![]() Check it out here.Īnd now, as they say, you know the rest of the story. John Niyo of The Detroit News gives the full account in a great piece, including interviews with Barney and Schmidt. They even both received a gold album for their work. And, by the way, Gaye returned the favor to Barney and Farr a year later, as they appeared on his now legendary album, What's Going On (you can hear their back and forth conversations in the background of the seminal title cut). Gaye didn't make the Detroit Lions, but the tryout scratched an itch for him, and created a story of a lifetime for Barney, Farr, Schmidt and the City of Detroit. While he was a good athlete, it takes a lot more than that to make a pro football team. And it became a big deal locally when he announced the upcoming tryout on television (can you imagine what social media would say today?). Gaye made a gym in his garage and bulked up, even as he began running five miles a day. And he pestered Farr and Barney to get him a tryout with the Lions, whose coach, Joe Schmidt (another Hall of Famer), ran a fairly loose training camp.Īfter weeks of talking about it, Schmidt finally relented in July of 1970 and gave Gaye a tryout. And Gaye, an avid sports fan and good athlete, was a football fanatic. In the late 60s, Gaye had become close friends with the Lions' offensive and defensive stars, running back Mel Farr and defensive back Lem Barney (a future Hall of Famer). It was the time that the great Marvin Gaye tried out for the Detroit Lions football team of the NFL. It's a story that's well known among Detroiters of a certain age, but has generally been forgotten elsewhere. ![]() One of his closest friends was already part of the team - Hall of Fame Lions. The honorees will be revealed on Friday night on the NFL Network.July 1970 - Marvin Gaye tries out for the Detroit Lions Former Detroit Lions cornerback Lem Barney was there the day Marvin Gaye almost became a Detroit Lion. ![]() Barney was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1992.įrom NFL 100, here is Barney and his stiff competition: Tackles were not an official statistic during his era, but Barney was regarded as one of the toughest corners around. The way Marvin Gaye figured it, if Lem Barney and Mel Farr of the Detroit Lions could sing with him on a landmark recording, the Motown superstar could play in the NFL. The Detroit Lions took Lem in the second round of the 1967 NFL Draft out of Jackson State University. 20 making first-team All-Pro in both 1968 (leading the league with five fumble recoveries) and 1969. Lem Barney 1970 Topps THE PLAYER ARTICLES Lemuel Jackson Barney (September 8, 1945-) (DB) intercepted the first pass throw in his direction by Hall of Fame Green Bay Packers quarterback Bart Starr and he returned it for a touchdown. The strong start earned Barney a place on the All-Decade team of the 1960s, with No. He was NFL Rookie of the Year and earned the first of his seven Pro Bowls in 11 seasons. The speedster from Jackson State led the NFL with 10 INTs in 14 games, including a league-high three pick-sixes. He’s got a fair chance at the historic recognition too.īarney’s rookie campaign in 1967 is one of the best seasons ever for any cornerback. Detroit’s great cornerback is now a finalist for one of the spots on the NFL’s All-Time team as part of the NFL 100 celebration surrounding the league’s 100th anniversary season.īarney is one of eight finalists for four spots at cornerback. The first Lions Hall of Famer to wear the iconic No. No, not Billy Sims, though he was on his way to that status before his devastating knee injury. 20 in Detroit, there was another all-time great.
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