![]() ![]() Check it out here.Īnd now, as they say, you know the rest of the story. In the years leading up to the album’s release, Gaye befriended Detroit Lions stars Mel Farr and Lem Barney, who, along with Bobby Rogers of the Miracles, were recruited to sing background on. John Niyo of The Detroit News gives the full account in a great piece, including interviews with Barney and Schmidt. Although he was a three-time All-Southwestern Conference star who had intercepted 26 passes in three seasons at Jackson State, Lem Barney was a comparative unknown when he joined the National Football League as a second-round draft pick of the Detroit Lions in 1967. ![]() They even both received a gold album for their work. Lem Barney, Detroit Lions star in the late 1960s and 1970s, the leagues best rookie in defense in 1967, and a member of the Professional Football Hall of Fame. I will be breaking down Lem Barney's impact that he had on the defensive side of the ball, and where his production ranks in the history of the Detroit Lions. And, by the way, Gaye returned the favor to Barney and Farr a year later, as they appeared on his now legendary album, What's Going On (you can hear their back and forth conversations in the background of the seminal title cut). Gaye didn't make the Detroit Lions, but the tryout scratched an itch for him, and created a story of a lifetime for Barney, Farr, Schmidt and the City of Detroit. While he was a good athlete, it takes a lot more than that to make a pro football team. DETROIT - Former Detroit Lions great and Hall of Famer Lem Barney filed a discrimination lawsuit Friday against a Detroit health system, alleging he was fired because of his age. Haz tu selección entre imágenes premium de Detroit Lions Lem Barney de la más alta calidad. And it became a big deal locally when he announced the upcoming tryout on television (can you imagine what social media would say today?). (WJBK) - Former Detroit Lion and NFL hall of famer Lem Barney say he was racially discriminated against at a Happys Pizza in Commerce Township. Encuentra fotos de stock de Detroit Lions Lem Barney e imágenes editoriales de noticias en Getty Images. Gaye made a gym in his garage and bulked up, even as he began running five miles a day. Encuentra fotos de stock de Detroit Lions Lem Barney e imágenes editoriales de noticias en Getty Images. And he pestered Farr and Barney to get him a tryout with the Lions, whose coach, Joe Schmidt (another Hall of Famer), ran a fairly loose training camp.Īfter weeks of talking about it, Schmidt finally relented in July of 1970 and gave Gaye a tryout. And Gaye, an avid sports fan and good athlete, was a football fanatic. One of his closest friends was already part of the team - Hall of Fame Lions. In the late 60s, Gaye had become close friends with the Lions' offensive and defensive stars, running back Mel Farr and defensive back Lem Barney (a future Hall of Famer). Former Detroit Lions cornerback Lem Barney was there the day Marvin Gaye almost became a Detroit Lion. It was the time that the great Marvin Gaye tried out for the Detroit Lions football team of the NFL. It's a story that's well known among Detroiters of a certain age, but has generally been forgotten elsewhere. The Detroit Lions made Lem Barney the 34th overall selection of the 1967 NFL Draft. NFL footage © NFL Productions LLC.July 1970 - Marvin Gaye tries out for the Detroit Lions All other NFL-related trademarks are trademarks of the National Football League. NFL and the NFL shield design are registered trademarks of the National Football League.The team names, logos and uniform designs are registered trademarks of the teams indicated. ![]()
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