 After attending John F. Kennedy High School in Richmond, California, he moved on to Contra Costa College in nearby San Pablo, where he was an all-conference linebacker for the football team and also an all-conference track and field athlete.In 1970, Barnes transferred across the Bay to Stanford, where he was converted from linebacker to free safety.He was a two-year starter (24 consecutive starts) and a part of the “Thunder Chickens” defense, that was very effective (9 of the 11 starters played professional football).