 Barker from the 1925Michiganensian | |
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1897-01-06)January 6, 1897 Sedalia, Missouri, U.S. |
| Died | December 17, 1964(1964-12-17) (aged 67) State College, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| 1916–1919 | Iowa State |
| 1921 | Chicago Staleys |
| Position(s) | Guard |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| Football | |
| 1922 | Iowa State (assistant) |
| 1923 | Cornell (IA) (assistant) |
| 1924–1925 | Michigan (assistant) |
| 1925–1940 | Cornell (IA) |
| 1942–1943 | Franklin & Marshall |
| Wrestling | |
| 1923-1924 | Cornell (IA) |
| 1924–1925 | Michigan |
| 1925–1940 | Cornell (IA) |
| Administrative career (AD unless noted) | |
| 1925–1940 | Cornell (IA) |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 74–63–15 (football) 74–61–2 (wrestling) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| Football 3MWC (1925, 1927, 1937) | |
| Awards | |
| All-American (1919) College Wrestling Hall of Fame | |
Richard William Barker Sr. (January 6, 1897 – December 17, 1964) was anAmerican football player and coach, wrestler and wrestling coach, and athletic director. He played professional football for theChicago Staleys. Barker served as the head football coach atCornell College andFranklin & Marshall College as well as starting the wrestling programs atMichigan and Cornell College.
AtIowa State University, Barker was a star both on the football field and wrestling mat. Under head football coachCharles Mayser, Barker anchored the offensive line from the guard position. Career highlights were being named first-teamAll-Missouri Valley in 1917 andAll-American,All-Western team, and All-Missouri Valley in 1919.[1]
In his collegiate wrestling career, Barker went 10–1–1, including five pins. In 1920 and 1921 he won the intercollegiate championship in the 175-pound weight class; this is the predecessor to theNCAA championship.[2]
After graduation Barker received a telegram fromGeorge Halas with an offer to play football for theChicago Staleys, who would eventually become the Bears, of theAmerican Professional Football Association. Barker, without a job or money, accepted the offer and played the1921 season for the Staleys.[3] This made Barker the first Cyclone to ever play football professionally.[4] That season marked two major landmarks for the team, the inauguralBears–Packers rivalry game[5] and the Staleys winning theleague championship.[6]
After his one season in the professional ranks Barker realized there was no money or future in playing football, so he moved back toAmes to be an assistant coach at his alma mater, Iowa State underSam Willaman.[3]
Barker began his coaching career as a football assistant at Iowa State for the1922 season. The following season he was hired to form the inaugural wrestling program atCornell College inMount Vernon, Iowa in addition to being an assistant football coach. In 1923 Barker was hired by the University of Michigan to repeat the same process, form a wrestling program and serve as an assistant football coach.
In 1925, Barker was again hired by Cornell, this time to serve as head football coach, head wrestling coach, as well as athletic director.
Cornell wrestling saw tremendous success under Barker. As a team, the Rams went 73–48–2 with six top 20 NCAA finishes during his 36 seasons.[7] He also coached several wrestlers to great individual success with oneNCAA champion in Dale Brand[8] and four future olympians in Kenneth Truckenmiller (1924),Lloyd Appleton (1928), Lyle Morford (1932), and Dale Brand (1936). Appleton won a silver medal at the 158.5 weight class in the freestyle division.[9]
Additionally, Barker helped draft the first collegiate wrestling rules and helped plan the firstNCAA tournament in 1928. He was also an assistant coach of the1928 U.S. Olympic Wrestling team.[10]
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cornell Purple(Midwest Conference)(1925–1940) | |||||||||
| 1925 | Cornell | 6–0–2 | 3–0–1 | T–1st | |||||
| 1926 | Cornell | 3–4 | 3–3 | T–4th | |||||
| 1927 | Cornell | 7–1 | 6–0 | 1st | |||||
| 1928 | Cornell | 1–7–1 | 1–4 | 8th | |||||
| 1929 | Cornell | 2–6 | 2–3 | 6th | |||||
| 1930 | Cornell | 3–4–1 | 3–1–1 | 2nd | |||||
| 1931 | Cornell | 2–7 | 2–2 | 4th | |||||
| 1932 | Cornell | 3–4–2 | 2–1–1 | 4th | |||||
| 1933 | Cornell | 4–3–2 | 3–1–1 | T–2nd | |||||
| 1934 | Cornell | 2–7 | 1–4 | 6th | |||||
| 1935 | Cornell | 5–1–3 | 3–1–1 | 2nd | |||||
| 1936 | Cornell | 3–5 | 3–3 | T–4th | |||||
| 1937 | Cornell | 9–0 | 7–0 | 1st | |||||
| 1938 | Cornell | 3–5–1 | 1–3–1 | 6th | |||||
| 1939 | Cornell | 7–2 | 4–2 | 3rd | |||||
| 1940 | Cornell | 5–3–1 | 4–2–1 | 4th | |||||
| Cornell: | 65–59–13 | 48–30–7 | |||||||
| Franklin & Marshall Diplomats(Independent)(1942–1943) | |||||||||
| 1942 | Franklin & Marshall | 1–4–2 | |||||||
| 1943 | Franklin & Marshall | 7–1 | |||||||
| Franklin & Marshall: | 9–4–2 | ||||||||
| Total: | 74–63–15 | ||||||||
| National championship Conference title Conference division title or championship game berth | |||||||||
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