BREAKING NEWS: Lions officially name franchise legend as honorary captain for….

Lions officially name franchise legend as honorary captain for NFC Championship game against 49ers.

The Detroit Lions will rely on their best player in nearly seven decades for their most important game. The Lions have designated Hall of Fame running back Barry Sanders as their honorary captain for the NFC championship game against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, the team announced Saturday afternoon.

Sanders, 55, is largely regarded as one of the finest running backs in NFL history. Sanders was selected with the third overall choice by Detroit in the 1989 draft and played for the team from 1989 to 1998. He finished his 10-year career with 15,269 rushing yards and 99 touchdowns in 153 games.

Despite his heroics, the Lions underperformed during his time. Sanders’ teams lost four times in the NFC wild card round. Detroit lost 41-10 to Washington in his only NFC championship appearance in 1992. The Lions have not appeared in an NFL championship game since winning it in 1957, the longest absence in the league. Copyright ABG-SI LLC. SPORTS ILLUSTRATED is a registered trademark of ABG-SI LLC. All rights reserved.