Barber attended Wayzata High School in Plymouth, Minnesota,[2] 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, Barber amassed 1,778 rushing yards with 18 touchdowns and led his team with 10 interceptions (three of which came against Gatorade National Player of the Year and future Minnesota Twins catcher Joe Mauer).[3] 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.[4]
After forgoing his senior season of college, the Dallas Cowboys selected Barber in the fourth round, with the 109th overall selection, of the 2005 NFL draft.[9] 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.[10]
Although he was the backup to Julius Jones in 2006, Barber found a niche as a third-down rusher and a closer of games, emerging as an excellent red-zone running back. He led the NFC with 14 rushing touchdowns in 2006[11] and was the first non-placekicker since 2000 to lead the Cowboys in scoring (96 points).[12]
During the 2007 season, Barber's power running back style earned him the nickname Marion the Barbarian[13] 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.[14]
On December 18, 2007, he was named to his first Pro Bowl despite officially being a backup.[15] Barber received the start in the divisional playoff loss to the New York Giants.[16]
Dallas offered Barber, now as a starter, the highest tender as a restricted free agent in 2008. On May 20, 2008, he signed a seven-year deal for $45 million with the Cowboys with $16 million guaranteed.[17] Before becoming a starter, there was already a worry as to whether his running style could shortened his career; with the additional work, his career longevity was discussed more often, as his yards per carry started to drop down.[18]
During the 2009 season, the emergence of Tashard Choice and Felix Jones, and injury problems limited his success. However, he played in 15 games despite a torn quadriceps muscle.[19] Barber had a disappointing 2010 season as the entire Cowboys team struggled from game one. In 13 games, Barber rushed for 374 yards on 113 carries for a 3.3 yard per carry average, the lowest of his career. His four rushing touchdowns were also the lowest of his career.[20]
Chicago Bears
Barber was released by Dallas on July 28, 2011.[21] On July 30, 2011, the Chicago Bears signed Barber to a two-year, $5 million contract.[22] Barber beat out Chester Taylor for the Chicago Bears' second string running back position after Matt Forte.[23]
On August 27 in the third pre-season game, Barber hurt his calf muscle and missed the first three games of the regular season due to the injury. In Week 14 against the Denver Broncos, replacing an injured Forte, Barber scored a touchdown and had his first 100-yard game since 2009. However, he ran out of bounds when the Bears needed to run out the clock, allowing the Broncos enough time to overtake the Bears and win the game.[24]
In the 2011 season Barber had 422 yards on 114 carries. Following the 2011 season, Barber announced his retirement from the NFL on March 23, 2012.[25]
In 2014, Barber was detained by police and given a mental evaluation following an incident.[26]
In 2019, Barber was arrested on two counts of criminal mischief for causing damage to two cars while he was running. He pleaded no contest and was sentenced to one year of probation, 60 hours of community service, and a $2,000 fine in April 2022.[27]
Barber was found dead in his apartment in Frisco, Texas on June 1, 2022, at the age of 38.[28] An autopsy revealed that Barber died of heat stroke; according to police, he often exercised in "sauna-like conditions", and he had set the thermostat in his apartment to 91 °F (33 °C) before he died. His death was ruled an accident.[29]
