Barone, Class of '94, was a junior college transfer from Hudson Community College, where he was an All-League quarterback. While at HCC, he re-wrote the school record book. When new NU coach Barry Gallup inherited a Husky football team that had gone 1-10 in 1990, he looked for a QB for his "run and shoot" offense. Barone was his answer.
In Barone's very first outing, the Huskies opened the Gallup era by routing Colgate, 35-10. Barone won the New England Gold Helmet Award as the Division I-A/I-AA Player of the Week by completing 12-of-21 passes for 303 yards and three touchdowns. His first-ever pass was intercepted but he rebounded to complete an 84-yard TD strike on his second. That season of 1991 saw NU improve to 4-7. He finished the year with 1,899 passing yards and 314 yards on the ground.
Barone's senior season earned him team MVP honors and the New England writers Gold Helmet Award as the Outstanding Division I-A/I-AA Player of the Year, the first NU player so honored. During the 5-5-1 season, he won two weekly Gold Helmets. In a 47-36 win over Maine, he set NU single-game records for passing yards (318) and touchdown passes (six). He was awarded the Gold Helmet following a bizarre 33-32 loss to Towson, in which he threw for 293 yards, ran for 87 and scored on a 32-yard run with four seconds left, only to have Towson respond with no time left to win. That campaign also featured one of Northeastern's greatest upsets. NU upended Youngstown State, the defending I-AA national champions, 28-23. Barone ran for 148 yards, two Tds, passed for 218 yards and two more scores.
He ended his career with a host of records. That 1992 season he threw 355 passes, completing 183 for 2,285 yards and 20 touchdowns, all new Northeastern season marks. More remarkable was his career record of 38 touchdown passes in only two years of competition.
Barone also won two baseball letters as a pitcher, outfielder and designated hitter. In 1993 he was voted All-America East for his work on the mound.
