Gary Marshall Barnes (born September 13, 1939 in Fairfax,

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...

) is a former

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

wide receiver in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

for the

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...

, the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisi ...

, the

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...

, and the

Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The Falcons joined th ...

. He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

Clemson University Clemson University () is a public land-grant research university in Clemson, South Carolina. Founded in 1889, Clemson is the second-largest university in the student population in South Carolina. For the fall 2019 semester, the university enro ...

Early years

Barnes attended Valley High School, where he practiced

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

and

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

. He spent a year at Gordon Military Academy, before accepting a scholarship from

with the intention of playing both sports. Head coach Frank Howard convinced him to just focus on football and eventually named him a starter at split end as a sophomore, registering 9 receptions for 216 yards and 3

touchdown A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone. In Ameri ...

s. He had a 68-yard touchdown reception in a 23-7 win over the seventh-ranked

Texas Christian University Texas Christian University (TCU) is a private research university in Fort Worth, Texas. It was established in 1873 by brothers Addison and Randolph Clark as the Add-Ran Male & Female College. It is affiliated with the Christian Church (Disciples ...

in the

1959 Bluebonnet Bowl The 1959 Bluebonnet Bowl was a college football postseason bowl game between the TCU Horned Frogs and the Clemson Tigers. This was the first ever Bluebonnet Bowl, a bowl game that usually featured a team from Texas against an out-of-state opponent, ...

. The next year, he posted 14 receptions for 256 yards and one touchdown. He was moved to halfback as a senior, finishing with 16 receptions for 247 yards, 8 carries for 31 yards and 3

s. In 2002, he was inducted into the Clemson University Athletic Hall of Fame. In 2005, he was inducted in the South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame.

Professional career

Green Bay Packers

Barnes was selected by the

in the third round (41st overall) of the

1962 NFL Draft The 1962 National Football League draft was held on December 4, 1961 at the Sheraton Hotel in Chicago, Illinois. The Washington Redskins used the first overall pick of the draft to select running back Ernie Davis, then subsequently traded him ...

and was also selected by the New York Titans in the ninth round (69th overall) of the

1962 AFL Draft The 1962 American Football League draft was held on December 2, 1961. With the first overall pick, the Oakland Raiders selected quarterback Roman Gabriel. Order Boston Patriots draft picks (selected sixth) Buffalo Bills draft picks (selec ...

. As a rookie, he was a backup wide receiver, appearing in 13 games with no receptions and was a member of the 1962 NFL Championship team. In

1963 Events January * January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Cov ...

, he was traded to the

in exchange for a fifth round draft choice (#60-

Duke Carlisle Emmet Augustus "Duke" Carlisle III is a former American football player who started as a quarterback and defensive back for the Texas Longhorns in the early 1960s. He was the starting quarterback on Texas' first National Championship team in 1963 ...

Dallas Cowboys

, he appeared in 12 games (3 starts), registering 15 receptions for 195 yards. On June 18,

1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 - In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patriarch ...

, he was traded to the

in exchange for

defensive end Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football. This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formation (American football), formations over the years have substantially ...

Maury Youmans.

Chicago Bears

, the

acquired Barnes for depth purposes and he only recorded 4 receptions for 61 yards. He was waived in August

1965 Events January–February * January 14 – The Prime Minister of Northern Ireland and the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland meet for the first time in 43 years. * January 20 ** Lyndon B. Johnson is Second inauguration of Lyndo ...

Philadelphia Eagles

On August 23,

, he was signed as a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

by the

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team plays ...

. He was released 7 days later on August 30.

Atlanta Falcons

, Barnes was the first player signed to a contract by the

in team history. He was asked to play for a semi-pro football team in Huntsville, to keep in shape since the franchise was still a year away from beginning play. The next season, he scored the first touchdown in Falcons history, with a 53-yard reception from quarterback

Randy Johnson Randall David Johnson (born September 10, 1963), nicknamed "The Big Unit", is an American photographer and former professional baseball pitcher who played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball (1988–2009) for six teams, primarily the Seattle M ...

during a 14–19 loss in the season opener against the

Los Angeles Rams The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division. The Rams play ...

. On November 25,

1966 Events January * January 1 – In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa takes over as military ruler of the Central African Republic, ousting President David Dacko. * January 3 – 1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état: President Maurice Yaméogo i ...

, he was released to make room for rookie Richard Koeper. Barnes was re-signed in January

1967 Events January * January 1 – Canada begins a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of Confederation, featuring the Expo 67 World's Fair. * January 5 ** Spain and Romania sign an agreement in Paris, establishing full consular and ...

. He was released on September 4,

1968 The year was highlighted by protests and other unrests that occurred worldwide. Events January–February * January 5 – "Prague Spring": Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia. * Januar ...

. Although he had an opportunity to try out for other teams, he opted to retire, finishing with 60 career games, 41 receptions for 583 yards and 2

Personal life

After football, he worked in the fiber division of

Chevron Corporation Chevron Corporation is an American multinational energy corporation. The second-largest direct descendant of Standard Oil, and originally known as the Standard Oil Company of California (shortened to Socal or CalSo), it is headquartered in S ...

. He also operated a textile business and was an investment adviser. In 1986, although he had no previous legal experience, he was asked by then-Clemson City Council member Gaston Gage to become Clemson's first full-time municipal judge. He spent 30 years in that job until retiring in 2015.

References

External links

Barnes Is A 'traveler' Even Today

From the Football Field to the Bench
{{DEFAULTSORT:Barnes, Gary 1939 births Living people People from Valley, Alabama Players of American football from Alabama American football wide receivers Clemson Tigers football players Green Bay Packers players Dallas Cowboys players Chicago Bears players Atlanta Falcons players