The Detroit Lions unveiled an eight-foot bronze statue of Hall of Fame running back Barry Sanders outside Ford Field on Saturday in a private event to honor one of the greatest players in NFL history.

Having become the first player in the Lions' history to receive such an honor, Sanders expressed his gratitude in a speech at the ceremony.

"You heard the saying that you give a person their flowers while they're around," he said. "I don't plan on going anywhere any time soon. I'm just saying that saying ... but if this statue could be used with that analogy, then I would have to say this is one heck of a bouquet for me, so thanks a lot. I appreciate it."

Having played 10 seasons in the NFL, all in Detroit, Sanders tallied 15,269 rushing yards for 99 touchdowns with 3,062 carries in 153 games. He never missed the Pro Bowl or the All-Pro (six-time First-team and four-time Second-team) and was a two-time NFL Offensive Player of the Year as well as four-time rushing yards leader. He was the NFL Most Valuable Player in 1997, selected into the 1990s All-Decade Team and the 100th Anniversary All-Time Team.

The statue was made by artists Omri Amrany and Lou Cella of Fine Art Studio Rotblatt Amrany, which also created the Michael Jordan statue inside the United Center of the Chicago Bulls and the Magic Johnson statue outside Crypto.com Arena of the Los Angeles Lakers.

"That's amazing for anybody to get a statue," the Lions' freshman running back Jahmyr Gibbs told ESPN. "It shows that he had a big impact on Detroit, and it shows how thankful the city is for him. I'm happy. Hopefully I can get one of them one day."

The Lions upset the reigning Super Bowl champions Kansas City Chiefs 21-20 in the season opener on September 7. They will play their first home game of the season against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday. If the Lions win, it will be their first 2-0 start of the season since 2017.