Keith Barnes popularly known by his nickname “Golden Boots,” was an Australian rugby league football player who was born in Wales.
Keith Barnes coached in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s in addition to playing in the 1950s and 1960s. He played fullback for the Balmain Tigers and the Australian national team.
Keith Barnes regarded as one of the 20th century’s greatest rugby league stars, is regarded as the best player for Balmain. Between 1955 and 1968, one of Australian rugby league’s most memorable and magnificent sights was the sight of a Keith Barnes place-kick for a goal.
Summary of Keith Barnes' Biography
Full name: William Keith Barnes
Date of birth: 30 October 1934
Date of death: 8 April 2024 (aged 89)
Place of birth: Port Talbot, Wales
Occupation: Australian rugby league footballer
Nationality: Welsh-born AustralianKeith Barnes’s Biography
Going by the nickname “Golden Boots”, William Keith Barnes AM, an Australian rugby league football player and coach was born in Wales and lived from 30 October 1934 to 8 April 2024. He played in the 1950s and 1960s and coached in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s.
He played fullback for the Balmain Tigers and the Australian national team. Between 1959 and 1966, he participated in 14 tests and captained the country 12 times. He was referred to as “Golden Boots” because of his remarkable goal-kicking skills.
Following his playing career, he went on to become a referee. In the 1970s, he co-commented on the Amco Cup on Network Ten alongside Ray Warren. He is regarded as one of the best football players of the 20th century in the country.
When Barnes’ family moved to Wollongong, Australia, in 1948, he was 15 years old. It was at Wollongong High School that Barnes first played the rugby game. At the age of 19, the Wollongong club graded him as a half-back. In 1954, he played for Country and in a Southern Districts team against the Great Britain Lions, who were on tour.
He came to the district and entered first grade as soon as Norm “Latchem” Robinson signed him in 1955 to play for the Balmain Tigers. Over the next 14 seasons, he did not participate in a single lower-grade game.
He participated in the first of three Grand Finals the following year when the St George Dragons were just starting their lengthy premiership run. Keith Barnes would lose in a premiership decider three times: in 1956, 1964, and 1966 (the last two times as captain).
Keith Barnes gained notoriety fast for his lethal accuracy while kicking goals and for frequently kicking penalties from beyond the 50-yard line. In a club game, he once kicked eleven goals. In 1966, Barnes surpassed Ron Willey’s record of 1,288 points scored during a NSWRFL career.
His final total of 1,519 points became the new record for seven seasons until Eric Simms surpassed it in 1973. With 1,519 points for Balmain, Barnes ranked 19th all-time among club point scorers as of 2017.
Barnes served as captain and coach of Balmain in 1967, his last season as a player. When injuries decimated the team’s playing squad in 1968, he made a brief comeback to play in a few games.
Keith Barnes played 234 games with the Tigers, averaging four goals a game, and made seventeen appearances for his adopted nation before retiring from competitive rugby league in 1968. Ironically, in 1969, Barnes’ first year back after retirement, the Tigers won their first premiership in twenty-one years, following three disastrous Grand Final appearances during his tenure.
Barnes kept up his involvement in rugby league, rising to the position of Secretary-Manager of the Balmain Leagues Club in 1976 and Chief Executive of the football club in 1984. During the 1990 Kangaroo tour, Barnes became the first former captain of the Australian team to lead the Australian team.
Keith Barnes was honored to be included in both the Wests Tigers’ and Balmain’s “Team of the Century” at the start of the new century. In his honor, the Wests Tigers Club annually bestows the Keith Barnes Medal on the finest back.
The Australian Rugby League Hall of Fame inducted him in 2007. In honor of the code’s centennial year in Australia, the NRL and ARL commissioned a list of Australia’s 100 Greatest Players (1908–2007), and Barnes was included in it in February 2008.
He received the title of Member of the Order of Australia on January 26, 1996, in “recognition of service to rugby league as a player and administrator”. In recognition of his rugby league accomplishments, he was given the Australian Sports Medal on October 24, 2000. The Balmain Tigers’ home field, Leichhardt Oval, was named the Keith Barnes Stand in honor of Barnes in 2009.
Keith Barnes’s Nationality
Keith Barnes was a Welsh-born Australian rugby league footballer who played in the 1950s and 1960s and coached in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s.
Keith Barnes’s Net Worth
The actual net worth of Keith Barnes isn’t known but the Welsh-born Australian rugby footballer is estimated to be worth at least $2 million.
Where is Keith Barnes from?
Keith Barnes is from Port Talbot a town and community in the county borough of Neath Port Talbot, Wales, situated on the east side of Swansea Bay, approximately eight miles from Swansea.
How old is Keith Barnes?
Born on October 30, 1934 and died on 8 April 2024, Keith Barnes was 89 years at the time of his death.
Keith Barnes’s Height & Weight
Keith Barnes was 5 ft 10 in (178 cm) tall and weighed 11 st 10 lb (74 kg).
Keith Barnes’s Career
Keith Barnes began his rugby career at Wollongong High School at the age of 15 when his family moved to Australia. At the age of 19, the Wollongong club graded him as a half-back. In 1954, he played for Country and in a Southern Districts team against the Great Britain Lions, who were on tour.
He came to the district and entered first grade as soon as Norm “Latchem” Robinson signed him in 1955 to play for the Balmain Tigers. Over the next 14 seasons, he did not participate in a single lower-grade game.
He participated in the first of three Grand Finals the following year when the St George Dragons were just starting their lengthy premiership run. Keith Barnes would lose in a premiership decider three times: in 1956, 1964, and 1966 (the last two times as captain).
Keith Barnes gained notoriety fast for his lethal accuracy while kicking goals and for frequently kicking penalties from beyond the 50-yard line. In a club game, he once kicked eleven goals. In 1966, Barnes surpassed Ron Willey’s record of 1,288 points scored during a NSWRFL career.
His final total of 1,519 points became the new record for seven seasons until Eric Simms surpassed it in 1973. With 1,519 points for Balmain, Barnes ranked 19th all-time among club point scorers as of 2017.
Barnes served as captain and coach of Balmain in 1967, his last season as a player. When injuries decimated the team’s playing squad in 1968, he made a brief comeback to play in a few games.
Keith Barnes played 234 games with the Tigers, averaging four goals a game, and made seventeen appearances for his adopted nation before retiring from competitive rugby league in 1968. Ironically, in 1969, Barnes’ first year back after retirement, the Tigers won their first premiership in twenty-one years, following three disastrous Grand Final appearances during his tenure.
Barnes kept up his involvement in rugby league, rising to the position of Secretary-Manager of the Balmain Leagues Club in 1976 and Chief Executive of the football club in 1984. During the 1990 Kangaroo tour, Barnes became the first former captain of the Australian team to lead the Australian team.
The Australian Rugby League Hall of Fame inducted him in 2007. In honor of the code’s centennial year in Australia, the NRL and ARL commissioned a list of Australia’s 100 Greatest Players (1908–2007), and Barnes was included in it in February 2008.
He received the title of Member of the Order of Australia on January 26, 1996, in “recognition of service to rugby league as a player and administrator”. In recognition of his rugby league accomplishments, he was given the Australian Sports Medal on October 24, 2000. The Balmain Tigers’ home field, Leichhardt Oval, was named the Keith Barnes Stand in honor of Barnes in 2009.
https://www.nrl.com/watch/news/remembering-keith-barnes-1647732/
Keith Barnes’s Marital Status
The marital status of Keith Barnes remain unknown as at the moment as he has kept his private life away from the media.
Keith Barnes’s Family & Siblings
As of the moment, there is no information regarding the family and siblings of Keith Barnes aside from the fact that they moved from Welsh to Australia when he was 15 years of age.
Why is Keith Barnes famous?
Known for his precise goal-kicking, Keith Barnes earned the moniker “Golden Boots” for being one of the greatest players of the 20th century. He once scored 11 goals in a first-grade game.
Keith Barnes’s Children
Keith Barnes might have children but since he has kept his personal life away from the media, there’s no information regarding them.
Keith Barnes’s Social Media
The social media handles of Keith Barnes aren’t known as it appears he’s not on any social media platform.
Source: www.Ghgossip.com
