Anthony Barr – Bio, Height, Weight, Body Measurements, Parents

Quick Facts

Professional American football player Anthony Barr joined the Minnesota Vikings following the 2014 NFL Draft. Before going professional, Barr had an illustrious college football career with the UCLA Bruins football team of the University of California, Los Angeles, where he made the career-defining switch to the linebacker position before his junior season.

Anthony Barr’s Bio

Anthony Barr was born on March 18, 1992, in South Bend, Indiana. As a toddler, he relocated with his mother to Los Angeles where he was raised. He had his high school education at Loyola High School, an all-boys high school located in the Pico-Union neighborhood of Los Angeles. A two-sport athlete, Anthony Barr excelled in football as well as track and field.

Playing in the running back position, Anthony Barr rushed 1,890 yards and recorded 20 touchdowns as a high school junior. His performance earned him an All-State selection and he was also named to the 2010 U.S. Army All-American Bowl. However, he was unable to feature in the latter, owing to an ankle injury incurred in the early stage of his senior year. Even though the injury had him sidelined for the greater part of his senior season, Anthony Barr remained the toast of numerous college recruiters. The youngster was widely expected to move to the University of Notre Dame owing to several family connections with the school’s team, however, he eventually settled with the UCLA Bruins.

Anthony Barr struggled in the first 2 years of his college career as he was deployed as an offensive player in the running back, wide receiver and tight end positions. He made the career-changing switch to the linebacker position before the start of his junior season. This transition proved highly effective as Barr posted 13.5 sacks (second in the nation), 21.5 tackles for loss and 83 tackles in his junior season. His outstanding performance earned him first team All-Pac-12 as well as second-team All-America designations. Barr was also honoured with the UCLA Bruins’ Henry R. “Red” Sanders Award as the team’s most valuable player defensive player.

In his senior season with the Bruins, Anthony Barr trumped his previous record as he posted 62 tackles, 20 tackles for loss (ranked 9th), 10 quarterback sacks, 5 forced fumbles (fifth best) and 4 fumble recoveries (ranked 2nd). His outstanding performance earned him the 2013 Lott IMPACT Trophy. At the time of his departure from the UCLA Bruins, Anthony Barr was ranked 6th on the school’s all-time list for tackles for loss (41.5) and was also tied 6th on the all-time list for sacks (23.5). Owing to his off-the-hook stats, the talented linebacker was widely touted as a first-round draft pick in the 2014 NFL Draft. Expectedly, he was selected in the first round by the Minnesota Vikings as the 9th overall pick of the draft, becoming, at the time, the highest Bruins linebacker ever selected.

In his rookie season (2014), Anthony Barr featured in 12 games for the Vikings in which he posted 70 tackles, 4 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, 3 fumble recoveries (one returned for a touchdown) and 3 passes deflected. In his second season (2015) with the Vikings, Barr proved highly pivotal to the team’s defense as he recorded 68 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, 8 quarterback hurries, 1 interception, 7 pass deflections and 3 forced fumbles. His performance earned him what has become the first of many Pro Bowl selections (2015-2017).

Family- Parents

Shortly after Anthony Barr was born in 1992, his father Tony Brooks and his mother Lori Barr split up. As a result, he was raised in Los Angeles by his mother, his maternal grandmother Jean and his maternal grandfather John Barr. At the time Anthony was born, his mother was only a college student and thus, she worked multiple jobs in order to cater for her young son. Her education was also put on hold for a year and a half after his birth. Inspired by his mother’s struggles, Anthony Barr launched the Anthony Barr Foundation in June 2016 aimed at providing financial support for single mothers to obtain higher education.

Just like Anthony Barr, his father Tony Brooks was also a professional American football player. A running back, Brooks played college football for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team of the University of Notre Dame, Indiana and was later drafted in the fourth round of the 1992 NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles. Two of Anthony Barr’s uncles Reggie Brooks and Cedric Figaro also played in the NFL.

Height, Weight, Other Body Measurements

Anthony Barr stands at a towering height of 6 feet 5 inches (196 cm). He maintains a body weight of 116 kg (256 lbs). In addition to his physical dominance, the talented linebacker also stands out for being highly athletic which has played a major role in his career success.

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