Lemuel Joseph Barney is an American former professional football player who was a cornerback for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League.
27 Facts About Lem Barney
2.
Lem Barney was drafted by Detroit and played for the Lions as a cornerback, return specialist, and punter from 1967 to 1977.
3.
Lem Barney was selected as the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year in 1967, played in seven Pro Bowls, and was selected as a first-team All-NFL player in 1968 and 1969.
4.
Lem Barney was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1992.
5.
Lem Barney has been inducted into the Detroit Lions Hall of Fame, the Jackson State Sports Hall of Fame, the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame, and the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame.
6.
Lem Barney attended the 33rd Avenue High School in Gulfport.
7.
Lem Barney played at the quarterback position for his high school football team.
8.
Lem Barney played college football for the Jackson State Tigers football team from 1964 to 1966 under head coach Rod Paige.
9.
Lem Barney had 26 career interceptions at Jackson State, including nine in 1965 and 11 in 1966.
10.
Lem Barney had punt averages of 41.7 and 42.5 in those two seasons.
11.
Lem Barney was an All-Southwestern Athletic Conference selection three straight years.
12.
Lem Barney was selected as an All-American by Ebony magazine and the Pittsburgh Courier.
13.
Lem Barney was selected by the Detroit Lions in the second round, 34th overall pick, of the 1967 NFL Draft.
14.
On September 17,1967, in the first quarter of his first NFL game, Lem Barney intercepted the first pass thrown in his direction by Bart Starr and returned it 24 yards for a touchdown.
15.
Lem Barney went on to be selected to seven Pro Bowls and was selected as a first-team All-NFL player in 1968 and 1969.
16.
Lem Barney returned 143 punts for 1,312 yards and three touchdowns as well as 50 kickoff returns for 1,274 yards, including a 98-yard return for touchdown.
17.
In March 1978, as part of a wiretap investigation into international drug smuggling, Lem Barney's voice was heard allegedly discussing cocaine and amphetamines.
18.
Lem Barney was officially released by the Lions in February 1979.
19.
Lem Barney is an accomplished singer who began singing with choirs in his youth and college.
20.
Lem Barney befriended Motown recording artist Marvin Gaye, when Gaye unsuccessfully tried out for the Lions in 1970.
21.
In 2015, Lem Barney was invited to sing the national anthem at the Pro Football Hall of Fame induction ceremony.
22.
Lem Barney had a brief acting career, beginning with a self-portrayal in the 1968 comedy, Paper Lion.
23.
Lem Barney worked in the 1980s as a football broadcaster on BET and on pre-season games for the Detroit Lions.
24.
In March 1993, after his car crashed into a guardrail on a Detroit freeway, Lem Barney was arrested and charged with driving under the influence and possession of cocaine and marijuana.
25.
Lem Barney was found not guilty of the drug charges following a jury trial in 1994.
26.
Lem Barney held a public relations post at the Detroit Medical Center starting in 2006.
27.
Also in 2013, Lem Barney publicly declared that, in light of revelations about brain injuries resulting from football, he would not play football if he had the chance to live his life over again and predicted that the game of football would be gone in another 20 years.