5/8/08

FORMER TIGER JUSTIN SANDERS SIGNS WITH LIONS
Becomes 3rd Player From '05 NEMCC Tigers In NFL

BOONEVILLE, Miss.--Following free-agent signings by former Northeast Mississippi Community College football players Bruce Hall (Buffalo Bills), and Chris Bradwell (Tampa Bay Buccaneers), defensive back Justin Sanders (Pearl) becomes the third player off NEMCC’s 2005 team to sign a free-agent contract with an NFL team. The Detroit Lions inked Sanders on Wednesday, May 7.

After a stellar two-year career at Northeast that culminated with an undefeated season and Pilgrim’s Pride Bowl appearance in 2005, the Pearl, Miss., native played his junior and senior seasons for Coach Ron Zook at the University of Illinois. Sanders recorded 57 tackles, four tackles for losses, one sack, one interception, and three forced fumbles as senior in 2007, a season that ended in a trip to the Rose Bowl for Sanders’ Fighting Illini.

“Justin will have a great NFL career, there’s no question,” said NEMCC head football coach Andy Greening. “He makes the third guy off that ’05 team that’s signed with an NFL team in the last week, and with talent and leadership like that it’s no wonder we had so much success that year.”

As a sophomore for Northeast in 2005, Sanders recorded 23 tackles, one tackle for loss, one sack, three passes broken up, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery.

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