Barry Word

Last updated

Barry Word
No. 34, 23, 32
Position: Running back
Personal information
Born: (1964-01-17) January 17, 1964 (age 60)
Long Island, Virginia, U.S.
Height:6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight:225 lb (102 kg)
Career information
High school: Halifax County (VA)
College: Virginia
NFL draft: 1986  / round: 3 / pick: 62
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Rushing yards:2,897
Average:4.1
Receptions:30
Receiving yards:280
Total touchdowns:16
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Barry Quentin Word (born July 17, 1964) is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL).

Contents

College career

Word played college football at the University of Virginia. In 1985, he ran for 1224 yards, which is currently the fifth most rushing yards total put up by a Virginia Cavaliers running back. Also in 1985, Word was the Atlantic Coast Conference player of the year.

College statistics

Legend
BoldCareer high
Regular season
YearTeamGamesRushingReceiving
GPAttYdsAvgTDRecYdsAvgTD
1982 Virginia 7432265.32000.00
1983 Virginia 8502044.13815719.61
1984 Virginia 101056035.7610757.50
1985 Virginia 112071,2245.9611766.90
364052,2575.6172930810.61

Professional career

Barry Word was selected in the third round, 62nd overall, by the New Orleans Saints in the 1986 NFL draft. [1] Shortly after being drafted, he and two other Virginia athletes were indicted on cocaine distribution charges. The Saints did not offer a contract to Word after his indictment but retained his football rights. [2] Word pleaded guilty, but his willingness to cooperate and his limited involvement in the case meant he only received 5 months in prison. [3] After Word's release from prison in March 1987, he signed a three-year contract with the Saints and ran for 133 yards as a halfback in his rookie year. In 1988, however, he fell to third-string running back for the Saints behind Rueben Mayes and Dalton Hilliard, two running backs drafted by the Saints the prior year. Unhappy with being shifted from running back to halfback, Word walked away from the Saints after two games in 1988. He then had unsuccessful attempts to join the Dallas Cowboys later in 1988 and with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1989. [4] He was finally signed by the Kansas City Chiefs before the start of the 1990 season.

Word had a career year in 1990, rushing for 1015 yards on 204 carries, garnering NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award for his performance. He split carries with Christian Okoye during the 1990 season as well as the next two years. At the start of the 1994 season Word was traded to the Minnesota Vikings and he ran for 847 yards on 142 carries. He was signed by the Cardinals at the start of the 1994 season, but only played one game for them and did not have a rushing attempt. This was to be the last time he took the field in the NFL as he retired after the game. He has said that being able to retire early is not a bad thing, and said as much to Tiki Barber when Barber was set to retire concluding the 2006 season. [5]

NFL career statistics

Legend
BoldCareer high

Regular season

YearTeamGamesRushingReceiving
GPGSAttYdsAvgLngTDRecYdsAvgLngTD
1987 NOR 121361333.72026549.0170
1988 NOR 20000.000000.000
1990 KAN 1632041,0155.05344287.0100
1991 KAN 1631606844.33742136.580
1992 KAN 12111636073.74449808.9220
1993 MIN 1381424583.2142910511.7270
1994 ARI 10000.000000.000
72267052,8974.15316302809.3270

Playoffs

YearTeamGamesRushingReceiving
GPGSAttYdsAvgLngTDRecYdsAvgLngTD
1987 NOR 10000.000000.000
1990 KAN 119131.450000.000
1991 KAN 22481803.8231188.080
1992 KAN 10242.030000.000
53591973.3231188.080

Personal life

He now lives in Haymarket, Virginia and owns SpeedPro Imaging of Centreville, a wide-formating printing company.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barry Sanders</span> American football player (born 1968)

Barry Sanders is an American former professional football running back who played for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons. Sanders led the league in rushing yards four times and in rushing touchdowns once, establishing himself as one of the most elusive runners in the history of the NFL with his quickness and agility, despite being only 5 ft 8 in tall and weighing 203 lbs. Sanders played college football for the Oklahoma State Cowboys. As a junior in 1988, he compiled what is widely considered the greatest individual season by a running back in college football history, rushing for 2,628 yards and 37 touchdowns in 11 games. He won the Heisman Trophy and was unanimously recognized as an All-American.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roger Craig (American football)</span> American football player (born 1960)

Roger Timothy Craig is an American former football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL). He played for the San Francisco 49ers, Los Angeles Raiders and Minnesota Vikings. Craig went to four Pro Bowls and won three Super Bowls with the 49ers. Craig was the first NFL player to have 1,000 yards rushing and receiving in the same season. Marshall Faulk and Christian McCaffrey are the only other players to have accomplished that feat. He currently works as the VP of Business Development at TIBCO Software.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thurman Thomas</span> American football player (born 1966)

Thurman Lee Thomas is an American former professional football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons, primarily with the Buffalo Bills. He played college football for the Oklahoma State Cowboys. Thomas was selected by the Bills in the second round of the 1988 NFL draft, where he spent all but one season of his professional career. He spent his final NFL year as a member of the Miami Dolphins in 2000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tiki Barber</span> American football player (born 1975)

Atiim Kiambu "Tiki" Barber Sr is an American former professional football running back who spent his entire 10-year career with the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Virginia Cavaliers. Barber was selected by the Giants in the second round of the 1997 NFL draft. Barber retired from the NFL at the end of the 2006 NFL postseason as the Giants' all-time rushing and reception leader. He is one of only four players with 5,000 rushing yards and 5,000 receiving yards. Barber was inducted into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame in 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eric Dickerson</span> American football player (born 1960)

Eric Demetric Dickerson is an American former professional football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons. Dickerson played college football for the Mustangs of Southern Methodist University and was recognized as an All-American. He was selected second overall in the 1983 NFL draft by the Los Angeles Rams, and later played for the Indianapolis Colts, Los Angeles Raiders, and Atlanta Falcons. During his NFL career, he rushed for over 13,000 yards. He holds the NFL's single-season rushing record with 2,105 yards, set in 1984. Dickerson was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1999 and, in 2019, was named to the NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest running backs of all time. He wore prescription goggles throughout his career due to myopia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Julius Jones (American football)</span> American football player (born 1981)

Julius Andre Maurice Jones is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Jones was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the second round of the 2004 NFL draft. He also played in the NFL for the Seattle Seahawks and the New Orleans Saints.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bill Dudley</span> American football player (1921–2010)

William McGarvey Dudley, nicknamed "Bullet Bill", was an American professional football halfback, safety and return specialist who played in the National Football League (NFL) for the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Detroit Lions, and the Washington Redskins. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1966 and the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame in 1972.

Barry Foster is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Arkansas Razorbacks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mercury Morris</span> American football player (1947–2024)

Eugene Edward "Mercury" Morris was an American professional football player who was a running back and kick returner. He played for eight years, primarily for the Miami Dolphins, in the American Football League (AFL) as a rookie in 1969 then in the American Football Conference (AFC) following the 1970 merger with the National Football League (NFL).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joe Morris (American football)</span> American football player (born 1960)

Joseph Edward Morris is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for the New York Giants from 1982 to 1988. Initially noted for his diminutive stature — 5' 7", Morris was a key member of the Giants team that won Super Bowl XXI in 1987. He rushed for 67 yards, caught four passes for 20 yards, and scored a touchdown in the game.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marion Barber III</span> American football player (1983–2022)

Marion Sylvester Barber III was an American professional football player who was a running back for seven seasons in the National Football League (NFL). After playing college football for the Minnesota Golden Gophers, he was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the fourth round of the 2005 NFL draft. He was selected to the Pro Bowl in 2007 during his six-year tenure with the Cowboys. He played for the Chicago Bears in 2011.

Terry Gayle Kirby is an American former professional football player who was a running back for 10 seasons in the National Football League (NFL) from 1993 to 2002. Standing 6'1", he played college football for the Virginia Cavaliers. He is the younger brother of former Major League Baseball player Wayne Kirby. Co Owner of Ultimate Sports Institute in Weston, Florida and now is a coach for the Weston Warriors. He also won the Superhole III cornhole champion in 2022

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rodney Culver</span> American football player (1969–1996)

Rodney Dwayne Culver was an American professional football player who was a running back for four seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Culver played in the NFL for the Indianapolis Colts and San Diego Chargers. Over his NFL career, he played in 43 games, rushed for 689 yards on 241 carries and ran for 12 touchdowns.

David Arthur Overstreet was an American professional football player who was a running back in the Canadian Football League (CFL) and National Football League (NFL). He played college football for coach Barry Switzer and the Oklahoma Sooners as a halfback out of the wishbone offense.

Roland Harper is a former professional American football player who played running back for eight seasons for the Chicago Bears. He was selected in the 17th and final round of the 1975 draft from Louisiana Tech. He was a starting fullback known in his playing days as a punishing blocker who opened holes in opposing defenses for star halfback Walter Payton. Harper ranks sixth on the Bears' all-time rushing list with 3,044 yards and 15 TDs on 757 carries in seven seasons. Harper was inducted into the Louisiana Tech University Athletic Hall of Fame in 1986.

Undra Jerome Johnson is an American former professional football running back in the National Football League (NFL) for the Atlanta Falcons, New Orleans Saints, and Dallas Cowboys.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anthony Thomas (American football)</span> American football player and coach (born 1977)

Anthony “A-Train” Thomas is an American former professional football player who was a running back for seven seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Michigan Wolverines from 1997 to 2000, breaking their career rushing record at the time with a four-year total of 4,472 yards. As a senior he rushed for 1,733 yards with 18 touchdowns, and was selected as a first-team All-Big Ten running back.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jason Snelling</span> American football player (born 1983)

Jason Michael Snelling is a former American football running back. He played his entire career with the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Falcons in the seventh round of the 2007 NFL draft. He played college football at Virginia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anthony Dixon</span> American football player (born 1987)

Anthony Rishard "Boobie" Dixon is a former American football running back. He was selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the sixth round of the 2010 NFL draft. He played college football for Mississippi State University, where he holds multiple school rushing records.

Darren Lewis, nicknamed "Tank", was an American professional football player who was a running back for three seasons with the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL) in the early 1990s. He played college football for the Texas A&M Aggies and was a consensus All-American in 1990. He was a sixth-round selection by the Bears in the 1991 NFL draft.

References

  1. "1986 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
  2. "Barry Word, Now Getting 2nd Chance, Trying to be a Saint". Los Angeles Times . May 3, 1987.
  3. "SPORTS PEOPLE; Virginia Star Pleads". The New York Times . July 30, 1986. Retrieved October 3, 2009.
  4. Alan Eskew (October 16, 1990). "WORD FULL SPEED AHEAD IN DRIVE TO SUCCEED". The Washington Post . Washington, D.C. ISSN   0190-8286. OCLC   1330888409.
  5. "Barber has no regrets about hanging them up". Archived from the original on December 2, 2008. Retrieved January 1, 2007.