Barnes made his NFL debut with the Bears on October 12, 1958, at the age of 23, in a 28–6 win over the San Francisco 49ers.[5] He was later traded to the New York Giants in 1961.[6] In his first season with New York, he intercepted a pass against the Dallas Cowboys and returned it 102 yards for a touchdown, setting a Giants' record and tying the then-NFL record for the longest interception return.[6][7] He also earned NFL first-team honors that year.[8] The Giants went on to face the Green Bay Packers in the 1962 NFL Championship Game, having lost 37–0 to the same team in the previous year's title game. They lost again to Lombardi's Packers on a fiercely windy and cold day in Yankee Stadium. Barnes set up the only scoring for the Giants when he blocked a punt recovered by teammate Jim Collier in the end zone in a 16–7 loss.[6][9]
After the 1964 season, the Giants traded him to the Cleveland Browns – his favorite team as a child[10] – for linebacker Mike Lucci and a 1966 third round draft pick which the Giants then traded to Detroit for quarterback Earl Morrall.[11] This trade further aggravated the demise of a once stellar Giants defense that had already lost standouts Sam Huff and Dick Modzelewski, who was also traded to the Browns and an integral component of their 1964 NFL championship team after the 1963 season.[1] During his time with the Browns, Barnes was known for standing at the goalpost (then stationed at the goal line) and blocking field goal attempts. This practice was later outlawed in the NFL.[3] He ended his career with 45 interceptions, returning seven for touchdowns.[1] During his NFL career, he was selected to the Pro Bowl six times and was an All-Pro selection four times.[2]
Legacy
Barnes was known as an aggressive, physical player.[10] In 2012, the Cleveland Plain Dealer's Mike Pettica ranked him as the No. 63 player in Browns' history (counting only what players did playing for Cleveland).[11]
The Professional Football Researchers Association named Barnes to the PRFA Hall of Very Good Class of 2013.[12]
After retiring from professional football in 1971, Barnes went on to work in the New York City area as a corporate special events planner.[1]
Personal life and death
Barnes married Violet Ward; the couple remained together until his death. Erich had three daughters ;Charissa, Djuna, and Tessa. In 1963, he appeared as one of the impostors on the panel game show To Tell the Truth, claiming to be a sentinel at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.[4][15]
Barnes died on April 29, 2022, at a hospital near Hastings-on-Hudson, New York, aged 86, following an unspecified lengthy illness.[1][6]
