Crush played in the Central Division of the American Conference until the Arena Football League suspen ...

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.

Arizona Rattlers

On March 6, 2007, Sanders signed with the

Dallas Desperados

On November 2, 2007, Sanders was signed by the Dallas Desperados to serve as the backup quarterback to

Clint Dolezel Clint Dolezel (born March 25, 1970) is an American American football, football coach and former quarterback in the Arena Football League (AFL). He currently serves as the head football coach at East Texas A&M University. Dolezel played as a qua ...

. 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 A gladiator ( , ) was an armed combatant who entertained audiences in the Roman Republic and Roman Empire in violent confrontations with other gladiators, wild animals, and condemned criminals. Some gladiators were volunteers who risked their ...

, 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 Deon "Sed" Bonner (born October 19, 1968) is an American former professional football quarterback who played fifteen seasons in the Arena Football League (AFL). Early life Bonner attended Azusa High School in Azusa, California and was ...

. 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 The San Jose SaberCats were a professional arena football team based in San Jose, California. The SaberCats had been members of the Arena Football League (AFL) since 1995 (the year in which the team was founded); and until 2015, they belonged to ...

in Week 16 to complete 22-of-49 passes for 252 yards with four touchdowns and three interceptions.

Dallas Vigilantes

In 2010, Sanders signed with the Dallas Vigilantes.

Personal life

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."

References

External links

Profile at ArenaFan.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sanders, Chris 1977 births Living people Sportspeople from Flower Mound, Texas American football quarterbacks SMU Mustangs football players Chattanooga Mocs football players Roanoke Steam players Buffalo Destroyers players Manchester Wolves players Orlando Predators players Kansas City Brigade players Arizona Rattlers players Dallas Desperados players Dallas Vigilantes players Edward S. Marcus High School alumni