Not Big or Fast, But Crafty

The roster lists his height as 6-ft., 1-in. Sure, and Mickey Rooney is a seven-footer.

The roster lists his weight as 185-lbs. Yeah, and Tinkerbell weighs a ton.

Harvard wide receiver Brian Barringer, who needs 10 grabs in Saturday's Harvard-Yale showdown to become the Crimson's all-time single-season receiving leader, would need to stand on a volcano to be a six-footer. He'd need to be riding Bertha the Elephant to weigh 185 pounds.

All right, let's just say Barringer is smaller and lighter than the roster says. And though a small guy, he's not noted for his speed.

But let's also say that it doesn't matter. He gets open. He catches passes.

"He's not big, but he's slow," Harvard Captain Kevin Dulsky says with a chuckle. "But that's why you've got to love him. He may not have the physical talent of some receivers, but he uses what he has so well. And he has great hands."

Barringer--or "Buzzy" as his teammates call him--now has 47 receptions, nine shy of pat McInally's record-setting total in 1973. A big game in The Game and the record is his.

It would be a big achievement for not such a big man.

What he lacks in size and speed, he makes up for in craftiness. If there's an opening, he takes it. This year, in his first year as a starter, he has more than 500 yards in receiving yardage. He has also caught two touchdown passes.

Barringer has found an excellent battery-mate in quarterback Tom Yohe. Yohe--who now holds or shares every single-season record for Harvard quarterbacks--and Barringer often hook up on sideline curl patterns, when Barringer runs 15 yards up the field, fades towards the sideline and then curls into Yohe's pass.

"Buzzy is a great receiver," Yohe says. "He's not blazing fast, he doesn't have the quickness to run by people, but he's well-conditioned. He runs the defense well. He adjusts if he sees [the play is] not going to be there."

Barringer and Yohe have a workman-like relationship. Yohe throws. Barringer catches. There's no special magic, Barringer says. It's just two guys getting the job done.

"When I'm open, Tommy finds me," Barringer says. "He does a good job of that, especially when he's scrambling. I don't think there's any special chemistry [between us], it's just the way patterns are supposed to be run.

Like most of his senior cohorts, Barringer saw little playing time during his sophomore and junior years. He spent his game days on the bench, watching, waiting.

"It's tough when you're not playing a lot," Barringer says. "Sophomore year, you're wondering, 'What the heck am I doing here?' You're a punching bag your sophomore year and you see a lot of people in front of you. I'm glad I got my turn."

This year has more than made up for his time on the pine. Barringer has turned in some all star performances, including an 11-catch effort in a losing cause against Holy Cross two weeks ago. The 11 catches--which netted 119 yards--put him fourth on the list of the best receiving days in Crimson history.

As a senior, Barringer is supposed to be a leader. And he is. But he leads in his own crafty way.

"He is a leader," Harvard receivers coach Mack Singleton says. "He's a quiet leader. You don't have to be a rah-rah guy to lead. He leads by example. He works hard. When we run the mile [in preseason], he's always first."

Barringer, who lives in nearby West Roxbury and speaks with a spicy New England accent, platoons at split end with Neil Phillips, a 6-ft., 5-in. basketball player picking up an extra varsity letter in the fall.

Phillips has many of the natural attributes Barringer lacks. But Barringer says, there is no competition between him and Phillips. They are cohorts in a conspiracy against opposing cornerbacks.

"He tells me what's going on when he's in there and I tell him what's going on when I'm in there," Barringer says. "We try to get on the defensive back, try to get on his case try to irritate the heck out of him."

"So Neil goes in one play and says, 'I got him that time,' and I go in the other and say, 'Yeah, I got him, too,'" Barringer adds. "It works well."

Like his teammates, Barringer is excited about the upcoming contest against Yale. For the first time since 1975, The Game will determine the undisputed Ivy League champion. Barringer hopes he's on the bus headed to title town.

"I went down [to Yale] sophomore year, and I couldn't believe it," Barringer says. "I looked up and saw the stands filled. This great round stadium full of people. It was incredible."

The Yale Bowl will be full again this Saturday. More than 70,000 people will see Brian Barringer in action. That is, if they can find him down there.

"We've got a big team," Barringer says. "Our offensive and defensive lines are huge, even compared to what I've seen in the past. Of course, I'm always looking up to these people anyway."

Brian Barringer--all 6-ft., 1-in, 185 lbs. of him--may be looking up to his teammates, but some Yale cornerback is going to have a devilish time looking out for him.