IUP Athletic Hall of Fame
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Barry Threats ranks as one of the most accomplished cornerbacks to ever play at IUP. One of the oldest, too.
Threats lettered for Pitt in 1989—he made a last-minute interception to preserve the Panthers' 31-28 John Hancock Bowl victory over Texas A&M—but he left school after his freshman season to support his family. Seven years later, at the age of 26, Threats resumed his playing career at IUP and proved the very definition of a shutdown corner.
He earned All-America honors as a defensive back as both a junior and a senior and was a five-time All-PSAC selection in his three seasons in uniform—three times as a defensive back and twice as a kick returner. Threats ranks fourth in IUP history in career punt return yardage (550) and fifth in career average (10.2).
He found a home in the secondary almost immediately after arriving at IUP, picking off a team-high six passes in 1996. A year later he was named a first-team American Football Coaches Association All-America defensive back even though his interception total dropped to two—opposing quarterbacks had by then learned it was unwise to throw the ball in his vicinity. Threats picked off two more passes as a senior and was named a second-team All-American by the AFCA and the Associated Press, whose Little All-America squad includes players from NCAA Division III and NAIA schools.
He capped his career by appearing in the Snow Bowl, the annual Division II all-star game held in Fargo, N.D.
Threats, an IT manager for Accredo Health, resides in Oakdale with his wife, Jennifer. They have three children: Aryelle, Barry Jr. and Kacey.
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