Joe Barry, a former Trojan linebacker and assistant coach who spent the past 10 years coaching in the NFL, joined the USC staff in January of 2010 as the linebackers coach.
Barry, 40, was the linebackers coach with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2009. Before that, he was the defensive coordinator of the Detroit Lions for 2 seasons (2007-08), serving
under head coach Rod Marinelli, his father-in-law, and working on the same staff as his father, Mike Barry, who handled the Lions’ offensive line.
Barry’s first NFL job was as the defensive quality control coach with the San
Francisco 49ers in 2000.
He then spent 6 years (2001-06) as the linebackers coach of the Buccaneers, working under defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin (now on USC’s staff and the father of Lane) and for 4 of those years working alongside Marinelli, who coached the defensive line. He was a member of the 2002 Super Bowl champions that led the league in total defense and scoring defense. The
Buccaneers were ranked among the NFL’s top 5 in total defense 3 others times during his tenure, including first in 2005 when they won the NFC South Division.
His linebackers were named to the Pro Bowl 7 times, including 2002 NFL Defensive Player of the Year Derrick Brooks.
Barry began his coaching career at his alma mater, USC. He was Troy’s video coordinator in 1994, then was a graduate assistant working with the defensive line in 1995 as the Trojans won the Rose Bowl. Like at the Lions, he coached with his father, Mike, who was USC’s offensive line coach (Marinelli was Troy’s defensive line coach).
He then spent 3 seasons (1996-98) as the linebackers and defensive ends coach at Northern Arizona before becoming the linebackers coach at UNLV in 1999 under head coach John Robinson, who was his head coach at USC. Barry lettered 2 years (1992-93) at USC, where he started 7 games at inside linebacker in 1993. He came to USC from Michigan, where he redshirted in 1989 and sat out 1990 with a knee injury.
He received his bachelor’s degree in communication from USC in 1994.
He was a 2-time (1987-88) All-Colorado pick at Fairview High in Boulder after earning All-Iowa second team honors as a 1986 sophomore at Ames (Ia.) High. He also played basketball and track.
He was born on July 5, 1970. He and his wife, Chris, have 2 daughters, Camryn, 10, and Lauren, 8, and 6-year-old twin sons, Nick and Sam. His father, Mike, was a college assistant coach at Southern Illinois, Arizona, Iowa State, Colorado, North Carolina State and Tennessee in addition to USC (1993-97) before joining the Lions. His father-in-law, Rod Marinelli is a long-time college (Utah State, California, Arizona State) and pro (Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Chicago Bears) assistant who had stints as a USC assistant (1995) and as the
Lions’ head coach (2006-08).