Saturday, October 22, 2011

The Barefoot Collection: A real-life list

NOTE: Latest revision took place overnight on Aug. 22, 2015

This afternoon, during my regular trip to Barnes & Noble at Long Beach Towne Center, I got the idea for this page, which details all of Buddy's "cousins" in real life which have at least some notability.  Here is my collection:

*Brian: Editor on the reality TV franchise Survivor.  He has been part of all 25 seasons so far, dating back to the opener in 2000
*Amy: Actress who, when she appeared in the 2005 movie Junebug, appeared with three-time Academy Award nominee Amy Adams and former Wipeout "sideline reporter" Jill Wagner
*Charles: Defendant in a U.S. Supreme Court case dealing with whether psychiatrists can predict whether or not anyone is subject to criminal behavior
*Karen: Head women's basketball coach at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, VA, where she was born and raised
*Ken: Only person named Barefoot to ever play a major pro sport in the U.S. - eight games for the NFL's Washington Redskins in 1968.  Before that, was an outstanding tight end for Virginia Tech.  Son Ken, Jr. also played for the Hokies (late 1980s).
*Britt (pictured at right): Punter and placekicker for Southern Miss, 2004-08.  Despite the Barefoot name, he wore a kicking shoe, which drew some quizzical looks from sportscasters who loved the aptness of the surname anyway.  Had an up-and-down career that ended with an outstanding night at the 2008 New Orleans Bowl, with field goals from 38, 46 and 39 yards in an overtime victory over Troy.  He and wife Hollie returned to Laurel, MS after graduation; nothing more is known about what happened to him.
*Shelton: Owns Barefoot's Auto Mart in Dunn, NC.  Named local used-car salesman of the year 14 years in a row by the local paper
*Laura: Cheerleader at Clemson University in 2002.  She was on the cover of USA Today on Apr. 25 of that year in a story about cheerleading injuries and safety.
*Robert: Doctor, born in Canada but now living in Arizona, who is a proponent of medical treatment using coral calcium.  Has been in legal trouble in the U.S. and his infomercials with Kevin Trudeau have been pulled from television.
*Darren: Blogger and gay activist based in Vancouver, BC (but who has also traveled extensively throughout Europe)
*William: British politician in the 1920s
*Jennifer: Former human-resources executive at Fuddruckers, one of my favorite hamburger chains
*John: Played end for the University of New Mexico's football team.  In 1956, he led the team in receptions with - believe it or not - exactly six
*Hyran: President of Union University in Jackson, TN, from 1987 to 1996.  The student union building and a coffeehouse are named after him
*Caldwell: Lawyer specializing in family disputes
*David: Owner and chief executive of Barefoot & Company, which installs windows, doors, closets, and other household items in Charlotte, NC
*Michael: Founded A Southern Season, a renowned gourmet food store and coffeehouse in Chapel Hill, NC, and owned it from 1975 to 2011
*Kelly: Founder of fishing lures company endorsed by Bassmasters champion Mike Iaconelli (also see recent online article about his business)
*Brittany (Barefoot Ramos): Founder of ThePrudentPatron.com, which is a site for extreme couponers (those obsessed with using coupons to save tons of money)
*Amanda: Competed in Miss North Carolina in 2010, featured in Wall Street Journal article about how state pageants are broadening their pool of competitors
*Brantley: Art director for some Nike and Crown Royal ad campaigns
*Tom and Jake: Father and son owners of Tom Barefoot's Tours, which offer packaged, discount vacations throughout Hawaii.
*Melinda: Model who lives in Texas; honored by Coed magazine in June 2013; was named "Miss Howard TV" by none other than Howard Stern in June 2012; before that, she appeared on the morning show on 105.3 The Fan in the Dallas/Fort Worth area on my 40th birthday in March of that year
*Coy: Author, lecturer and television/radio host in Charlottesville, VA
*Bridgett: Spokesperson for - ironically - a national discount shoe-store chain, DSW, early in this millennium, now operations director for SNS, Inc. (whatever that means)

And this is not to mention the singers, race car drivers, artists, fighters, scientists, and others I have found online who proudly carry the Barefoot name.

Also worth noting are two for this is a middle name: Barefoot Sanders, who was a prominent U.S. attorney in Dallas and part of the investigation of the assassination of John F. Kennedy, and his son Harold Barefoot Sanders III, who is a musician and composer (on, among other shows, Top Chef).