Redefining the breakaway run
By MAC ENGEL
Star-Telegram staff writer
Cowboys fans know all about Marion Barber's physical running style and knack for finding the end zone. And if you ask them, chances are they would probably say he should be the Cowboys' starting running back instead of Julius Jones. But there is plenty about Barber, who's in his third year with Dallas, that isn't well-known. Here are a few things you should know about the player who leads the Cowboys in rushing and touchdowns.
Maurice Clarett was drafted ahead of Barber.
It's absurd to think now, but the controversial former Ohio State star was selected on the first day of the draft in 2005 and Barber wasn't.
There was a deep fear about one aspect on Barber's résumé -- speed. He didn't have the ideal 4.3 speed of a running back. So he fell, both in the NFL circles and among the Cowboys.
There was a faction within the Cowboys that wanted the team to select Virginia defensive end Chris Canty ahead of Barber in the fourth round.
Barber won out.
He's like his dad.
His father, Marion Barber II, set numerous records at the University of Minnesota before he played for the New York Jets for seven seasons in the 1980s. When they do talk, it's not always about football.
"He's my father. Everybody has their different relationship with their parents. I talk to my father," Barber said. "He's my father first, not a coach."
Like his dad, Marion isn't apt to talk much about himself.
"I've done Gopher games for 10 years on the radio and never really interviewed his dad," former Gopher running back Darrell Thompson said. "They're both very humble people. They're tough. Confident. They just don't want to tell anyone."
He's not a big fan of nicknames.
Too bad. He has a few.
Terrell Owens receives some credit for calling him "Marion the Barber-ian".
"I just thought of it watching him run," Owens said.
Because of Barber's long dreadlocks, some people have taken to calling him "Predator". He's also a third generation Marion Barber, so he often went by MBIII.
"My grandfather used to call me Number Three," he said.
But that doesn't mean he likes to be called any of the above.
"I don't like nicknames. My name is Marion," he said. "Call me Marion."
He always knew he was going to be good.
The Golden Gophers' all-time leading rusher, Darrell Thompson, knew the Barber family for a while before he met Marion III. Thompson broke many of MBII's college records at Minnesota, and was visiting the Barber house when Marion III was in middle school.
"I remember this kid -- he was in either the seventh or eighth grade -- came up to me. It was Marion," Thompson said. "And he says, 'Hey! You broke my dad's records. I'm going to get 'em back.' I just thought here is this cute kid, and that was that.
"Sure enough, he goes to college and he got a lot of my records."
Thompson didn't see much of Barber until he went to college. He just heard about him peripherally.
"But I remember hearing about him in middle school that he was one of the best," Thompson said. "And that a lot of the kids didn't like to tackle him."
This isn't the first time he's been a share-the-load back.
Since Barber began his collegiate career at Minnesota, he's grown accustomed to sharing the ball.
As a true freshman with the Gophers in '01, he split time with former Grapevine star Tellis Redmon. In '02, he played next to Terry Jackson II. In '03, the only year he led the Gophers in rushing, he shared the load with eventual Patriots first-round pick Laurence Maroney.
"If it ever bothered him, he never said it," said Jack Brewer, a former player at Minnesota. "[Barber and Maroney] are really close, and they are apples and oranges. Laurence runs his mouth all day, and Marion won't say a word."
Barber adopted his fearless style in high school.
"It's hit or be hit," Barber said. "I don't want to be hit. When it's time to lower the head, you've got to lower the head."
His outta-my-way style has evoked the images of Earl Campbell to Roger Craig to Ricky Williams and others.
"Maybe a smaller Jerome Bettis," Rams defensive tackle La'Roi Glover said. "He's got the ability to run guys over, and he's got the ability to make people miss. His forte is running with power, running with his pads behind him and trying to punish people."
His favorite tattoo is something he tries to live by.
Barber has a few tattoos, but the one on his right shoulder means the most to him. It reads, "Take Nothing For Granted."
"What does that mean?" the writer asked.
"What does it mean to you?" Barber said.
"Don't get lazy," the writer said.
"That's it? That's the best you can come up with?" he said.
"Don't be lazy and appreciate everything you have," the writer said.
"Then," Barber said, "you do know what it means."
Star-Telegram staff writer
Cowboys fans know all about Marion Barber's physical running style and knack for finding the end zone. And if you ask them, chances are they would probably say he should be the Cowboys' starting running back instead of Julius Jones. But there is plenty about Barber, who's in his third year with Dallas, that isn't well-known. Here are a few things you should know about the player who leads the Cowboys in rushing and touchdowns.
Maurice Clarett was drafted ahead of Barber.
It's absurd to think now, but the controversial former Ohio State star was selected on the first day of the draft in 2005 and Barber wasn't.
There was a deep fear about one aspect on Barber's résumé -- speed. He didn't have the ideal 4.3 speed of a running back. So he fell, both in the NFL circles and among the Cowboys.
There was a faction within the Cowboys that wanted the team to select Virginia defensive end Chris Canty ahead of Barber in the fourth round.
Barber won out.
He's like his dad.
His father, Marion Barber II, set numerous records at the University of Minnesota before he played for the New York Jets for seven seasons in the 1980s. When they do talk, it's not always about football.
"He's my father. Everybody has their different relationship with their parents. I talk to my father," Barber said. "He's my father first, not a coach."
Like his dad, Marion isn't apt to talk much about himself.
"I've done Gopher games for 10 years on the radio and never really interviewed his dad," former Gopher running back Darrell Thompson said. "They're both very humble people. They're tough. Confident. They just don't want to tell anyone."
He's not a big fan of nicknames.
Too bad. He has a few.
Terrell Owens receives some credit for calling him "Marion the Barber-ian".
"I just thought of it watching him run," Owens said.
Because of Barber's long dreadlocks, some people have taken to calling him "Predator". He's also a third generation Marion Barber, so he often went by MBIII.
"My grandfather used to call me Number Three," he said.
But that doesn't mean he likes to be called any of the above.
"I don't like nicknames. My name is Marion," he said. "Call me Marion."
He always knew he was going to be good.
The Golden Gophers' all-time leading rusher, Darrell Thompson, knew the Barber family for a while before he met Marion III. Thompson broke many of MBII's college records at Minnesota, and was visiting the Barber house when Marion III was in middle school.
"I remember this kid -- he was in either the seventh or eighth grade -- came up to me. It was Marion," Thompson said. "And he says, 'Hey! You broke my dad's records. I'm going to get 'em back.' I just thought here is this cute kid, and that was that.
"Sure enough, he goes to college and he got a lot of my records."
Thompson didn't see much of Barber until he went to college. He just heard about him peripherally.
"But I remember hearing about him in middle school that he was one of the best," Thompson said. "And that a lot of the kids didn't like to tackle him."
This isn't the first time he's been a share-the-load back.
Since Barber began his collegiate career at Minnesota, he's grown accustomed to sharing the ball.
As a true freshman with the Gophers in '01, he split time with former Grapevine star Tellis Redmon. In '02, he played next to Terry Jackson II. In '03, the only year he led the Gophers in rushing, he shared the load with eventual Patriots first-round pick Laurence Maroney.
"If it ever bothered him, he never said it," said Jack Brewer, a former player at Minnesota. "[Barber and Maroney] are really close, and they are apples and oranges. Laurence runs his mouth all day, and Marion won't say a word."
Barber adopted his fearless style in high school.
"It's hit or be hit," Barber said. "I don't want to be hit. When it's time to lower the head, you've got to lower the head."
His outta-my-way style has evoked the images of Earl Campbell to Roger Craig to Ricky Williams and others.
"Maybe a smaller Jerome Bettis," Rams defensive tackle La'Roi Glover said. "He's got the ability to run guys over, and he's got the ability to make people miss. His forte is running with power, running with his pads behind him and trying to punish people."
His favorite tattoo is something he tries to live by.
Barber has a few tattoos, but the one on his right shoulder means the most to him. It reads, "Take Nothing For Granted."
"What does that mean?" the writer asked.
"What does it mean to you?" Barber said.
"Don't get lazy," the writer said.
"That's it? That's the best you can come up with?" he said.
"Don't be lazy and appreciate everything you have," the writer said.
"Then," Barber said, "you do know what it means."
posted by The Gryphon at 8:06 AM
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