Detroit Lions: 15 greatest wide receivers in franchise history

The Detroit Lions last NFL Championship came all the way back in 1957, which was prior to the AFL-NFL merger. At the time, they were one of the better franchises in the league and this was their fourth title — they also won in 1935, 1952, and 1953.

A rookie on that final title team was Terry Barr, who was surely expecting to win much more than what ended up happening for him and the team that selected him in the third round of the 1957 draft.

Born in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, Barr attended high school in Grand Rapids before joining the Michigan Wolverines in college. Landing in Detroit allowed him to spend his entire football playing career in the state he grew up in.

Barr didn’t do much for Detroit as a rookie as he recorded no stats on offense. He did return nine punts and nine kickoffs that season, a role that he continued to serve for the next few seasons — recording his first touchdown in 1958 on a kickoff return.

It wasn’t until 1959 when he recorded a statistic on offense, netting 180 yards on 10 receptions and 57 yards and a score on five rushes. He kept working at his craft and by 1963, he made his first of two Pro Bowls.

That season, Barr had 1,086 yards and 13 touchdowns on 66 receptions. He added another 1,030 yards and nine touchdowns on 57 catches in 1964. That proved to be the final Pro Bowl berth for Barr, who played just one more season with the Lions before calling it a career.