A former Washington Commanders star and Super Bowl XXII champion has died in a house fire in Memphis.
The Washington Commanders expressed their condolences to Barry Wilburn’s family, stating: “We’re saddened to learn of the passing of former Washington All-Pro and Super Bowl XXII champion Barry Wilburn. Sending our deepest condolences to his family and friends.”
Wilburn, selected by the Washington franchise in the eighth round of the 1985 NFL Draft, played all 16 games during his rookie season with 39 tackles. He earned an All-Pro selection in 1987 after leading the NFL with nine interceptions.
During the 1987 playoffs, Wilburn recorded three interceptions, two of which came in Super Bowl XXII against the Denver Broncos as the Redskins secured a 42-10 victory.
After his NFL career, Wilburn played for the Cleveland Browns in 1992 and the Philadelphia Eagles from 1995 to 1996. He also spent multiple seasons in the Canadian Football League with the Saskatchewan Roughriders, BC Lions, and Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
In 1994, Wilburn became one of a small number of players to win both a Grey Cup and a Super Bowl.
According to his family, Wilburn was the victim of a house fire early Friday morning in Memphis. The Memphis Fire Department responded to a reported residential structure fire on Douglass Avenue in Orange Mound at around 2 a.m., finding an unresponsive person in the rear hallway who was pronounced dead at the scene. A family representative confirmed Wilburn as the victim, though the department has yet to officially identify the deceased.