NFL Player and Super Bowl Champion Barry Wilburn Dies in House Fire

Barry Wilburn, ex-NFL star, Super Bowl champion dies in Memphis house fire. The Fire Department claims the cause of the fire is still being investigated.

Barry Wilburn, an eight-year NFL defensive back and Super Bowl champion, passed away at the age of 62. In a social media post, the Washington Commanders revealed Wilburn's death. He spent five years playing with the organization, which was then called the Washington Redskins, and was a member of the squad that won the 1987 Super Bowl.

Crews from the Memphis Fire Department (MFD) responded to an abandoned house fire near Orange Mound early Friday morning. Firefighters arrived to discover flames shooting from the home and began extinguishing it while searching inside. Wilburn was found unresponsive after the flames were extinguished and was declared dead on the scene. No other injuries were reported. The Memphis Fire Department stated that the cause of the fire is still under legal investigation.

A former teammate of Wilburn’s at Melrose High School, Tim Thompson said Wilburn was a leader and role model even before his NFL career. “He was wearing number 11, so I ended up wearing number 11 because of Barry” said Thompson.

Thompson claimed he was shocked to learn of Wilburn's death because he was only a few minutes away from the fire.  They were all sitting there eating when they heard the fire trucks approaching, and they paid no attention. However, they had no idea it would be Barry Wilburn. It crushed him. It devastated the Orange Mound community. Thompson said Wilburn will never be forgotten, even though he is no longer alive.

He was exceptional in what he did. He broke all the barriers down in their community. He gave back to their community so much to this day. “He’s a legend. Truly a legend,” Thompson added. He was born and raised in the Orange Mound community, and he died in the Orange Mound community. The Orange Mound community most definitely wants the results to find out exactly what occurred and what happened.