In a tragic incident that occurred around the anniversary of one of his greatest career triumphs, Barry Wilburn, a Super Bowl-winning defensive player who helped lead the Washington Commanders, then called the Washington Redskins, to glory in the late 1980s, died in a house fire in his Tennessee home this weekend, right around Super Bowl LX. He was 62 years old at the time of his passing.
As background, Wilburn was a legend who cemented his place in National Football League (NFL) Super Bowl history when he helped lead the Redskins to the Super Bowl in 1987 with the league’s most interceptions of the season, and managed to intercept two passes during the Redskins’ victory over the Broncos, a whopping 42-10 victory. Wilburn also played with the Cleveland Browns and Philadelphia Eagles after his big championship season, but never regained the same fame.
Apparently, the house fire in which Wilburn died occurred on Friday, Sunday 6, with Memphis Fire Department crews responding to calls of a house fire and arriving at Wilburn’s home, where he was found after the blaze had finally been extinguished and was pronounced dead at the scene by the first responders.
The Washington Commanders posted about his passing on X early in the evening of Sunday, February 8, saying, “We’re saddened to learn of the passing of former Washington All-Pro and Super Bowl XXII champion Barry Wilburn. Sending our deepest condolences to his family and friends.”
Wilburn grew up in Memphis, and one of his teammates from Memphis’s Melrose High School, a man named Tim Thompson, commented to the local media about the fire and what happened, saying, “We were all sitting here eating, and we heard the fire trucks coming by, and we didn’t pay it any attention.”
Yet further, Mr. Thompson commented on how sad it was for the whole community to find out that Mr. Wilburn had passed away in the fire, saying that the former Super Bowl champion was a local legend. “We didn’t know it was going to be Barry Wilburn, though. It crushed me. It crushed the Orange Mound Community,” Mr. Thompson explained.
Continuing, he commented on how Mr. Wilburn’s success and career as a football player had helped bring the divided Memphis community together, saying, “He was exceptional in what he did. He broke all the barriers down in our community.” He added, commenting on the man’s legacy, “He’s a legend. Truly a legend.”
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Still not done recounting the importance of the deceased football star to the community, Mr. Thompson then added, “I always looked up to him. He was like a role model.” Further, he commented on Wilburn’s decision to wear his number from high school ball when he ended playing for Ole Miss, saying, “Barry ended up going to Ole Miss. He wore the number 11.” Concluding with a comment on the jersey number’s emotional importance, he said, “I asked him when he left Melrose, ‘it would be a privilege for me to wear your number 11’ and he said ‘it was an honor.’”
Featured image credit: By Washington Redskins/Mobil/Jell-O/PACT (Police and Citizens Together) – “1988 Redskins Police – #15 Barry Wilburn”. Washington Redskins/Mobil/Jell-O/PACT (Police and Citizens Together). 1988., Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=64308860