Missouri State

LESTER BARNARD
Football, Basketball and Track, 1913-17
Inducted November 7, 1981

A member of one of the most notable and successful brother combinations in Missouri State University athletic history, Lester Barnard preceded his brother Chester by one year on the Bruin sports scene and the pair together turned in some noteworthy performances in each of three sports. A native Springfieldian, Lester participated in football, basketball and track from 1913 through 1917 in a playing tenure that included the awesome 1914 football team which turned in a perfect record in six games and didn’t give up a point the entire season. Lester was the Bruin captain as a senior two years later in a career which saw him play on teams which recorded nine straight gridiron shutouts, a school record which still stands. The 1915 team pounded Marionville College 97-0 in what was the highest point total ever logged by an MSU team in a game. Barnard was the Bruin quarterback and in 1916 as a senior earned all-state second team recognition at that position. His leadership skills were also very prominent in basketball where his forward play led the Bears to a 46-15 record for Coach Briggs in four seasons. In track, he was a sprinter, hurdler, and pole vaulter, helping the Bears to second place finishes in the state meet in his junior and senior seasons.