Rice Remembers Rodrigo Barnes
5/19/2023 11:29:00 AM | Football, General
One of Rice's First Four Black Student-Athletes
First Black Student-Athletes Celebration video
Rodrigo Barnes, one of the first four Black student-athletes to attend and compete for Rice University and a member of the Rice Athletics Hall of Fame, passed away on Tuesday, May 16 in Garland, Texas. He was 73 years old.
Barnes joined with fellow football players Mike Tyler and Stahle Vincent and basketball player Leroy Marion in signing scholarships to attend Rice as members of the Class of 1972. A standout from Waco Carver High School, Barnes made an immediate impact on the field, earning Southwest Conference Sophomore Defensive Player of the Year in his first varsity action in 1969 and went on to be named UPI's Southwest Conference Defensive Player of the Year in 1971. Off the field, he helped found the Black Student Union and was a member of The Players—Houston's oldest student-run theater company.
"Rodrigo Barnes attended Rice during a vibrant time for social change throughout the nation, especially for inclusiveness in organized sports. He and several other Rice alumni from that time made a transformational impact on the university and the opportunities created for those who follow," President Reginald DesRoches said. "We must not forget their stories and the struggles of those before them. Thank you, Rodrigo, for your courage and your perseverance. You are a hero to many, including me."
"Rodrigo Barnes' demonstration of courage to be among the first at Rice during a socially challenging time in our country had a transformational impact on our University and athletic program," Rice Director of Athletics, Recreation, and Lifetime Fitness Joe Karlgaard said. "We were pleased that the recent 50th anniversary of the First Black Student-Athlete Celebration provided all of us the opportunity to reflect on the impact made by Rodrigo and his classmates and to show our gratitude."
He was drafted by Dallas in 1973 and played for four seasons in the league, earning a Super Bowl ring with the Oakland Raiders in Super Bowl XI.
After retiring from the NFL, Barnes was a general manager and coach in the United Football League from 1979-81. He earned a master's degree in education from Prairie View A&M University, with certifications in guidance and counseling and mid-management. Barnes served as an assistant principal at the Garland Alternative Education Center in Garland, Texas before his retirement.
He joined Vincent in the Rice Athletics Hall of Fame when he was inducted in 2011. Last fall, Rice commemorated the 50th anniversary of the matriculation of the Class of 1972 as well as the first two Black women to compete for Rice following the implementation of Title IX in 1972, Denise Bostick and Leila Freeman, with the First Black Student-Athletes Celebration.
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