Dana Barros
A 5'11" scoring dynamo who defied size expectations to become an NBA All-Star and three-point pioneer.
Born 1967 (age 59)·American basketball player and coach·Birthday: April 13·Generation X
Biography
Dana Barros proved that heart and a lightning-quick release could trump sheer physical stature in the NBA. The Boston College star, a local hero from Boston, carried his prolific scoring into a professional career that spanned 14 seasons. Though often the smallest man on the court, he possessed an explosive first step and a deadly three-point shot, leading the league in three-point percentage in 1995. That same year, playing for the Philadelphia 76ers, he had a breakout season, averaging over 20 points per game and earning a spot on the NBA All-Star team. After his playing days, he channeled his knowledge into coaching and running a prominent AAU program, the Dana Barros Gladiators, shaping the next generation of New England talent.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Dana was born in 1967, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Dana Was Born
The biggest hits of 1967
#1 Movie
The Jungle Book
Best Picture
In the Heat of the Night
#1 TV Show
The Andy Griffith Show
Dana's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1967Born
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
1972Started school
Watergate break-in; last Apollo Moon mission
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $19,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" — Roberta FlackBest Picture: The Godfather
1980Became a teenager
John Lennon shot and killed in New York
Gas: $1.19/galHome: $47,200Min wage: $3.10/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Call Me" — BlondieBest Picture: Ordinary People
1983Could drive
Internet adopts TCP/IP, creating the modern internet
Gas: $1.16/galHome: $57,700Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Every Breath You Take" — The PoliceBest Picture: Terms of Endearment
1985Could vote
Live Aid concerts raise money for Ethiopian famine
Gas: $1.12/galHome: $62,900Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Careless Whisper" — Wham!Best Picture: Out of Africa
1988Turned 21
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1997Turned 30
Princess Diana dies in Paris car crash; Harry Potter published
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $104,100Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Candle in the Wind 1997" — Elton JohnBest Picture: Titanic
2007Turned 40
iPhone released; Great Recession begins
Gas: $2.80/galHome: $172,600Min wage: $5.85/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Irreplaceable" — BeyonceBest Picture: No Country for Old Men
2017Turned 50
#MeToo movement; solar eclipse crosses the US
Gas: $2.42/galHome: $195,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Shape of You" — Ed SheeranBest Picture: The Shape of Water
2026Age 59 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Selected as an NBA All-Star in 1995 while playing for the Philadelphia 76ers.
- Led the NBA in three-point field goal percentage (46.4%) during the 1994-95 season.
- Scored 50 points in a single game for the Philadelphia 76ers against the Houston Rockets in 1995.
- Finished his career at Boston College as the school's second all-time leading scorer at the time of his graduation.
Did You Know?
He is of Cape Verdean descent.
Barros was a standout high school quarterback in addition to being a basketball star.
He owns and operates the Dana Barros Sports Complex in Stoughton, Massachusetts.
He served as head men's basketball coach at Newbury College, a small private college in Massachusetts.
“I was always told I was too small, so I just shot it over the big guys.”
