(Jun 4, 1941 – Jan. 2, 2018) Steve Barnett played his way into the state’s memory as an All-American football player and student before a short career in the National Football League.

Born in 1941, Barnett grew up in Oklahoma before moving to the University of Oregon in 1960 as a 6-foot-2 lineman on both offense and defense. At Oregon, he was voted All-Conference three times, including 1960 when he started on the squad that played in the Liberty Bowl.

In 1962, he was voted as a First-Team All-American at offensive tackle and as an academic First Team All-American. He played in the East-West Shrine Game as well as the Hula Bowl.

In 1963, the Chicago Bears selected Barnett in the second round of the NFL Draft, while the San Diego Chargers selected him in the ninth round of the AFL Draft. He chose the Bears and played one season in Chicago and one with the Washington Redskins.

Barnett was inducted into the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame in 1980 as part of the inaugural class and into the University of Oregon Sports Hall of Fame in 2000.