Barlette Has Good Chance For 1,000 Yards Rushing

O.J. Simpson of the Buffalo Bills would love to have Bob Barlette’s rushing statistics this year.While last year’s Heisman trophy winner is struggling with a poor team in his first year of pro ball, Barlette is making his presence known in every football game Dunkirk High school plays.

An exciting performer with excellent speed, the Dunkirk halfback is compiling an impressive set of statistics that should earn him a crack at big-time college football - something that had been in the back of his mind for a long time.

In six games, Barlette has carried the ball 133 times for 862 yards, an average of 6.5 yards per carry. He has scored a total of 70 points. In addition, he has tossed one touchdown pass and has a total of 178 yards in kickoff and punt returns.

With two contests remaining (Olean and Mindszenty) he seems a cinch to surpass 1,000 yards rushing. In fact, if he reaches his per-game average of 144 yards this Saturday at Olean he will go over the 1,000 mark.

His biggest games to date were 222 yards against Fredonia and 186 vs. Southwestern. He had an 80-yard teedee run against the Trojans.

Coaches are high on his ability and his college potential. His own coach, Vince Keough, had this to say:

“I think Bob is Big Ten caliber. The important thing with Bob is that he’s very coachable - and this often is the difference in big-time college football where many athletes of outstanding ability assemble on one team. Bob has a great attitude. He has improved tremendously this year because he follows his blockers so well.”

Falconer's Coach Bill Race, whose team spoiled Dunkirk’s bid for a second straight CCIAC championship, praised Barlette this way: “He’s strong, quick, and can break away at any time. He’s definitely a top college prospect. So many larger schools might want to use him as a flanker back rather than a running back.”

Dunkirk Athletic Director Angelo Pagano, who has seen a lot of good football players come and go at DHS says that Barlette ranks up among the very best ever at Dunkirk.

Barlette is looking forward to playing college football. If he had a choice of schools right now, Bob would pick University of Texas, with Michigan State ranking second.

The 5’9-1/2”, 175 pound senior, son of Mr. and Mrs. Joe Barlette, 305 Leopard Street, had not decided on a favored vocation. He has his application in at a number of schools of higher learning and may pursue a liberal arts course. He is taking his college boards examination Saturday.

Yardage has not always come easily for the speedster, especially with most opponents ‘keying’ on him. His most explosive runs have been over the right side of the line, and for this he credits the fine blocking of Ed Rusch, Paul Cybart and Dave Graf.

Weight Lifting

Barlette will bypass basketball this winter and undertake a weight-lifting program leading up to track in the spring. He already holds the Dunkirk school record in the 100-yard dash at 10.0 and the 220- yard mark of 22.0. He could lower the marks in the spring, which would put him in some pretty nice company.

For the time being, there are two more games to talk about. Then All-Star teams. Films and letters go out (they already have), and the scholarship waiting game begins for a very young athlete.