Mike Barber (wide Receiver)
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Michael Dale Barber, Jr. (born June 19, 1967) is an American former professional
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
player who was a
wide receiver A wide receiver (WR), also referred to as a wideout, and historically known as a split end (SE) or flanker (FL), is an eligible receiver in gridiron football. A key skill position of the offense (American football), offense, WR gets its name ...
in the
National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...
(NFL). He played
college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...
at
Marshall University Marshall University is a public university, public research university in Huntington, West Virginia, United States. It was founded in 1837 and is named after John Marshall, the fourth Chief Justice of the United States, chief justice of the Uni ...
. He was inducted into the
College Football Hall of Fame The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and interactive Tourist attraction, attraction devoted to college football, college American football. The National Football Foundation (NFF) founded the Hall in 1951 to immortalize the players ...
in 2005. Selected in the fourth round (pick 112) of the
1989 NFL draft The 1989 NFL draft (also known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting) was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. The draft was held April 23–24, 1989, at the Marriott Marquis in Ne ...
by the
San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners and nicknamed the Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member ...
, he played four seasons in the NFL. He was inducted into the
West Virginia Sports Hall of Fame The West Virginia Sports Hall of Fame is an athletics hall of fame in the U.S. state of West Virginia West Virginia is a mountainous U.S. state, state in the Southern United States, Southern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic re ...
in 2020.


Early life

A multi-sport athlete at Winfield High School in
West Virginia West Virginia is a mountainous U.S. state, state in the Southern United States, Southern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States.The United States Census Bureau, Census Bureau and the Association of American ...
, Barber played football, basketball, and track. Barber was a quarterback, free safety, kicker, punter, and kick returner. He earned 1st Team All-State honors as a defensive back in both his junior and senior seasons. He accepted a scholarship to play football at Marshall University as a wide receiver.


College career

Barber holds two Marshall University all-time records: career receiving yards (4,262) and games with 100 or more receiving yards (21). He ranks second in single-season receiving yards (1,757) and single-season receptions (106). Barber was the 1988 I-AA National Player of the Year, selected by the American Football Coaches Association. Barber was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2005. He was named Marshall's Athlete of the Decade (1980s) by the ''Herald Dispatch'' and was inducted into Marshall's Hall of Fame in 1994. He averaged 17.1 yards per catch over his career. In 1987, he was the NCAA statistical leader with 106 receptions, 1,757 yards, and 11 touchdowns. In both 1987 and 1988, he was a consensus I-AA 1st Team All-American. He caught at least three passes in 39 consecutive games. He threw four touchdown passes at MU on backward lateral plays.


Professional career

Barber was selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the fourth round of the 1989 NFL draft. This was Marshall's highest-round draft pick until
Randy Moss Randy Gene Moss (born February 13, 1977) is an American former professional football wide receiver who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons with the Minnesota Vikings, Oakland Raiders, New England Patriots, Tennessee Tit ...
was taken in the first round in 1998. He was one of only five rookies to make the roster and backed up all-pro receivers
Jerry Rice Jerry Lee Rice (born October 13, 1962) is an American former professional football wide receiver who played for 20 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He won three Super Bowl titles with the San Francisco 49ers before two shorter ...
and
John Taylor John Taylor, Johnny Taylor or similar is the name of: Academics *John Taylor (Oxford), Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University, 1486–1487 * John Taylor (classical scholar) (1704–1766), English classical scholar *John Taylor (English publisher) ...
. Prior to the 1990 season, Barber signed with the
Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its h ...
, where he worked as the 3rd receiver, often working out of the slot position. He started two games at wide receiver, backup punt returner, and special teams. Barber began the 1992 season on injured reserve with a separated shoulder and was released mid-season by the Bengals. Two days later he was signed by the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (colloquially known as the Bucs) are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC S ...
, where he played in one game, catching one pass for 37 yards and injuring his shoulder again. Barber retired from football prior to the 1993 season.


Personal life

Barber resides in
Hurricane, West Virginia Hurricane ( ) is a city in Putnam County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 6,977 at the 2020 census. Located roughly equidistant from Charleston and Huntington, it is part of the Huntington–Ashland metropolitan area. Histor ...
, with his wife Amy. They have four children, Brett, Abby, Chloe, and Audrey. He is a Regional Manager for Brechbuhler Scales, Inc. Barber and his wife are assistant coaches for the Hurricane High School girls' soccer team, the West Virginia AAA 2018 state champions.


References


External links

* * *
List of Marshall Thundering Herd in the NFL draft The Marshall Thundering Herd football, Marshall Thundering Herd football team, representing Marshall University, has had 47 players National Football League draft, drafted into the National Football League (NFL) since the league began holding dr ...
*
List of people from West Virginia This is a list of prominent people from the territory that now makes up the U.S. state of West Virginia. Athletes ;A–G * Michael Barber (wide receiver), Michael Barber, professional football player * Randy Barnes (born 1966), shot ...

Marshall football greats
{{DEFAULTSORT:Barber, Michael 1967 births Living people American football wide receivers Marshall Thundering Herd football players San Francisco 49ers players Cincinnati Bengals players Tampa Bay Buccaneers players College Football Hall of Fame inductees People from Putnam County, West Virginia Players of American football from West Virginia