As a rookie, Barnes led the Eagles in both rushing and receiving on his way to earning Pro Bowl honors. Barnes had a nose for the end zone. He totaled 2,391 yards and 20 rushing touchdowns and added eight more scores on 120 receptions during his time in Philadelphia.
“The fondest memory of everything up there is the fans,” said Barnes in a 2021 Where Are They Now? feature. “I played there for five years, but I lived there year-round for about eight years. The people were just great to me in Philadelphia.”
Barnes’ daughter said that years after the 1960 championship victory, her father’s ring was stolen from their home. She and her twin sister, Laini, worked with the Eagles to get a replacement, which they surprised him with as a Christmas gift.
Barnes played for two seasons each with Washington and Minnesota following his time in Philadelphia. He also served as an assistant coach with the Saints and the Falcons.
The toughness that served him well on the field carried over to his life after football as he was a two-time cancer survivor.
Barnes returned to Philadelphia for the 50-year reunion of the 1960 NFL Championship Team in 2010. He appreciated the love from the fans, who continued to send him cards and items to autograph in his later years.
“He never realized how people thought of these guys as the greatest ever,” Akins said. “People you wouldn’t even know would just call him and reach out to him.
“The biggest thing was the friendships that he had made there. They were lifelong. He talked to a bunch of guys on the phone for years. He enjoyed everything about Philadelphia.”
Billy Ray Barnes is survived by his twin daughters, Billi (Bibi) Akins (Todd) and Lani Barnes Baxter (Jerry); grandsons, Coty Stewart (Brittany) and Will Akins; and great-granddaughter, Aria Stewart. He was preceded in death by his mother, Lillian Daugherty Barnes, and wife, Janice Barnes.
