A warm welcome for Flintridge Prep’s Ramses Barden

Had a chance to catch the Pasadena Poly-Flintridge Prep boys basketball game last night. The Rebels won, 43-30, and at that game was a special visit: Ramses Barden attended the game. I have to admit. I had no idea who the kid was until I asked Flintirdge Prep AD Alex Rivera for more info. Barden led the Rebels to the 2003 CIF-Southern Section Divisional championship. Gotta hand it to the PA announcer for the Rebels who gave him such a long and warm welcome the game was briefly stopped until the introduction ended. Barden got a loud ovation from the home crowd, and even those on the Poly stands. Barden was humble about it. There’s talk Barden could be picked somewhere in the fourth round of the NFL Draft. Best of luck to Barden.

More on Barden’s success this past season….

Cal Poly senior wide receiver Ramses Barden caught a pair of passes in the second half of Saturday’s Under Armour Senior Bowl at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Alabama.

Barden, playing for the North squad, gained 20 yards on the two receptions in the game won by the South 35-18 and televised nationally by NFL Network.

Barden, Cal Poly’s first representative in the Senior Bowl, caught a 19-yard pass from Central Arkansas quarterback Nathan Brown for a first down with 5:10 to go in the third quarter.

With eight minutes to play in the game, Barden caught his second pass, a one-yarder from Texas Tech signal caller Graham Harrell.

“I definitely think I improved or helped myself, whatever you want to call it,” Barden told KSBY-TV after the game. “I got a chance to get out there and perform in front of people who hadn’t seen me do so so far.

“My name’s in a couple more people’s notebooks and there’s a couple more important people asking questions about me, asking who I am, where I came from and if i’ll be a good fit for their team,” Barden added.



The North squad was coached by the coaching staff of the Cincinnati Bengals, led by Marvin Lewis. Jacksonville Jaguars coaches mentored the South squad.

The Senior Bowl is the nation’s most unique football game and football’s premier pre-draft event, annually featuring the country’s best senior collegiate football stars and top NFL draft prospects on teams representing the North and South which are coached by the entire coaching staffs from two National Football League teams.

Senior Bowl practices were attended by over 800 general managers, head coaches, assistant coaches, scouts and other front office personnel from the 32 National Football League teams, making Mobile and the Senior Bowl the week-long host to a one-of-a-kind NFL Coaches Convention.

Barden (6-6, 227, Altadena, Calif./Flintridge Prep HS) has been named to the American Football Coaches Association’s Football Championship Subdivision All-America Team, the Walter Camp Football Foundation FCS All-America Team, the Associated Press FCS All-America First Team, The Sports Network FCS All-America First Team and the College Sporting News’ Fabulous Fifty, all for the second year in a row.

He finished fourth in balloting for the 22nd Walter Payton Award, presented annually by The Sports Network to the top offensive player in the NCAA’s FCS, and currently is training at Elite Athletics with Travelle Gaines and his staff in Westlake Village with a number of other NFL prospects from across the country.

Barden completed his Cal Poly career with 206 catches for 4,203 yards and 50 touchdowns, all school records. He also is in the NCAA record book for most consecutive games with a touchdown catch, both in the FCS and all-time (20) as well as most career games with a touchdown catch in the FCS and all-time (32). His 50 career scoring receptions is No. 13 all-time as well.

Barden has been invited to the NFL Scouting Combine, scheduled for Feb. 18-24 in Indianapolis, Indiana. The NFL Draft is slated for April 25-26 in New York.

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