Marion Barber III
Encyclopedia
Marion Sylvester Barber III (born June 10, 1983) is an American football
running back
for the Chicago Bears
of the National Football League
. He was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys
in the fourth round of the 2005 NFL Draft
. He played college football
at Minnesota
.
Barber was selected to the Pro Bowl
in 2007
. He is the older brother of Houston Texans
safety Dominique Barber
and the son of former New York Jets
running back Marion Barber, Jr..
located in Plymouth, Minnesota and was a standout in football
, baseball
and track
. In football, he was a SuperPrep and PrepStar All-Midwest and consensus All-State honoree as a senior
running back and as a defensive back
. During his last season with the Trojans, he amassed 1,778 rushing yards with 18 touchdowns and led his team with 10 interceptions (3 of which came against Gatorade
National Player of the Year and future Minnesota Twins
catcher Joe Mauer
). In baseball, he was an Honorable Mention All-Conference center fielder
. In his first and only track season, Barber qualified for the 2001 Minnesota State Class AA Championships in the 100 meters. He finished the season with a 100m time of 10.9 seconds.
at the University of Minnesota
, finishing second on the school's all-time list for rushing touchdowns with 35, one better than his father, Marion Barber Jr.
. He also teamed up with other star Minnesota running back Lawrence Maroney in his final year at college to form one of the best duo backs in the nation.
by the Dallas Cowboys
. A toe infection that required surgery and some preseason fumbles left him at the bottom of the depth chart. An injury to Julius Jones
and the ineffectiveness of Anthony Thomas
allowed Barber to emerge, and he responded with 95 yards rushing against Seattle
and 127 yards against Arizona
. Along with his pass-blocking and special teams abilities, this solidified his position as the backup running back for the Cowboys.
with 14 rushing touchdowns in 2006
. Barber finally established his role and ability as a power back.
to name Barber the starting tailback. However, Phillips continued to utilize the "running back by committee," sharing the load with Cowboys starting running back Julius Jones. This approach was instituted by former coach Bill Parcells
.
Jim Johnson
, the Philadelphia Eagles
defensive coordinator
, called Barber the hardest running back in the NFL to bring down.
During the 2007 season, Barber's power running back style earned him the nickname Marion the Barbarian and he was the league leader in breaking tackles, reflecting his personal mantra of "hit or get hit." Barber rushed for 975 yards on 204 carries and 10 rushing touchdowns with a 4.8 yards-per-carry rushing average. He caught 44 passes for 282 yards and two touchdowns.
On December 18, 2007, he was named to his first Pro Bowl
despite officially being a backup. Barber received the start in the divisional playoff loss to the New York Giants
.
Dallas offered Barber, now as an unquestionable starter to the team, the highest tender as a restricted free agent
. On May 20, 2008, he signed a seven-year deal, $45 million with the Cowboys with $16 million guaranteed.
and Felix Jones
, and injury problems limited his success during the 2009 season. However, he played in 15 games despite a torn quadriceps muscle.
signed Barber to a two-year, $5 million contract.
Barber beat out Chester Taylor
(as Chester Taylor got cut) for the Chicago Bears' 2nd string Running Back position after Matt Forte
.
On August 27 in the third pre-season game, Barber hurt his calf muscle while performing celebratory back-flips and missed the first three games of the regular season due to the injury.
! rowspan=2|Season !! rowspan=2|Team !! rowspan=2|GP–GS !! colspan=5|Rushing !! colspan=5|Receiving !! colspan=2|Fumbles>
| rowspan=6|Dallas Cowboys
> 538
3.9
28
5
18
115
6.4
21
0
3
0
| 16–1
| 135 > 654
4.8
25
14
23
196
8.5
26
2
0
0
| 16–0
| 204 > 975
4.8
54
10
44
282
6.4
29
2
3
0
| 15–13
| 238 > 885
3.7
35
7
52
417
8.0
70
2
7
3
| 15-15
| 214 > 932
4.4
35
7
26
221
8.5
42
0
2
2
| 13-10
| 113 > 374
3.3
25
4
11
49
4.5
15
0
0
0
! 929 !! 3,984 !! 4.3 !! 54 !! 43 !! 163 !! 1,231 !! 7.6 !! 70 !! 6 !! 15 !! 5>
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
running back
Running back
A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
for the Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
of the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
. He was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
in the fourth round of the 2005 NFL Draft
2005 NFL Draft
The 2005 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 23–24, 2005. The league also held an supplemental draft that year, which was held after...
. He played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
at Minnesota
Minnesota Golden Gophers football
The University of Minnesota Golden Gophers are one of the oldest programs in college football history. They compete in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision and the Big Ten Conference. The Golden Gophers have claimed six national championships and have an all time record of 646–481–44 as...
.
Barber was selected to the Pro Bowl
Pro Bowl
In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...
in 2007
2008 Pro Bowl
The 2008 AFC-NFC Pro Bowl was the NFL's all-star game for the 2007 season. It was played at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii on February 10, 2008. The game was televised in the United States by Fox and began shortly after 11:40am local time . The NFC won, 42–30, despite a 17-point first half AFC...
. He is the older brother of Houston Texans
Houston Texans
The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston, Texas. The team is currently a member of the Southern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
safety Dominique Barber
Dominique Barber
Dominique J. Barber is an American football safety for the Houston Texans of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Texans in the sixth round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He played college football at Minnesota....
and the son of former New York Jets
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
running back Marion Barber, Jr..
Early years
Barber attended Wayzata High SchoolWayzata High School
Wayzata High School is located in Plymouth, Minnesota, a suburb of Minneapolis-St. Paul. The high school, operated by the Wayzata School District, has approximately 3,060 students in grades 9 to 12 , making it the largest secondary school by enrollment in Minnesota. It is also the largest Minnesota...
located in Plymouth, Minnesota and was a standout in football
High school football
High school football, in North America, refers to the game of football as it is played in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both of these nations....
, baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
and track
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
. In football, he was a SuperPrep and PrepStar All-Midwest and consensus All-State honoree as a senior
Twelfth grade
Twelfth grade or Senior year, or Grade Twelve, are the North American names for the final year of secondary school. In most countries students then graduate at age 17 or 18. In some countries, there is a thirteenth grade, while other countries do not have a 12th grade/year at all...
running back and as a defensive back
Defensive back
In American football and Canadian football, defensive backs are the players on the defensive team who take positions somewhat back from the line of scrimmage; they are distinguished from the defensive line players and linebackers, who take positions directly behind or close to the line of...
. During his last season with the Trojans, he amassed 1,778 rushing yards with 18 touchdowns and led his team with 10 interceptions (3 of which came against Gatorade
Gatorade
Gatorade is a brand of sports-themed food and beverage products, built around its signature product: a line of sports drinks. Gatorade is currently manufactured by PepsiCo, distributed in over 80 countries...
National Player of the Year and future Minnesota Twins
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...
catcher Joe Mauer
Joe Mauer
Joseph Patrick Mauer is a Major League Baseball catcher for the Minnesota Twins. He is the only catcher in Major League history to win three batting titles...
). In baseball, he was an Honorable Mention All-Conference center fielder
Center fielder
A center fielder, abbreviated CF, is the outfielder in baseball who plays defense in center field – the baseball fielding position between left field and right field...
. In his first and only track season, Barber qualified for the 2001 Minnesota State Class AA Championships in the 100 meters. He finished the season with a 100m time of 10.9 seconds.
College career
Like his father, he played college footballCollege football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
at the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
, finishing second on the school's all-time list for rushing touchdowns with 35, one better than his father, Marion Barber Jr.
Marion Barber Jr.
Marion Sylvester Barber, Jr. is a former American football running back for the New York Jets of the National Football League. He played for the Jets from 1982-1988. He attended the University of Minnesota...
. He also teamed up with other star Minnesota running back Lawrence Maroney in his final year at college to form one of the best duo backs in the nation.
2005
After forgoing his senior season, he was selected in the fourth round (109th overall) of the 2005 NFL Draft2005 NFL Draft
The 2005 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 23–24, 2005. The league also held an supplemental draft that year, which was held after...
by the Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
. A toe infection that required surgery and some preseason fumbles left him at the bottom of the depth chart. An injury to Julius Jones
Julius Jones
Julius Andre Maurice Jones is an American football running back who played college football at the University of Notre Dame and is currently a member of the Free Agent Class of the National Football League. Before signing with the Saints on October 12, 2010, Julius had stints with the Dallas...
and the ineffectiveness of Anthony Thomas
Anthony Thomas (American football)
Anthony Jermaine Thomas is an American football coach and former player. He is currently the running backs coach at at West Virginia Wesleyan College. Thomas was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft...
allowed Barber to emerge, and he responded with 95 yards rushing against Seattle
Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle, Washington. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team...
and 127 yards against Arizona
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
. Along with his pass-blocking and special teams abilities, this solidified his position as the backup running back for the Cowboys.
2006
Barber found a niche as a third-down rusher and emerged as an excellent red-zone rusher. He led the NFCNational Football Conference
The National Football Conference is one of the two conferences of the National Football League . This conference and its counterpart, the American Football Conference , currently contain 16 teams each, making up the 32 teams of the NFL.-Current teams:Since 2002, the NFC has comprised 16 teams,...
with 14 rushing touchdowns in 2006
2006 NFL season
The 2006 NFL season was the 87th regular season of the National Football League.Regular season play was held from September 7 to December 31, 2006...
. Barber finally established his role and ability as a power back.
2007
Entering the 2007 NFL regular season, many Dallas fans called for Cowboys coach Wade PhillipsWade Phillips
Wade Allen Phillips is the defensive coordinator for the Houston Texans and former head coach for the National Football League's Dallas Cowboys, Denver Broncos, and Buffalo Bills. He was also an interim head coach for the New Orleans Saints and Atlanta Falcons...
to name Barber the starting tailback. However, Phillips continued to utilize the "running back by committee," sharing the load with Cowboys starting running back Julius Jones. This approach was instituted by former coach Bill Parcells
Bill Parcells
Duane Charles "Bill" Parcells is a former American football head coach, most recently with the Dallas Cowboys from 2003 to 2006...
.
Jim Johnson
Jim Johnson (football coach)
Jim Johnson was an American football coach, formerly serving as defensive coordinator with the Philadelphia Eagles...
, the Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
defensive coordinator
Defensive coordinator
A defensive coordinator typically refers to a coach on a gridiron football team who is in charge of the defense. Generally, along with his offensive counterpart, he represents the second level of command structure after the head coach...
, called Barber the hardest running back in the NFL to bring down.
During the 2007 season, Barber's power running back style earned him the nickname Marion the Barbarian and he was the league leader in breaking tackles, reflecting his personal mantra of "hit or get hit." Barber rushed for 975 yards on 204 carries and 10 rushing touchdowns with a 4.8 yards-per-carry rushing average. He caught 44 passes for 282 yards and two touchdowns.
On December 18, 2007, he was named to his first Pro Bowl
Pro Bowl
In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...
despite officially being a backup. Barber received the start in the divisional playoff loss to the New York Giants
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
.
2008
Restricted free agent
A restricted free agent is a professional athlete who plays in the KHL, NFL, NHL, or NBA. Such players have special restrictions on the terms under which they can retain or change employment status with their athletic club teams.- NFL :...
. On May 20, 2008, he signed a seven-year deal, $45 million with the Cowboys with $16 million guaranteed.
2009
The emergence of Tashard ChoiceTashard Choice
Tashard J. Choice , is an American football running back for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League. He played collegiately at Georgia Tech. He was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the fourth round of the 2008 NFL Draft.Choice began his collegiate career at The University of Oklahoma but...
and Felix Jones
Felix Jones
Felix Jones is an American football running back for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League. After playing college football and majoring in kinesiology at the University of Arkansas, he was drafted by the Cowboys 22nd overall in the 2008 NFL Draft...
, and injury problems limited his success during the 2009 season. However, he played in 15 games despite a torn quadriceps muscle.
2010
Barber had a disappointing 2010 season as the entire Cowboys team struggled from game one. In 13 games Barber rushed for 480 yards on 113 carries for a 3.3 yard per carry average, the lowest of his career. His 4 rushing touchdowns were also the lowest of his career.2011
Barber was released by Dallas on July 28, 2011. On July 30, 2011, the BearsChicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
signed Barber to a two-year, $5 million contract.
Barber beat out Chester Taylor
Chester Taylor
Chester Lamar Taylor also known as "Che Tay" is an American football running back of the National Football League who is currently on the Arizona Cardinals. He was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the sixth round of the 2002 NFL Draft...
(as Chester Taylor got cut) for the Chicago Bears' 2nd string Running Back position after Matt Forte
Matt Forté
Matthew Garrett Forté is an American football running back for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Bears in the second round of the 2008 NFL Draft...
.
On August 27 in the third pre-season game, Barber hurt his calf muscle while performing celebratory back-flips and missed the first three games of the regular season due to the injury.
Career statistics
| rowspan=6|Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
>
| 16–1
| 135 >
| 16–0
| 204 >
| 15–13
| 238 >
| 15-15
| 214 >
| 13-10
| 113 >
! 929 !! 3,984 !! 4.3 !! 54 !! 43 !! 163 !! 1,231 !! 7.6 !! 70 !! 6 !! 15 !! 5>