Age: 24
(Sept. 8)
3rd
season in pro football & with Lions
College: Jackson
State
Height: 6’0” Weight: 185
Prelude:
Recruited as
a quarterback, Barney was shifted to cornerback and intercepted 26 passes in
three college seasons and received All-Southwestern Conference honors after
each. Although relatively unknown coming out of a small college, he was chosen
by the Lions in the second round of the 1967 NFL draft and moved directly into
the starting lineup with outstanding results. Barney co-led the NFL with 10
interceptions, three of which he returned for touchdowns, and also handled the
team’s punting. He received second-team All-NFL honors from the NEA and New
York Daily News, was named to the Pro Bowl, and was NFL Defensive Rookie of the
Year as chosen by the Associated Press. Barney followed up in 1968 by
intercepting another 7 passes and garnering consensus first-team All-NFL
recognition in addition to a second Pro Bowl selection. Physical as well as
fast, he was an instinctive ball hawk and excellent in man-to-man coverage.
1969 Season Summary
Appeared in 13
of 14 games
[Bracketed
numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]
Interceptions
– 8 [2, tied with Bobby Bryant]
Most
interceptions, game – 1 on eight occasions
Int. return
yards – 126 [3]
Most int.
return yards, game – 32 (on 1 int.) at Pittsburgh 9/21
Int. TDs – 0
Fumble
recoveries – 2
Kickoff
Returns
Returns – 7
Yards – 154
Average per
return – 22.0
TDs – 0
Longest
return – 32 yards
Punt Returns
Returns – 9
[20, tied with five others]
Yards – 191
[3]
Average per
return – 21.2
TDs – 1 [1,
tied with Travis Williams & Ricky Harris]
Longest
return – 74 yards
Rushing
Attempts – 3
Yards – 36
Average gain
– 12.0
TDs – 0
Punting
Punts – 66 [9]
Most punts, game
– 10 vs. Minnesota 11/27
Yards – 2249
[12]
Average – 34.1
[15]
Best average,
game – 40.0 (on 3 punts) vs. St. Louis 11/16
Punts blocked
– 1
Longest punt
– 53 yards
Scoring
TDs – 1
Points – 6
Awards &
Honors:
1st
team All-NFL: Hall of Fame, AP, PFWA, UPI, NEA, NY Daily News, Pro Football
Weekly, Sporting News
Pro Bowl
Lions went 9-4-1
to finish second in the Central Division of the NFL Western Conference while ranking
second in the league in fewest yards (3084) and fewest points (188) allowed.
Aftermath:
A contract
dispute followed by an ankle injury led to a lesser performance in 1970, and
while Barney still intercepted 7 passes, his tendency to gamble for the big
play caused him to get burned often as well. He came back to regain Pro Bowl
stature four more times in a career that lasted until 1977, all with the Lions.
Overall, Barney intercepted 56 passes, seven of which were returned for
touchdowns, and he also averaged 9.2 yards on 143 punt returns and 25.5 yards
running back 50 kickoffs. Used less as a punter, he had a 35.5-yard average on
113 kicks. Barney had 11 TDs in all, a testament to his big-play ability, and
five of them came on plays that covered over 50 yards. He was a consensus
first-team All-Pro twice, received at least second-team recognition on three
other occasions, and was named to the Pro Bowl seven times. Barney was inducted
into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Class of 1992.
--
Highlighted Years features players who were consensus
first-team All-League* selections or league* or conference** leaders in the
following statistical categories:
Rushing:
Yards, TDs (min. 10)
Passing:
Yards, Completion Pct., Yards per Attempt, TDs, Rating
Receiving:
Catches, Yards, TDs (min. 10)
Scoring: TDs,
Points, Field Goals (min. 5)
All-Purpose: Total
Yards
Defense:
Interceptions, Sacks
Kickoff
Returns: Average
Punt Returns:
Average
Punting:
Average
*Leagues
include NFL (1920 to date), AFL (1926), AFL (1936-37), AAFC (1946-49), AFL
(1960-69), WFL (1974-75), USFL (1983-85)
**NFC/AFC
since 1970
