Ricky Sanders was voted Belton’s top male athlete in 1980 and had the greatest pro career of any ex-Belton athlete as he played ten years in the NFL including 8 years with the Washington Redskins and ended his career as the Redskins 5th all-time receiver in receptions and yards. He was the star of the 1988 SuperBowl as he set a SuperBowl record for receiving yards and the longest TD. Ricky Wayne Sanders was born on Aug. 30, 1962, in Temple TX and was raised in Belton by his mother, Hanna McCray, with his younger sister, Geneva (BHS, 1982). Ricky attended Southwest Elementary School, Belton Jr. H.S., and Belton H.S., graduating in 1980. He was a four-sport star during his years at Belton High School. As a 5'11" guard he was one of Belton’s leading scorers in basketball for three years (averaging 14 ppg as a soph) on teams that struggled to finish around 500. He was a three-year starter on the Tiger baseball teams of 1978-80 and one of the team’s leading hitters. In Ricky’s senior year he led Belton to the District 14-AAA track championship in 1980 by winning four events: the 110-meter hurdles in 14.03; the 300-meter hurdles in 39.71; the pole vault at 13'9", and the 400- meter relay (42.77). He also placed second in the broad jump (21'10"). He then led Belton to its first regional track title (since 1909) by winning the110- meter hurdles in 14.9 and the pole vault in 14'9" and finishing second in the long jump and 300-meter hurdles (13.9). In the state meet Sanders finished 4th in the 110-meter hurdles (14.08) and pole vault (14.7) and was 6th in the 300-meter hurdles (38.94). In football as a soph in 1977 Sanders was all-district as a defensive back (leading the team with six interceptions) and was the place kicker on the Tiger team that went 9-1 in the regular season and lost to Marlin 34-0 in bi- district. In the 1978 season, the junior Sanders at 5'11" 170 lb. was a unanimous 1st team all-district selection at running back, defensive back, and place kicker/punter on the undefeated 10-0 Tiger team which lost in bi- district to Brownwood (the #1 ranked AAA team in TX) 20-0. He intercepted 3 passes in one game as a junior--a school record that he still shares in 2001 with Julius Johnson (1991). Ricky “played hurt” (at RB, QB, and DB) his entire senior season of 1979 for the 7-3 Tiger team and thus was not heavily recruited. Ricky was voted Belton’s top male athlete for 1979-1980. Ricky went on to Southwest Texas State where he played RB on the Bobcat teams of 1981-83. He was the Bobcats 2nd leading rusher as a soph with 586 yards on 126 carries and the 4th leading receiver with 8 receptions for 112 yards. As a junior in 1982 he was the team’s leading rusher with 1,177 yards in 214 carries and the 3rd leading receiver with 182 yards on 16 receptions. In 1983 the senior Sanders led the team in rushing with 665 yards on 141 carries; was 3rd in receiving with 210 yards on 14 receptions; and led the team in punt returns with 166 yards on 14 returns. Sanders scored 5 TD’s as a soph, 10 as a junior and 10 as a senior and was 2nd team All-Lone Star Conference as a junior and 1st team all conference as a senior. After college he played for two years (1984 & 1985) with the Houston Gamblers of the USFL where his receivers coach was ex-Belton star Robert Ford (BHS Class of 1969) and his QB was Jim Kelly. Ricky played for the NFL’s Washington Redskins for eight seasons (1986-1993) and ended his Redskin career as the team’s 5th all-time leader in receptions (414) and yards (5,854). The 5'11 180 lb. wide receiver caught 9 passes for 193 yards (a SuperBowl record) and two touchdowns (one for 80 yards equaling a SuperBowl record and the other for 50 yards) in Washington’s 42-10 SuperBowl XXII victory over Denver on Jan 31, 1988. The Redskins were 77-50 in Sanders’ 8 years with the team and won two Super Bowls (1988 and 1992--a 37-24 victory over Buffalo). Sanders total career statistics for 134 games over 10 years (including 1994-1995 with the Atlanta Falcons) included 483 receptions for 6,477 yards (a 13.4 yards-per- catch average) and 37 touchdowns. He also returned 33 kickoffs for 636 yards (a 19.3 average) and one TD; returned 2 punts for 12 yards; and rushed 23 times for 94 yards (4.1 yd average) and one TD. Sanders is one of only three ex-Belton football players to play in the NFL (the other two were tackle/guard Randy Winkler in 1967-68 & 1971 and Booker Russell in 1978-1981). In Aug. of 2005 the Killeen Daily Herald named Ricky Sanders to its 2nd team All-Time Centex offensive team. In 2009 Ricky Sanders, 47, lived in Houston where he was an independent contractor in the freight (trucking) business. His four children, are Ashley, 22, at Prairie View A&M; Ricky Jr.,20, a wide receiver at TX Southern U.; Kala, 18, at Texas State U. and Chase, 11, of Houston. .