Eppie L. Barney Jr. (March 20, 1944 – January 21, 2004) was an American professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

player who was a

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for the

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of the

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(NFL). He played

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for the

Iowa State Cyclones The Iowa State Cyclones are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Iowa State University, located in Ames. The university is a member of the Big 12 Conference and competes in NCAA Division I, fielding 16 varsity teams (6 men's and 1 ...

.Eppie Barney NFL & AFL Football Statistics - Pro-Football-Reference.com
/ref> Eppie solidified himself as one of the finest receivers in

Iowa State University Iowa State University of Science and Technology (Iowa State University, Iowa State, or ISU) is a Public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Ames, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1858 as the Iowa Agricult ...

history during his tenure from 1964 to 1966. Barney, who switched from tailback to receiver prior to his junior season, ended his impressive career as a two-time first-team all-Big Eight pick and

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

(1966). He graduated as the Big Eight's record-holder in four receiving categories. A native of

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, Ohio, Barney was recruited by Hall of Fame coach Clay Stapleton to succeed All-American tailbacks Tom Watkins and Tom Vaughn in the Cyclones' potent single-wing attack. At 6' 2" and 203 pounds, Barney had great size and natural athletic ability. He was clocked in the 100-yard dash at 9.8 seconds and high jumped 6-4 as a freshman on the track & field team. After sitting out his freshman year under NCAA rules, Barney saw action at tailback in his sophomore campaign (1964), gaining 43 yards on 24 carries. He also contributed as a defensive back, intercepting two passes, and as a punt returner, running back six kicks for 39 yards. The Cyclones were primarily a ground-oriented squad in Stapleton's early reign as the ISU mentor. Stapleton, who switched his offense to a wing-T formation, saw enough promise in Barney to move him to the end spot for his junior campaign while incorporating more pass plays into the offense. The move wasn't completely smooth. Barney had a tendency to drop passes, but with his off-the-charts athleticism, he was a threat on every play. He still produced an outstanding year in 1965, catching 35 passes for 495 yards, good enough to lead the league in receiving while earning first-team all-Big Eight accolades. ISU went 5-4-1 that year, a significant improvement from a 1-8-1 mark the previous season. With a year at receiver, Barney was ready to take over as one of the nation's best in 1966. To achieve this goal, he needed a strong battery mate. He had one in senior quarterback

Tim Van Galder Thomas Scott "Tim" Van Galder (May 26, 1944 – January 26, 2022) was an American professional American football, football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) with the St. Louis Cardinals (NFL), St. Louis Cardina ...

, who was setting school records of his own. Van Galder and Barney teamed up to form the best pass-catching tandem in the Big Eight for the second consecutive year, as Van Galder led the league in passing (1,645 yards) and Barney paced the league in receiving (782 yards). Barney broke the ISU and Big Eight marks in single-season receiving yards (782) and receptions (56) to earn first-team all-Big Eight and second-team All-America honors in 1966. His biggest game occurred at Arizona, where he hauled in a then-Big Eight record 11 catches for 175 yards. That performance still stands as the seventh-best single-game receiving yardage effort in school history. Barney ended his career with 97 receptions, a long-standing Big Eight mark that still ranks 10th in school history. Barney participated in the Blue-Gray Bowl and Senior Bowl before getting selected in the third round of the NFL draft by his hometown

. Barney played two seasons with the Browns (1967, 1968). He caught 18 passes for 189 yards and one touchdown in 1968.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Barney, Eppie 1944 births 2004 deaths Players of American football from Birmingham, Alabama American football wide receivers Cleveland Browns players Iowa State Cyclones football players