Barry Wilburn, Super Bowl-winning star for Washington, dies in Memphis house fire

Barry Wilburn | CBS

Barry Wilburn, who led the NFL in interceptions in 1987 and won a Super Bowl with Washington that same season, has died. He was 62.

The Commanders announced his death Sunday. CBS affiliate WREG in Memphis, Tennessee, citing the Memphis Fire Department, reported that Wilburn was the victim of a house fire early Friday. The family confirmed the circumstances to Action News 5.

Born Dec. 9, 1963, Wilburn played in college at Mississippi before being drafted by Washington in 1985. He had nine of his 20 career regular-season interceptions in 1987, playing in the same defensive backfield as Hall of Famer Darrell Green.

When Washington beat Denver 42-10 in that season’s Super Bowl, Wilburn intercepted two passes in that game.

After five seasons with Washington, he played for the Cleveland Browns in 1992 and later was with the Philadelphia Eagles for a couple of seasons.

Memphis Fire Department crews were called to a house fire early Friday morning, and once the flames were extinguished, they located Wilburn, who was pronounced dead at the scene, WREG reported. The cause of the fire is still under investigation, the station reported.

Tim Thompson, Wilburn’s football teammate at Melrose High School in Memphis, told the station that he met Wilburn when Wilburn was a senior and he was a sophomore.

“I always looked up to him,” Thompson told the station. “He was like a role model.”

Thompson aid he decided to wear his football jersey number.

“Barry ended up going to Ole Miss. He wore the number 11,” Thompson told WREG. “I asked him when he left Melrose, ‘it would be a privilege for me to wear your number 11’ and he said ‘it was an honor.'”