From Madej's Mind: Terry Barr, Always a Victor
5/28/2009 12:00:00 AM | Football
I have always felt blessed from day one to have been an integral part of the University of Michigan athletic program. And in this line of work, I have been equally lucky to have met some wonderful athletes, sportsmen, sportswomen and great business leaders.
So when I picked up the phone this morning and heard former U-M and NFL football great Ron Kramer on the line, I was delighted to take the call. When Kramer delivered the message, my demeanor changed quickly. Terry Barr had passed away at the age of 73. My voice suddenly became more reserved.
Kramer then reminded me Terry had been suffering with symptoms of Alzheimer's. I have had first-hand experience with Alzheimer's as I watched my mother suffer then die with this debilitating brain disorder that slowly destroys memory and thinking skills, and even the ability to carry out the simplest tasks.
To watch someone you know, and who has been at the top of their respective game, go into a state of confusion and disarray makes one only hope that death will stop the suffering.
So Kramer's point was well taken. Today was really not a time to lament Terry's passing. It was more of an opportunity to remember and talk about Terry Barr.
His accomplishments in sports were many. He was a standout athlete at Grand Rapids Central High School. At Michigan, he was the MVP of the 1955 team. As a Detroit Lion, he returned an interception in the NFL Championship win against the Cleveland Browns in 1957, the Lions' last NFL championship.
A three-year letterman for the Wolverines, Barr rushed 136 times for 632 yards and scored 10 rushing touchdowns during his career. He completed 11-of-25 passes for 306 yards and two TDs and added nine receptions for 158 yards and one score in his career. Barr also had 24 punt returns for 393 yards and one touchdown.
His nine-year career with the Lions (1957-65) is the longest for any Wolverine with the organization. He was selected to the Pro Bowl twice (1963-64) after having a pair of 1,000-yard rushing seasons. He was a third-round pick, the 36th overall selection, by the Lions in the 1957 NFL Draft. Barr ranks fifth in the Lions' record book with 35 career touchdowns, lists seventh with 3,084 receiving yards and is 11th in receptions with 227.
You could spend hours talking about his athletic skills, but it is best summed up by saying he has been inducted to University of Michigan Hall of Honor, the Grand Rapids Sports Hall of Fame, and the state of Michigan Sports Hall of Fame.
But I know Barr more than just an athlete. For all his accomplishments on the field and in business, he was just was one of the guys.
When I started my job at Michigan in 1978, Barr and his best friends, Tom Maentz and Kramer, were three of the first U-M 'guys' I met. He made sure from that day on that he would stop by and say 'hi' until the insidious disease started taking its toll. And even then, when he stopped by to a football practice with Maentz, I would walk up to him and he'd give me a big handshake. Even with Alzheimer's, he remembered my face and always greeted me with a smile.
Not only was Terry 'just one of the guys,' he was one true gentleman. He could develop an instantaneous rapport with anyone and he was smart.
In 1957, he won the Michigan Big Ten Conference Medal of Honor. (The conference Medal of Honor has been awarded annually since 1914 at each institution to a student in the graduating class that has demonstrated proficiency in scholarship and athletics.)
After football, he was a very successful businessman. He bought what became Terry Barr Sales L.L.C. in 1971, a Southfield-based provider of sales, marketing, engineering and other services for the automotive industry.
And he never stopped competing.
In 2004 at the U-M Club of Grand Rapids Golf Outing, Barr was honored with the inaugural Paul G. Goebel Sr. Distinguished Alumni in Athletic Award.
Barr was battling Alzheimer's and still made it to the podium to give the speech of his life. He fought through the confusion that had to be taking place within his personality. He worked at making sure he pronounced each word correctly. He battled to stay focused. I watched his wife Shelley and the entire audience taking in the moment, knowing this would be the last true public appearance.
It was an emotional moment for many. It was a proud moment for Terry Barr. Even with Alzheimer's stealing his last moments of his life away, Barr knew he beat the disease that night. It was one last victory. One that will be remembered.
Ex-Michigan star and Detroit Lions standout Terry Barr dies(Ann Arbor News)
