Former NFL and CFL defensive back Barry Wilburn was tragically killed in a house fire in Tennessee, according to multiple outlets. He was 62 years old.
The Memphis Fire Department responded to a call in the Orange Mound neighbourhood at 2:00 a.m. local time on Friday, February 6. They found an unresponsive victim in the rear hallway who was pronounced dead at the scene. A representative of the Wilburn family later confirmed that the individual was Barry.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
Wilburn was initially selected in the eighth round of the 1985 NFL Draft by the Washington Football Team. He rose to become a starting cornerback, earning NFL All-Pro honours after a nine-interception season in 1987. He capped that year with a start in Super Bowl XXII, picking off John Elway twice in a rout of the Denver Broncos.
The Ole Miss product saw his career derailed by a 1989 drug suspension, and he was out of football for two seasons before staging a comeback with the Cleveland Browns in 1992. When that was unsuccessful, he headed north and joined the Saskatchewan Roughriders in 1993, earning a CFL all-star selection in his first season.
Wilburn was released after his first campaign in Saskatchewan and signed with the Kansas City Chiefs, though he was waived in training camp. He joined the B.C. Lions in September, where he contributed to the 1994 Grey Cup victory over the Baltimore Stallions. With the win, Wilburn became one of the few players in pro football history to win a championship in both the CFL and NFL.
The six-foot-two, 196-pound coverman returned to the NFL that offseason and spent two seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles. In 1999, he staged a brief CFL comeback with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and was also drafted by the Memphis Maniax in the inaugural XFL.
In 29 CFL games, Wilburn made 58 defensive tackles, two special teams tackles, and three interceptions. Across 91 NFL games, he was credited with 246 tackles and 20 interceptions, scoring one touchdown.
