View source for Billy Ray Barnes

{{Short description|American football player and coach (born 1935)}}
{{Use American English|date=August 2023}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2019}}
{{for|the football coach|Bill Barnes (American football)}}
{{Infobox NFL biography
| name        = Billy Ray Barnes
| image       =
| number      = 33, 32
| position    = [[Halfback (American football)|Halfback]]
| birth_date  = {{Birth date and age|1935|5|14|mf=y}}
| birth_place = [[Landis, North Carolina]], U.S.
| height_ft   = 5
| height_in   = 11
| weight_lbs  = 201
| high_school = Landis (NC)
| college     = [[Wake Forest Demon Deacons football|Wake Forest]]
| draftyear   = 1957
| draftround  = 2
| draftpick   = 19
| pastteams   =
* [[Philadelphia Eagles]] ({{NFL Year|1957}}–{{NFL Year|1961}})
* [[Washington Redskins]] ({{NFL Year|1962}}–{{NFL Year|1963}})
* [[Minnesota Vikings]] ({{NFL Year|1965}}–{{NFL Year|1966}})
| highlights  =
* [[History of the National Football League championship|NFL champion]] ([[1960 NFL Championship Game|1960]])
* 3× [[Pro Bowl]] ([[1957 Pro Bowl|1957]]–[[1959 Pro Bowl|1959]])
* First-team [[College Football All-America Team|All-American]] ([[1956 College Football All-America Team|1956]])
* [[Atlantic Coast Conference football individual awards|ACC Player of the Year]] (1956)
* First-team All-[[Atlantic Coast Conference|ACC]] ([[1956 All-Atlantic Coast Conference football team|1956]])
* Second-team All-ACC ([[1955 All-Atlantic Coast Conference football team|1955]])
* [[College World Series]] champion ([[1975 NCAA Division I baseball tournament|1955]])
* [[Wake Forest Demon Deacons football#Retired jerseys|Wake Forest Demon Deacons Jersey No. 33]] retired
| pfr         = B/BarnBi00 
}}
'''Billy Ray Barnes ''' (born May 14, 1935) is an American former professional [[American football|football]] player who was a [[halfback (American football)|halfback]] in the [[National Football League]] (NFL). He played [[college football]] and [[College baseball|baseball]] for the [[Wake Forest Demon Deacons football|Wake Forest Demon Deacons]]. He was a three-time [[Pro Bowl]] selection in the NFL.  After his playing career, he became a coach.

==Early life==
Barnes' sports career began at Landis High School where he was a three sport star ([[baseball]], football and [[basketball]]) and led his 1953 football team to an undefeated season. The school's football stadium, now serving Corriher-Lipe Middle School, is named in his honor.

==College career==
In the fall of 1953, Barnes enrolled at [[Wake Forest University]].

Barnes made the freshman team in 1953 and the varsity team the following year.  As a junior in 1955, he led the team in rushing, punt returns, kickoff returns, pass interceptions and pass receptions, setting the [[Atlantic Coast Conference|ACC]] record in pass receptions (31) and yards out of the backfield (349).  After the 1955 football season ended, he joined the baseball team at [[third base]] where he hit .319, led the league in stolen bases (17) and helped Wake Forest win the 1955 [[College World Series|National Baseball Championship]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ncshof.org/inductees_search.php |title=North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame &#124; Raleigh, NC |accessdate=November 2, 2011 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110928200031/http://www.ncshof.org/inductees_search.php |archivedate=September 28, 2011 }}</ref>

In 1956, Barnes became the first player in the ACC to rush for more than 1,000 yards in a single season when he rushed for 1,010 yards.  He was the second leading rusher in the nation, an [[All-America]]n and 1956 ACC Player of the Year.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.theacc.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/102709aab.html |title=2009 ACC Football Legends: Billy Ray Barnes, Wake Forest - the Official Athletic Site of the Atlantic Coast Conference |website=www.theacc.com |access-date=6 June 2022 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120911092357/http://www.theacc.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/102709aab.html |archive-date=11 September 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref> In 2009, he was inducted into the ACC Football Championship Game Legends Class.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.theacc.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/090209aab.html |title=ACC Announces 2009 Football Championship Game Legends Class - the Official Athletic Site of the Atlantic Coast Conference |access-date=November 2, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121012000229/http://www.theacc.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/090209aab.html |archive-date=October 12, 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Professional career==
Barnes was [[NFL draft|drafted]] in the second round of the [[1957 NFL draft]] by the [[Philadelphia Eagles]].  He made the [[Pro Bowl]] his first three years in the league (1957–1959) and was a key member of the backfield during the [[1960 NFL Championship Game]].  During the title game against the [[Green Bay Packers]], Barnes ran the ball 13 times for 42 yards.  He had a nine-yard run and key 13-yard pass reception on the game-winning drive, and blocked Packer [[defensive end]] [[Bill Quinlan]] that helped [[Ted Dean]] to score the winning [[touchdown]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.profootballresearchers.org/Coffin_Corner/18-03-651.pdf |title=Archived copy |accessdate=November 2, 2011 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120511105114/http://www.profootballresearchers.org/Coffin_Corner/18-03-651.pdf |archivedate=May 11, 2012 }}</ref>

Following the 1961 season, Barnes was traded to the [[Washington Redskins]] for [[center (American football)|center]] [[Jim Schrader]].  He had two good seasons with the Redskins, leading the team in rushing in 1962.  Barnes was cut by the Redskins before the start of the 1963 season because of an injury he sustained during the pre-season.

In 1965, Barnes returned to the Eagles as a [[free agent]], but was traded to the [[Minnesota Vikings]] for a draft choice before the season began.  Barnes retired following the 1966 season, and became head coach of the [[Continental Football League]]'s [[Charleston Rockets]] in 1968.  He eventually became an assistant coach in the NFL, and served as [[Norm Van Brocklin]]'s backfield coach for the [[Atlanta Falcons]].

Barnes was inducted into the Wake Forest University Hall of Fame in 1975 and the [[North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame]] in 1979.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ncshof.org/inductees_search.php |title=North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame &#124; Raleigh, NC |accessdate=November 2, 2011 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110928200031/http://www.ncshof.org/inductees_search.php |archivedate=September 28, 2011 }}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{Atlantic Coast Conference football Player of the Year navbox}}
{{Eagles1957DraftPicks}}
{{1960 Philadelphia Eagles}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Barnes, Billy Ray}}
[[Category:1935 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:American football running backs]]
[[Category:Atlanta Falcons coaches]]
[[Category:Continental Football League coaches]]
[[Category:Minnesota Vikings players]]
[[Category:Philadelphia Eagles players]]
[[Category:Wake Forest Demon Deacons football players]]
[[Category:Washington Redskins players]]
[[Category:Eastern Conference Pro Bowl players]]
[[Category:People from Landis, North Carolina]]
[[Category:Players of American football from Rowan County, North Carolina]]