Eagles legend Billy Ray Barnes dies at age 90
Barnes was a member of the Eagles’ 1960 championship team.
Eagles legend Billy Ray Barnes, the three-time Pro Bowl halfback, who aided in the team’s 1960 NFL Championship, died on Wednesday in his hometown of Landis, N.C.
He was 90.
Mr. Barnes was a second-round selection in the 1957 NFL draft out of Wake Forest and spent five seasons in Philadelphia.
“He was 90 and had a fabulous life,” said Mr. Barnes’ daughter, Billi Barnes Akins, via statement.
In his first year, Mr. Barnes led the Eagles in both rushing and receiving. He would go on to end his career in Philly with 2,391 yards and 20 rushing touchdowns, and had eight more scores on 120 receptions.
Mr. Barnes had stints in Washington (1962-63) and Minnesota (1965-66). After his playing career, he served as an assistant coach with the Saints and Falcons.
He was inducted into the Wake Forest Hall of Fame in 1975 following his stellar college career, where he earned All-America honors, and in 1956, became the first player in the Atlantic Coast Conference to rush for more than 1,000 yards in a single season.
Mr. Barnes returned to Philadelphia in 2010 for the 50-year reunion of the 1960 NFL championship team.
“The biggest thing was the friendships that he had made there,” Akins said. “They were lifelong. He talked to a bunch of guys on the phone for years. He enjoyed everything about Philadelphia.”