 Barber at the 2008 Pro Bowl. |
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| No. 24 Dallas Cowboys | |
| Running back | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Date of birth: June 10, 1983 | |
| Place of birth: Plymouth, Minnesota | |
| Height: 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | Weight: 222 lb (101 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College: Minnesota | |
| NFL Draft: 2005 / Round: 4 / Pick: 109 | |
| Debuted in 2005 for the Dallas Cowboys | |
| Career history | |
As player:
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| Roster status: Active | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
|
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| Career NFL statistics as of 2009 | |
| Rushing yards | 3,131 |
| Rushing average | 4.3 |
| Rushing TDs | 37 |
| Stats at NFL.com | |
Marion Sylvester Barber III (born June 10, 1983 in Plymouth, Minnesota) is an American football running back for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League. He was drafted by the 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..
Contents |
Early years
Barber attended Wayzata High School 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).[1] 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.[2]
College career
Like his father, he played college football 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..
Professional career
2005
After forgoing his senior season, he was selected in the 4th round (109th overall) of the 2005 NFL Draft 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.
2006
Barber has found a niche as a third-down rusher, and has been an excellent red-zone rusher. He led the NFC with 14 rushing touchdowns in 2006. Barber finally established his role and ability as a power back.
2007
Entering the 2007 NFL regular season, many Dallas fans have called for Cowboys coach Wade Phillips to name Barber the starting tailback. However, Phillips continued to utilize the "running back by committee", sharing the load with Dallas Cowboys starting running back Julius Jones. This approach was instituted by former coach Bill Parcells.
Jim Johnson, Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator has called Barber the hardest running back in the NFL to bring down.
During this year, Barber was nicknamed "The Barbarian" for his physical running style.
His power running back style has earned him the nickname "Marion the Barbarian" and he has been the league leader in breaking tackles, which seems to reflect his personal mantra of "hit or get hit." Up to December 22, 2007, Barber's rushing statistics in 2007 season in 15 games were 975 yards on 203 carries, 4.8 yards per carry rushing average, and 10 rushing touchdowns. His receiving statistics are 43 receptions for 275 yards and 2 touchdown receptions. He recorded, by far, the most broken-tackles of any player in the 2007/2008 season.
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.[3][4]
2008
Dallas offered Marion Barber 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.
Career statistics
| Season | Team | GP–GS | Rushing | Receiving | Fumbles | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Att | Yards | Avg. | Long | TD | Rec | Yards | Avg | Long | TD | FUM | Lost | |||
| 2005 | Dallas Cowboys | 13–2 | 138 | 538 | 4.1 | 28 | 5 | 18 | 115 | 6.4 | 21 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 2006 | 16–1 | 135 | 654 | 4.8 | 25 | 14 | 23 | 196 | 8.5 | 26 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2007 | 16–0 | 204 | 975 | 4.8 | 54 | 10 | 44 | 282 | 6.4 | 29 | 2 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2008 | 12–12 | 225 | 870 | 3.7 | 35 | 7 | 47 | 366 | 7.8 | 70 | 2 | 6 | 2 | |
| Total | 702 | 3,037 | 4.3 | 54 | 36 | 132 | 959 | 7.3 | 70 | 6 | 12 | 2 | ||
References
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Marion Barber III |
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Julius Jones |
Dallas Cowboys Starting Runningbacks 2007- |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
| Awards and achievements | ||
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