Fact Check: Is Barry Sanders related to Deion Sanders?

Barry Sanders and Deion Sanders do share the same last name, that is true. As a result, don't be surprised when people assume these two former NFL greats are somewhat related. But we're going to settle that question here.

So, is Barry Sanders related to Deion Sanders? Why don't you read on and find out? P.S., though: don't be disappointed if it doesn't turn out the way you hoped.

Is Barry Sanders related to Deion Sanders?

No, he's not. As previously mentioned, the two NFL legends only share a last name, but they're not related at all.

Here are a few more bits of information to further prove that these two great athletes are far apart. Barry Sanders was born on July 16, 1968, in Wichita, Kansas to parents William and Shirley Sanders according to the 2008 book written on Barry Sanders by author Samuel Willard Crompton. Deion Sanders, on the other hand, was born on August 9, 1967, in Fort Myers, Florida to parents Connie and Mims Sanders.

Wichita, Kansas is over 1,500 miles away from Fort Myers, Florida. So, there is no way that Barry and Deion Sanders are related.

Barry and Deion Sanders' actual siblings

Now that we've put this question to bed, let's take a look at the actual siblings of the two football legends.

Barry has one known older brother, Byron, who was himself a football player. In a report by KSN back in 2018, the elder Sanders sibling was mentioned as an athletics trainer who has been teaching young kids for roughly 20 years.

Aside from him, though, there is no immediately accessible information on the names of Barry Sanders' other siblings--there were 10 of them in the Sanders' Wichita household in total as per the KSN report. One site, SportsLulu, lists some names like Lynn, Nancy, and Boyd, but there is no quick way to verify the accuracy of this information.

As for Coach Prime, he also has one known sibling: his sister Tracie Knight. She lives life mostly out of the limelight, but she does get mentioned from time to time by her brother online. Here's one Instagram post from Sanders wishing his sister a happy birthday, while also calling her by the nickname "Barks":

This question is only the latest in a series that basically almost always links anyone with the surname "Sanders" to Coach Prime. Recently, Alabama player Trey Sanders has been linked to the Colorado head tactician, but he's also clearly not related to him at all.