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GOLD & BLACK ILLUSTRATED VOLUME 25, ISSUE 4 65 les, leading the team with a season-best nine tackles for loss. Not bad for a one-year guy. "Coach Hank (Mike Hankwitz) and Bobby Williams really helped me survive in football at Purdue. I credit them for getting me through," Barnes said of his former po- sition coach and teammate who now is an assistant for Nick Saban at Alabama after a stint as head coach at Michigan State. "Bobby literally placed me in the right spot during passing situations from his de- fensive back position, and Coach Hank just told me to use my natural instincts. It gave me confidence necessary for it all to work." It worked so well that Barnes had the good fortune of being drafted by the Lions in the 10th round. He picked up some good advice from former Purdue standout Wayne Smith that not only helped Barnes earn a spot on the Lions' roster in 1982 but helped him parlay it into a five-year NFL career. "When I got there to Detroit, they gave me uniform number 97C, which is far from a linebackers' number, and that told me that they didn't have long-term plans for me," Barnes said. "I literally got in a fight every day during training camp, because being a basketball guy, they didn't think I was very tough. After the first exhibition game, my jersey number changed to 63, which, while it still wasn't a linebackers' number, it at least didn't have a 'C' with it. I was making progress. "I still kept fighting every day, but when exhibition season ended, I was given num - ber 54. I remember Wayne coming up to me and saying 'You can stop fighting every day now. You made it.' " Telling Barnes that it was OK to calm down just might have preserved him, be- cause he was running out of punches by that point. Barnes also credits Smith's comments with helping him gain some much-needed perspective on how and when to be aggressive. Barnes became a special teams stand- out with the Lions, in addition to getting backup time at linebacker. In the meantime, he became a quick study in the business of sports. After his playing career was done, he went into business for himself, supplying parts to forklifts. Though Barnes worked hard to be a success, when his boyhood buddy Parker called him, he knew his career path was about to change. The bond had never been broken, as Barnes was Parker's first client as a sports agent. The first in a ca - reer that has included Rod Woodson, Larry Fitzgerald, Hines Ward, Emmitt Smith and Ndamukong Suh. "He was a natural to get into this busi- ness," said Parker, who hired Barnes to work with him in 1987 and watched Barnes grow to his current status of VP in Parker's agency Relativity Sports. "He related to guys on so many levels, that it is easy to see how Rosie has become very good at this. Rosie connects with people." Barnes agrees that the sports agency business is a good fit for him. "It is pretty simple," Barnes said. "Our job is to help make sure our clients have the tools to have a successful life after their playing days are over. We treat our clients as family, because they are family to us." Barnes has found more than enough time for his family with sports being at the root of everything. He is a grandfather of five, and is proud of the productive lives his three kids have lived. But Barnes' days as a parent are not over. He recently formally adopted Caleb "Biggie" Swanigan, after serving as his guardian for the past several years. Swanigan came to Barnes as a troubled 13-year-old and has blossomed into one of the top-10 high school players in the country — and, yes, Purdue is on his list of potential schools along with Duke, Michigan State and others. His nick - name was "Biggie" for a reason, because at that young age Swanigan weighed more than 350 pounds. Swanigan's life lacked focus and discipline, something Barnes knew a thing or two about. "The job Rosie has done with Biggie is amazing," Parker said. "He has brought discipline and love into Biggie's life when no one was watching and the young man really needed it. Now the sky is the limit for Biggie both on and off the court. "But that is Rosie in a nutshell. He is a relentless fighter, and when he is on your side, you have the greatest advocate in the world." j