Barry played football at Britannia High School before leaving the province to play as a running back for the University of Washington and later on, SFU. After his collegiate career, Barry was drafted by the BC Lions in 1975. He was 23 years old and at the beginning of what was expected to be a long football career with the team when he fell asleep at the wheel on the night of April 22, 1977 and crashed head-on into a concrete wall. He was hospitalized for nine weeks and sustained injuries that ultimately ended his football career.
Although he had his playing career cut short, Barry went on to work in sports in a different capacity at CKVU-TV Vancouver in 1979-83 and as a sports anchor for BCTV Vancouver from 1983-97 before becoming a licensed realtor.
