How Marvin Gaye's NFL tryout changed his career - ESPN
Lem Barney had just finished a round of golf at Detroit's Palmer Park Golf Course in the summer of 1968. Palmer, one of four prominent courses in the area, attracted many of the city's black celebrities, including Joe Louis, Smokey Robinson and... Barney had heard Marvin Gaye, one of his favorite artists, lived nearby. Gaye sang the score to Barney's high school and college years at Jackson State University. The second-year defensive back introduced himself to Palmer's clubhouse employees, who quickly obliged with his request for Gaye's address. Barney easily found Marvin's house, less than a mile-and-a-half from the course. When the legendary Motown crooner and avid sports fan opened the door, he instantly recognized Barney, inviting him in for breakfast. • How Marvin Gaye's NFL tryout changed his career. Being embraced by Marvin Gaye would come to have its perks. Barney glanced at his watch and realized he had less than 30 minutes to hop in his '67 Ford Thunderbird and make the roughly 13-mile trek to the Cranbrook School grounds in Bloomfield Hills where the Lions held training camp. "I had to run red lights like I was Mario Andretti," the 1992 Hall of Fame inductee says with a laugh. Barney barely made it on time. Source: espn.go.com
