Post by TheShadow on Mar 12, 2007 19:44:54 GMT -5
www.raiders.com/
Have you ever wondered "Whatever Happened to..." some of your favorite all-time Raiders? The Raiders.com "Whatever Happened to..." series is back and we pick up with a look at former Raiders linebacker Jeff Barnes.
Former Raiders linebacker Jeff Barnes played for the Silver and Black from 1977 through the 1987 season. Chosen in the fifth round of the 1977 NFL Draft, he became a powerful force within the linebacker corps for the Raiders with his powerful hits and defiant attitude.
Q: When did you start playing football?
Jeff Barnes: I started playing football as a kid up in the Hayward area, playing sandlot football and playing at the YMCA. I then worked my way up to flag football, high school ball, junior college, and college.
Q: How did you become a Raider?
Jeff Barnes: I played at Cal [Berkeley] and I was drafted by the Raiders in the fifth round. Lester Hayes was 5A and I was 5B.
Q: What did it mean for you to play with the Raiders?
Jeff Barnes: It meant a lot for me, because I had grown up in the Bay Area and all my friends and family were big Raider fans. I remember when I was a kid, we would drive down [Interstate] 80 and you could see the old field where the Raiders used to play, it was called Frank Youell Field, and I could see it as a kid, it looked like high school football, but it was the Pro's and when I saw that as a kid I wanted to play with the Raiders. By then playing with the Raiders, it was like a dream come true.
Q: Is there any one moment or play that stands out in your career?
Jeff Barnes: My first year playing with the Raiders in 1977, I was on special teams. Ted Hendricks went in and blocked the ball on a punt. The ball popped up in the air, I followed the ball, I caught it and took off running for about 15 yards and there was a kicker, who was the only person between me and the goal line and I could see the kicker come at me, I thought I had enough speed to beat him, but he had the angle on me and pushed my out of bounds. I was like maybe inside the five, and we got the ball. We had a great offense at the time with Clarence Davis and Kenny Stabler so they took the ball in and that was one of the things that helped us win. We went on from that game to play the Colts and then we went in the playoffs to go on to play the Denver Broncos in Denver. We lost that one, but we almost had a chance to go to the Super Bowl my very first year, it was great. Another great play that I have was in my second year playing with the Raiders when we played the Miami Dolphins. There was [Larry] Csonka who was a great fullback for the Miami Dolphins at one time and I was in on a goal line play. Csonka came right me, I couldn't believe it. All I could see was helmet, shoulder pads, and his feet and I could see myself on the highlight getting ran over, so what I did was I just fired low and I hit him right at his shoes. He fell over me and landed on the 1 yard line and didn't go in for the touchdown. I looked up grabbed my forward and said 'shoot, I'm glad I got that guy'.
Q: Do you keep in contact with any of your former players?
Jeff Barnes: Yeah all the time. Rod Martin who was my roommate, he's working at USC and he comes up from time to time. Kenny King was in the area, who was a great running back with Raiders, Arthur Whittington, Ted Hendricks. Whenever I get a chance to see them, we go over old memories. It's just fantastic because we were the Team of the Decades, that's one thing Al Davis had said and everybody was just fantastic.
Q: Which team did you enjoy playing against the most?
Jeff Barnes: Every team was great, because that was the one thing about the Raiders, we had so many rivalries. We had the Kansas City Chiefs, the Denver Broncos, San Diego Chargers, and if you didn't come up to play for those games those guys were going to beat you. We also had the [Seattle] Seahawks and Pittsburgh Steelers, our division was the toughest division. If you couldn't win in our division, you couldn't win because those guys were fantastic. They were all great athletes.
Q: Do you attend any Raider games?
Jeff Barnes: I work with the Raiders on the Raiders Legend Show trying to help them out as much as possible. I go to the suites and talk to some of the VIP's and I'm usually there every game. It works out great, because I get to see the guys, my teammates, and talk about old times as a Raider.
Q: What are you doing now?
Jeff Barnes: I do autograph sessions all over and wherever I go I think the Raiders fans have always been number one. I will always do whatever I can for Raider fans, because they're the best fans in the whole wide world.
Q: Are there any messages you would like to pass on to Raider fans?
Jeff Barnes: When you think of the fans, and you think of the team, the Raider fans are the best man.
