Ramses Barden
Encyclopedia
Ramses Barden is an American football
wide receiver
for the New York Giants
of the National Football League
. He was drafted by the Giants in the third round of the 2009 NFL Draft
. He played college football
at Division I-AA Cal Poly-SLO
.
at Flintridge Preparatory School
in La Canada Flintridge, California
. The three-time all-league selection caught 41 passes for 915 yards and 4 touchdowns as a senior, while also playing free safety. As well as playing football, Barden averaged 17 points per game in basketball
and competed also in volleyball
and track and field
. He was also named small schools High School Athlete of the Year, while being pursued by UPenn
, Stanford University
, San Diego
, and Cal Poly-SLO. Barden ultimately signed with the Cal Poly-SLO Mustangs.
, Barden caught a career-high 9 receptions, while blocking two field goal attempts in games against South Dakota State and North Dakota State.
, Barden measured in at 6'6.5 tall and 225 pounds. He timed at 4.61 seconds in the 40-yard dash, 17 reps on the bench press, a 33.5" vertical jump, and a 9' 10" broad jump. Barden was also the tallest receiver in the draft class.
, the Giants moved up six spots in the third round of the draft to select Barden. The move up for Barden cost the Giants their own third-round pick (91st overall) and one of their two fifth-rounders (164th), which they sent to their division rivals the Philadelphia Eagles
. He saw little playing time in his rookie season, participating in 3 games and recording 1 catch for 16 yards. In his second season he had 5 catches for 64 yards in 3 games before being placed on injured reserve on November 16, 2010 after breaking his ankle and suffering ligament damage. Place on the Active/Physically-Unable-To-Perform List on on July 29, 2011. He returned to action on November 6, 2011, catching 2 passes for 24 yards in a win against the New England Patriots
24-20.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
wide receiver
Wide receiver
A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
for the New York Giants
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
of the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
. He was drafted by the Giants in the third round of the 2009 NFL Draft
2009 NFL Draft
The 2009 NFL Draft was the seventy-fourth annual meeting of National Football League franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on April 25 and 26, 2009. The draft consisted of two rounds on the first day starting at 4:00...
. He played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
at Division I-AA Cal Poly-SLO
Cal Poly Mustangs football
The Mustang football team is the college football team of California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, California. The team plays its home games in Alex G. Spanos Stadium. The current head coach is Tim Walsh, who began his tenure in 2009....
.
Early years
Barden played high school footballHigh school football
High school football, in North America, refers to the game of football as it is played in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both of these nations....
at Flintridge Preparatory School
Flintridge Preparatory School
Flintridge Preparatory School, familiarly known as Flintridge Prep or simply Prep, is a day school for grades 7-12. Founded in 1933, it is located in La Cañada Flintridge, California.-Facilities:...
in La Canada Flintridge, California
La Cañada Flintridge, California
La Cañada Flintridge is a small and affluent city in Los Angeles County, California, United States whose population at the 2010 census was 20,246, down from 20,318 at the 2000 census. According to Forbes, as of 2010, La Cañada Flintridge ranks as the 143rd most expensive U.S...
. The three-time all-league selection caught 41 passes for 915 yards and 4 touchdowns as a senior, while also playing free safety. As well as playing football, Barden averaged 17 points per game in basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
and competed also in volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
and track and field
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
. He was also named small schools High School Athlete of the Year, while being pursued by UPenn
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
, Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
, San Diego
University of San Diego
The University of San Diego is a Roman Catholic university in San Diego, California. USD offers more than sixty bachelor's, master’s, and doctoral programs...
, and Cal Poly-SLO. Barden ultimately signed with the Cal Poly-SLO Mustangs.
Freshman season
Barden arrived at Cal Poly-SLO in 2004, but redshirted his true freshman season. In 2005 as a redshirt-freshman, Barden led the Mustangs with 40 receptions for 655 yards and 9 touchdowns en route to being named a first-team All-Great West Conference selection. In the game against Southern UtahSouthern Utah University
Southern Utah University, or SUU, is located in Cedar City, Utah. It was founded in 1897 as an extension of the Agricultural College of Utah, by the citizens of Cedar City.During its history, the school has been known as:...
, Barden caught a career-high 9 receptions, while blocking two field goal attempts in games against South Dakota State and North Dakota State.
Sophomore season
As a sophomore in 2006, Barden again led Cal Poly-SLO with 42 receptions for 824 yards and 5 touchdowns while being named a first-team All-Great West selection for the second-straight season. In the September matchup against Sacramento State, Barden earned Great West Conference Player of the Week honors with his 9 reception, 200 yard and 2 touchdown performance. In the following game against San Jose State, he had 7 catches for 110 yards and a score. Barden's 824 receiving yards placed 11th on the all-time school single-season list, while he was named a College Sporting All-American.Junior season
As a junior in 2007, Barden made the All-Great West First Team and was named the Great West Co-Offensive Player of the Year. He had 57 receptions for 1467 yards and 18 touchdowns. In a 48-28 win over Idaho State he had 10 catches, 268 yards, and 3 touchdowns.Senior season
Barden matched his junior year mark of 18 touchdowns and improved his reception totals with 67. He had 1,257 yards receiving. Barden finished his Cal Poly-SLO career with 206 receptions, 4,203 yards, and 50 touchdowns. In his last game at Cal Poly-SLO had 108 yards and 2 touchdowns in a 49-35 loss to Weber State in the first round of the FCS playoffs.Collegiate Statistics
| Year | Team | G | GS | Rec | Yards | AVG | TD |
| 2005 | CP | 13 | 13 | 40 | 655 | 16.4 | 9 |
| 2006 | CP | 11 | 11 | 42 | 824 | 19.6 | 5 |
| 2007 | CP | 11 | 11 | 57 | 1,467 | 25.7 | 18 |
| 2008 | CP | 11 | 11 | 67 | 1,257 | 18.8 | 18 |
| Tot. | CP | 46 | 46 | 206 | 4,203 | 20.4 | 50 |
Professional career
Pre-draft
At the NFL CombineNFL Combine
The National Invitational Camp or NFL Scouting Combine, as it is more widely known, is a week-long showcase, occurring every February in Indianapolis, Indiana's Lucas Oil Stadium , where college football players perform physical and mental tests in front of National Football League coaches, general...
, Barden measured in at 6'6.5 tall and 225 pounds. He timed at 4.61 seconds in the 40-yard dash, 17 reps on the bench press, a 33.5" vertical jump, and a 9' 10" broad jump. Barden was also the tallest receiver in the draft class.
New York Giants
In the 2009 NFL Draft2009 NFL Draft
The 2009 NFL Draft was the seventy-fourth annual meeting of National Football League franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on April 25 and 26, 2009. The draft consisted of two rounds on the first day starting at 4:00...
, the Giants moved up six spots in the third round of the draft to select Barden. The move up for Barden cost the Giants their own third-round pick (91st overall) and one of their two fifth-rounders (164th), which they sent to their division rivals the Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
. He saw little playing time in his rookie season, participating in 3 games and recording 1 catch for 16 yards. In his second season he had 5 catches for 64 yards in 3 games before being placed on injured reserve on November 16, 2010 after breaking his ankle and suffering ligament damage. Place on the Active/Physically-Unable-To-Perform List on on July 29, 2011. He returned to action on November 6, 2011, catching 2 passes for 24 yards in a win against the New England Patriots
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
24-20.