Marion Barber III

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Marion Barber
Dallas CowboysNo. 24
Running back
Date of birth: June 10, 1983 (1983-06-10) (age 25)
Place of birth: Plymouth, Minnesota
Height:ft 0 in (1.83 m) Weight: 221 lb (100 kg)
National Football League debut
2005 for the Dallas Cowboys
Career history
College: Minnesota
NFL Draft: 2005 / Round: 4 / Pick: 109
 Teams:
Current status: Active
Career highlights and awards
Selected NFL statistics
(through Week 17 of the 2007 NFL season)
Rushing yards     2,167
Rushing average     4.5
Rushing TDs     29
Stats at NFL.com

Marion 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

[edit] Early years

Barber attended Wayzata High School 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]

[edit] 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.. He split backfield duties with active New England Patriots runningback Laurence Maroney.

[edit] Professional career

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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 will continue 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, current Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator has called Barber the hardest running back in the NFL to bring down.

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]

[edit] 2008

On February 28, 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.

[edit] Career statistics

Pro. Career Off. Statistics Rushing Fumbles
Year Team G Att Yards AVG LNG TD FUM LOST
2005 Dallas Cowboys 13 138 538 3.9 28 5 3 0
2006 Dallas Cowboys 16 135 654 4.8 25 14 0 0
2007 Dallas Cowboys 16 204 975 4.8 54 10 1 0
Total 45 477 2167 4.5 54 29 4 0
Pro. Career Off. Statistics Receiving
Year Team G Rec Yards Y/R TD LNG
2005 Dallas Cowboys 13 18 115 6.4 0 21
2006 Dallas Cowboys 16 23 196 8.5 2 26
2007 Dallas Cowboys 16 44 282 6.4 2 29
Total 45 85 593 100.2 4 29

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