Wake Forest Sports Hall of Fame
- Induction:
- 1975
Billy Ray "Bullet" Barnes first came to prominence in 1955, when he led the ACC and placed third nationally with 31 pass receptions. His dynamic athletic ability and intense competitive spirit helped pave the way for his selection in 1956 as the team captain.
Barnes then led the ACC in rushing in 1956 with 1,010 yards, becoming the first player in ACC history to rush for more than 1,000 yards in a single season and earning Player of the Year honors in the league. In that same year, he was named to the Look Magazine All-America team.
Barnes' success did not stop on the football field; he was also an accomplished baseball player for the Demon Deacons. As a third baseman, Barnes recorded the last out of the 1955 College World Series as Wake Forest defeated Western Michigan 7-6 in the title game and won the first NCAA championship in any sport by an ACC school. It remains the league's only College World Series championship.
A first team All-ACC pick in 1956 and 1957, Barnes recorded batting averages of .319 and .310, respectively.
Only five days after completing his college football career, Barnes was the second-round choice of the Philadelphia Eagles in the 1957 NFL draft, which was actually held on Nov. 27, 1956. He didn't sign immediately, however. He played the 1957 baseball season for the Deacs, graduated and then became an Eagle.
He embarked on an impressive nine-year playing career that included 3,421 yards in rushing, 1,786 more in receiving, 38 total touchdowns and three Pro Bowl appearances.
In the 1960 NFL championship game, Barnes contributed a key run, catch and block on the game-winning drive as the Eagles defeated the Green Bay Packers 17-13.
Barnes played two seasons each for Washington and Minnesota but remained active in the game as an assistant coach for the Atlanta Falcons.
Barnes, whose jersey number, 33, was retired after his senior season, graduated as Wake's record-holder for rushing yardage (1,607), and he's still 14th on the chart. Barnes was chosen for the Wake Forest Hall of Fame in 1975.
