Danny Barrett (gridiron football) facts for kids

Danny Barrett (born December 18, 1961) is an American gridiron football coach and former player. He is currently the assistant head coach and running backs coach for the Houston Texans in the National Football League (NFL).

Before joining the Texans, he was the interim head coach for the UCF Knights in 2015. He also played as a quarterback in the Canadian Football League (CFL). Barrett has also been a head coach for the CFL's Saskatchewan Roughriders and a running backs coach for the Miami Dolphins.

Playing Football: Danny Barrett's Journey

Before becoming a professional player, Danny Barrett was a star at the University of Cincinnati. In 1982, he was a co-captain for the Bearcats team. He also received an honorable mention as an Associated Press All-American.

Playing in the CFL

During his professional playing career, Barrett played in 163 regular season games in the CFL. He played for teams like the Calgary Stampeders, Toronto Argonauts, BC Lions, and Ottawa Rough Riders.

His career stats include:

• 23,419 passing yards
• 1,656 completions out of 3,078 attempts
• 133 passing touchdowns

At one point, he held the record for the most passing yards (601) in a single CFL game.

In 1985, Barrett also played as a slotback for the Calgary Stampeders. He caught 32 passes for 455 yards and scored two touchdowns.

Barrett led the 1987 Argonauts and the 1991 Stampeders to the Grey Cup championship games. In the 1991 Grey Cup, he set a CFL record with 34 completions.

In 1992, while playing for the BC Lions, Barrett received the Tom Pate award. This award recognized his great contributions to the league, his team, and his community. The CFL Players' Association voted for this award.

Coaching Football: From Player to Coach

Danny Barrett started his coaching career in 1997 with the Calgary Stampeders. As a first-year assistant coach, he worked with the Stampeder quarterbacks. These included famous players like Jeff Garcia, Dave Dickenson, and Henry Burris.

Coaching the BC Lions

In 1998, Barrett joined the BC Lions. He started as the quarterback coach and assistant offensive coordinator. However, he had to come out of retirement and play as the Lions' backup quarterback for 15 games. In 1999, he coached the Lions' wide receivers.

Leading the Saskatchewan Roughriders

In 1999, Danny Barrett became the head coach of the Saskatchewan Roughriders. This was a big step, as he had limited coaching experience. The Roughriders made history by being the first professional team with a black general manager and a black head coach.

The team improved during Barrett's first four seasons. In 2003, the team finished with an 11–7 record. They lost a close playoff game to the Edmonton Eskimos. Many thought the team was close to winning a championship.

By 2006, after three seasons with equal wins and losses, fans started to question the team's leadership. Barrett coached the Roughriders in more regular season games than any other coach in their history. His overall record as head coach was 57 wins, 68 losses, and one tie.

Coaching in College and the NFL

After leaving the Roughriders, Barrett continued his coaching career.

• In 2007, he became the quarterbacks coach and assistant head coach at the University at Buffalo.
• In 2009, he was named interim head coach for the Buffalo Bulls for a short time.
• In 2010, he became the offensive coordinator at Bethune-Cookman University.
• In 2011, he joined the UCF as the running backs coach.
• In 2015, he became UCF's quarterbacks coach. Later that year, he was named interim head coach for the rest of the 2015 season.
• In 2016, Barrett was hired by the Miami Dolphins as their running backs coach.
• In 2018, he joined the Houston Texans as their running backs coach. He has stayed with the Texans through several coaching changes. In 2023, he also became the assistant head coach.

Danny Barrett's Head Coaching Records

CFL Coaching Record

College Coaching Record