Gary Wayne Barbaro (born February 11, 1954) is an American former 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

safety Safety is the state of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings The word 'safety' entered the English language in the 1 ...

for seven seasons in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL) from 1976 to 1982 and one season in the

United States Football League The United States Football League (USFL) was a professional American football league that played for three seasons, 1983 through 1985. The league played a spring/summer schedule in each of its active seasons. The 1986 season was scheduled to be ...

(USFL) in 1984. He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the

Nicholls Colonels The Nicholls Colonels are the 15 teams representing Nicholls State University, a university in Louisiana, in intercollegiate athletics. The Colonels compete in the NCAA Division I and the Colonels football team competes in the NCAA Division I F ...

and was selected in the third round of the

1976 NFL draft The 1976 NFL draft was an annual player selection meeting held April 8–9, 1976, at the Roosevelt Hotel in New York City, New York. The draft lasted 17 rounds, with the expansion Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Seattle Seahawks making the first two ...

by the

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division. Established in 1959 ...

. He had 39 career

interception In Ball game, ball-playing Competitive sport, competitive team sports, an interception or pick is a move by a player involving a pass of the ball—whether by foot or hand, depending on the rules of the sport—in which the ball is intended for ...

s and was selected to participate in three

Pro Bowl The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (since 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's All-star, star players. The format has changed ...

College career

Barbaro played just one year of high school football at East Jefferson High School in

Metarie, Louisiana Metairie ( ) is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, United States, and is part of the New Orleans metropolitan area. With a population of 143,507 in 2020, Metairie is the largest communit ...

, instead spending most of his high school years playing trombone in the marching and jazz band. In 1971, he was recruited to play college football at

Nicholls State University Nicholls State University is a public university in Thibodaux, Louisiana. Founded in 1948, Nicholls is part of the University of Louisiana System. Originally named Francis T. Nicholls Junior College, the university is named for Francis T. Nichol ...

, which had recently added football that year. Originally a

quarterback The quarterback (QB) is a position in gridiron football who are members of the offensive side of the ball and mostly line up directly behind the Lineman (football), offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually consider ...

, Barbaro suffered from a sore arm and switched over to

defensive back In gridiron football, defensive backs (DBs), also called the secondary, are the players on the defensive side of the ball who play farthest back from the line of scrimmage. They are distinguished from the other two sets of defensive players, the ...

in his junior year. He was named All-Conference in 1975, helping Nicholls State to an 8–2 record and being selected to play in the

Senior Bowl The Senior Bowl is a post-season college football all-star game played annually in late January or early February in Mobile, Alabama, which showcases the best NFL Draft prospects of those players who have completed their college eligibility. Pr ...

. He is a member of the school's Athletic Hall of Fame and the

Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame The Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame (LHOF) is an hall of fame exhibit that honors the accomplishments of athletes, coaches and other sports figures in the U.S. state of Louisiana. Located in a facility in the downtown historic district of the city ...

Professional career

Barbaro was selected by the

in the third round of the

, becoming the first player in Nicholls State history ever to be selected in the NFL Draft. Replacing previous starter Mike Sensibaugh, Barbaro was mentored by defensive backs coach

Tom Bettis Thomas William Bettis (March 17, 1933 – February 28, 2015) was an American professional football player and coach in the National Football League (NFL). He played for nine seasons as a linebacker. Bettis played college football for the Purdue ...

, who taught him how to become a more efficient free safety. The 6-foot-4, 200-pound Barbaro spent seven seasons with the Chiefs, earning

honors following the 1980, 1981, and 1982 seasons. In 1976, Barbaro was named second-team All-NFL rookie team and won the Mack Lee Hill Award for best rookie in the Chiefs organization. In 1977, he had eight interceptions and led the NFL in

return yards with 165, 102 of which he set in a December 1977 game against the Seattle Seahawks. That day, Barbaro intercepted a pass thrown by

Jim Zorn James Arthur Zorn (born May 10, 1953) is an American former professional football player and coach. Zorn was a left-handed quarterback, and is best known as the starting quarterback of the Seattle Seahawks for their first eight seasons. He was ...

in the end zone and returned it 102 yards for a touchdown, which, at the time broke an NFL record and is currently the Chiefs single-game record for longest interception return. In 1979, Barbaro intercepted seven passes and was the first ever honoree of the Kansas City Chiefs Most Valuable Player award. In 1980, he finished second in the league in interceptions with 10, behind

Lester Hayes Lester Craig Hayes (born January 22, 1955) is an American former professional football player who was a cornerback for the Oakland / Los Angeles Raiders of the National Football League (NFL). Hayes shares the all-time club record for regular-sea ...

's 13, and was named second-team 1980 All-NFL by

The Sporting News ''The Sporting News'' is a website and former magazine publication owned by Sporting News Holdings, which is a U.S.-based sports media company formed in December 2020 by a private investor consortium. It was originally established in 1886 as a ...

and second-team All-Pro by the

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...

. In 1981 Barbaro had five interceptions for 134 yards while he was named first team All-Pro by the

Pro Football Writers Association The Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA), sometimes known as Pro Football Writers Association, is an organization that purports to be " heofficial voice of pro football writers, promoting and fighting for access to NFL personnel to best serve ...

. In November 1983, after sitting out the entire NFL season in a contract dispute, Barbaro signed a three-year contract with the

New Jersey Generals The New Jersey Generals were a franchise of the United States Football League (USFL) established in 1982 to begin play in the spring and summer of 1983. The team played three seasons from 1983 to 1985, winning 31 regular season games and losing ...

of the

USFL The United States Football League (USFL) was a professional American football league that played for three seasons, 1983 through 1985. The league played a spring/summer schedule in each of its active seasons. The 1986 season was scheduled to be ...

. In his only USFL season (1984), he was named to ''The Sporting News'' USFL All-Star Team. Barbaro tore his ACL in his left knee earlier in the season and missed four games, came back to play in the Generals' July 1984 USFL playoff loss to the Philadelphia Stars where he further injured the knee, ending his career. In seven NFL seasons (1976–1982), Barbaro intercepted 39 passes, currently the fourth highest total in Chiefs history while his 771 career interception yards is second all-time, behind

Hall of Famer A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actual halls or muse ...

Emmitt Thomas Emmitt Earl Thomas (born June 3, 1943) is an American former professional football player and coach in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at the now defunct Bishop College. He played professionally as a cornerback for ...

. He participated in every eligible game, 101 consecutive games in total, during his career.

Retirement and personal life

Barbaro currently resides in Metarie, Louisiana where he works in the food service industry and is a uniform inspector in every

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. Since 1975, the team ...

home football game. On September 29, 2013, Barbaro became the 43rd member named to the Chiefs Hall of Fame by Chiefs chairman

Clark Hunt Clark Knobel Hunt (born February 19, 1965) is an American billionaire and businessman as well as a scion of the wealthy Hunt family. He currently serves as chairman and CEO of the National Football League (NFL)'s Kansas City Chiefs, Major League ...

References

External links

USFL bio
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Barbaro, Gary 1954 births Living people American football defensive backs East Jefferson High School alumni Kansas City Chiefs players New Jersey Generals players Nicholls Colonels football players American Conference Pro Bowl players Players of American football from New Orleans