Members
Inductee
BARNES, ERICH
BARNES, ERICH
Born on July 4, 1935
Elkhart, IN
April 29, 2022
Inducted On
August 23, 1986
Location Inducted
South Bend, IN
Region Number
2
Elkhart
Player
Elkhart
1954
Three-year starter and letterman in football, basketball, and track; All-State Defensive Back, All-Northern Indiana Conference Back, and leading scorer 1954; anchored State Mile Relay Championship Team and 2nd in State Final 880-yard run 1954; played forward on State Finalist basketball team 1954.
Purdue University
1958
Three-year starter as offensive end and halfback; teamed with Lenny Dawson to set two Big Ten records at that time for a 95 yard scoring pass and run.
Honored with an Erich Barnes Day by the Elkhart community August 28, 1971; retired from NFL after the 1971 season and became a special-events consultant in New York City; now retired from business, remains active in the NFL Alumni Association and the NFL Players Association.
Professional Athletic Background: Drafted fourth by Chicago Bears and played there 1958-1960; traded to New York Giants 1961 and remained there through 1964; traded to Cleveland Browns in 1965 and played there until 1971; one of very few NFL players named All-Pro with each team he was with; named All-Pro six times