Cliff Barker

{{short description|American basketball player (1921–1998)}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2019}}

{{Infobox basketball biography

| name = Cliff Barker

| image =

| width =

| caption =

| position = Guard

| height_ft = 6

| height_in = 2

| weight_lb = 185

| number = 10

| birth_date = {{birth date|1921|01|15|mf=y}}

| birth_place = Yorktown, Indiana, U.S.

| death_date = {{death date and age|1998|03|17|1921|01|15|mf=y}}

| death_place = Satsuma, Florida, U.S.

| nationality = American

| high_school = Yorktown (Yorktown, Indiana)

| college = Kentucky (1946–1949)

| draft_round = 5

| draft_pick = 52

| draft_year = 1949

| draft_team = Washington Capitols

| career_start = 1949

| career_end = 1952

| years1 = {{nbay|1949|start}}–{{nbay|1951|end}}

| team1 = Indianapolis Olympians

| highlights =

• 2× NCAA champion (1948, 1949)

| stat1label = Points

| stat1value = 557

| stat2label = Rebounds

| stat2value = 181

| stat3label = Assists

| stat3value = 294

| bbr = barkecl01

| medal_templates =

{{MedalSport | Men's basketball}}

{{MedalCountry|the {{USA}}}}

{{MedalCompetition|Olympic Games}}

{{MedalGold| 1948 London | Team competition}}

}}

Clifford "Cliff" Eugene Barker (January 15, 1921 – March 17, 1998) was an American basketball player who won the gold medal with the USA national basketball team at the 1948 Summer Olympics in London{{cite web|url=http://www.bigbluehistory.net/bb/Statistics/Players/Barker_Cliff.html|title=UK Career Statistics and Bio for Cliff Barker|accessdate=September 10, 2010}}{{cite Sports-Reference |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ba/cliff-barker-1.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200418075514/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ba/cliff-barker-1.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=April 18, 2020 |title=Cliff Barker |accessdate=June 14, 2018}} and two national championships at the University of Kentucky.

File:Cliff-Barker-jersey.jpg.]]

While at the University of Kentucky, Barker was an All-SEC (Second Team) and All-SEC Tournament guard during the 1947–48 and 1948–49 seasons.

A member of the United States Army Air Forces during World War II, Barker was a B-17 Flying Fortress waist gunner and spent 16 months as a prisoner-of-war. "Fancy Nancy III," the B-17 he was assigned to was shot down in the vicinity of Konigslutter. "Fancy Nancy III" was assigned to the 612 Bombardment Squadron, a unit of the 401st Bombardment Group.{{cite web|url=https://www.americanairmuseum.com/archive/person/clifford-eugene-barker|title=Clifford Eugene Barker|website=American Air Museum|accessdate=2 June 2025}}{{cite web|url=https://www.americanairmuseum.com/archive/aircraft/42-37856|title=42-37856 Fancy Nancy III|website=American Air Museum|accessdate=2 June 2025}}{{Cite web|url=http://www.bigbluehistory.net/bb/Statistics/Players/Barker_Cliff.html|title=UK Career Statistics and Bio for Cliff Barker}}