In addition to his induction as an individual into the AthleticHall of Fame tonight, Bill Barker is joining his teammates from the1989 football team as they take their place in the history ofBriton athletics.
The 1989 football team gained a share of the league title andBarker was a captain and an important member of an offensive unitthat broke 15 school records. The tailback from Clarksville earnedthe league’s most valuable offensive player and third teamAll-America awards after racking up 1,136 yards on the ground tobreak the record held by 2002 Athletic Hall of Fame inductee DaveEgnatuk, ’71. He saved his best game of the season for last,rushing for a career-high 212 yards in the Britons’ 30-28victory over Alma. In that game he became the first Albion runnerto gain 200 or more yards in a game in nearly two decades.
“Coach Egnatuk was my mentor and it was an honor to playfor him and to break his record,” Bill said.
Bill was an outfielder for Briton baseball teams which capturedleague titles in 1988 and ’89. He was an all-league secondteam pick in 1988 after hitting .444 with four doubles, a homerunand six RBI in against MIAA rivals. In 1988 statistics for allgames, Bill led Albion in batting average (.402), hits (35), andon-base percentage (.500).
Bill received his master’s degree from Western MichiganUniversity and, after a 16-year teaching career, he moved into theposition as assistant principal at Lakewood High School in LakeOdessa in 2006. Bill and his wife, Shari, are the parents of a son,Adam, and daughters, Olivia and Emily.
