Charlie Sanders was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2007 after a 10-year career with the Detroit Lions that saw him earn seven Pro Bowls, three All-Pro honors and an All 1970’s team recognition. He is largely credited for a league-wide shift towards more athletic tight ends, forever impacting the game for generations to come.
His number 88 is recognized in the Pride of the Lions ring of honor on permanent display at Ford Field.
When the Lions allowed first-round pick T.J. Hockenson to wear number 88 ahead of last weekends rookie minicamp it turned some heads and at Tuesday’s press conference he talked about what it meant to him.
“Yeah, it’s an incredible honor,” Hockenson said on getting to wear jersey number 88. “Charlie Sanders was a great player here. Just looking back, him being a Hall-of-Famer and doing a lot for this community, a lot for this team, a lot for this organization, you know it’s a special number. It’s a big honor for me to be able to wear that number. And just to be able to carry on his legacy. It really means a ton.”
You can watch his entire press conference in the video below, but if you want to see his comments on number 88, fast forward to the 3 minutes 38-second mark when Lions writer Mike O’Hara asked him about it.
