Emery Barnes - Football

Emery Barnes created a legacy as an athlete and social leader in both Oregon and Canada that will last.

Born in 1929, Barnes was raised in Louisiana and then Oregon, where he played football and ran track and field at Jefferson High School. He set the state high school record in the high jump in 1948 at 6-foot-2½ inches, a record that stood until 1960.

Barnes moved to the University of Oregon in 1950 as both a 6-foot-6 defensive end on the football team and international-caliber high jumper.

In 1952, he shared the NCAA title in the high jump by clearing 6-8, then set a personal best of 6-9¾ in the AAU national championships. Barnes missed clearing the world record of 6-11, but earned a spot as an alternate on the U.S. team for the 1952 Olympic Summer Games. In the fall, Barnes was voted to the all-Pacific Coast Conference team at defensive end, and he was team captain for the ’53 season.

The Green Bay Packers drafted Barnes 18th overall in 1954, but he served two years in the military before joining the team. Barnes played just two games for the Packers in 1956, before moving to Canada.

Barnes revived his career with the British Columbia Lions from 1962-64, playing on the Grey Cup champions in his final season. Barnes then moved to social work and found his way into politics in 1972, when he was the first person of color to be elected to a legislative position in British Columbia.

Barnes was re-elected four times and served as Speaker of the Legislature from 1994-96. He died of cancer in 1998 at age 68.

 Vancover, B.C., honored Barnes’ legacy by officially opening Emery Barnes Park in 2003. He was inducted to the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame in 1986 and the University of  Oregon Sports Hall of Fame in 2008.