Stan Barnes

Stan Barnes (May 1, 1900 – March 5, 1990) was an American football player, judge and assistant attorney general of the United States.

Born in Wisconsin, Barnes played high school football at San Diego High for Clarence "Nibs" Price, who encouraged his brightest players, starting with Barnes, to follow his path to Berkeley to play for the California Golden Bears under coach Andy Smith.^[1] Barnes was a center/tackle on California's "Wonder Teams" of 1920 and 1921. In his junior and senior seasons he played with the Bears in two consecutive Rose Bowls.^[2]

The 1920 California squad won the national championship going 9-0 outscoring its opponents 510 to 14. In one of the biggest routs in college football history, the Bears defeated St. Mary's 127-0. In the Rose Bowl, Cal defeated the Ohio State Buckeyes 28-0.^[2]

California was also undefeated and untied in 1921 until the Bears tied Washington & Jefferson 0-0 on a muddy field in the Rose Bowl.^[2]

During his four years at Berkeley, Barnes played on teams that won 31 lost four and tied two.^[2]

After graduation, he went into the legal profession. He became involved with the California Republican Assembly, a grassroots political organization, and rose within its ranks to become one of the GOP's power-brokers in California. His friend from Berkeley, Earl Warren, remained a confidant and Barnes was a member of Warren's inner circle through his rise to governor. For his part, Barnes became a Superior Court Judge in Los Angeles, assistant attorney general during the Eisenhower Administration, and eventually a Federal Appellate Court Judge and President of the Federal Bar Association.^[1]

He was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1954 and was among the first group of inductees at the Cal Athletic Hall of Fame in 1986.^[3]

Stan Barnes died at the age of 89 in Palm Springs, California.

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