Former Dallas Cowboys RB Marion Barber found dead in his apartment by Frisco police

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Football is a violent sport. The way Marion Barber attacked the game made it especially so.
Concussions were not kind to his mental health and well being. My prayers are with his family and those suffering from CTE complications.

Marion with his reckless abandon was very enjoyable to watch play. Very sad that the outcome
led to this. I like watching football but dang....very sad news.
 

60's Guy said:
Football is a violent sport. The way Marion Barber attacked the game made it especially so.
Concussions were not kind to his mental health and well being. My prayers are with his family and those suffering from CTE complications.

Marion with his reckless abandon was very enjoyable to watch play. Very sad that the outcome
led to this. I like watching football but dang....very sad news.
Click to expand...
His style in the NFL was incredibly violent to great effect but no doubt took a toll on his brain.
 

Sad day and sad news, gone to young is MBIII #21. Condolences to the entire Barber family.
 

Echo many of the sentiments expressed by others. Just a terrible loss for one of the first families of Gopher football. I will always be grateful for the joy he brought me with his talents as a football player.
 




Awful news.

If I recall correctly, other schools were recruiting him to be a DB, but Mason told him he would get a shot at RB. What a great RB he became.
 

Very sad! If he was part of the brain study program we might get some answers on his post NFL decline.
 





Always sad to lose someone so young after giving so much to the sport he loved to play. We root him on during his success. We cheered him on for every violent hit he gave, only to see him succumb due to us supporting him every step of the way giving it all. I just hope we have better helmets now. This isn't right.
 

GopherVotary said:
Awful news.

If I recall correctly, other schools were recruiting him to be a DB, but Mason told him he would get a shot at RB. What a great RB he became.
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Yeah he was a legacy scholarship given out by Mason.

He got his first start after Tellis Redmon was suspended (for something stupid, I can’t remember). I was at the game and this True Frosh came out and was gashing some crap school (Akron?). Local papers were questioning Mason’s decision to start a Walk-On with no experience. We all know he wasn’t a walk-on…but a lot of people thought it was a waste of a scholarship

I’m sure I’ve got some of the facts above wrong, but that’s what I remember from when I was 13/14 years old. A kid from Wayzata starting at the Metrodome wearing funny tennis shoes because they played on fucking concrete
 

Wow! Just last summer my daughter took behind the wheel training with his dad. I was very upset that I didn't know that until after the fact. I am huge fan of Marion Jr and now the loss of his son is just beyond belief. I am heartbroken over this, and my thoughts go out to Marion Jr and his entire family.
 



Report: Marion Barber III, former Minnesota RB, passes away at 38​

Paul Harvey
https://www.facebook.com/dialog/sha...er-iii-former-minnesota-rb-passes-away-at-38/

Minnesota football lost a legendary piece of its family Wednesday, according to reports.
Clarence E. Hill Jr. with the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported Wednesday evening that former running back Marion Barber III was found dead inside his apartment. The cause of his death is currently unknown.
At the time of his passing, Barber was 38-years-old. His birthday would have been June 10.
Barber played 4 seasons at Minnesota from 2001-04 and rushed for 3,276 yards and 35 touchdowns. He ranks 5th on the Gophers’ all-time list for rushing yards and 2nd in rushing touchdowns.
Barber appeared in 99 NFL games over a 7-year career with stops for the Dallas Cowboys and the Chicago Bears. He made one Pro-Bowl appearance in his career. Barber finished with 4,780 career rushing yards and 59 offensive touchdowns.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to Barber and his family as they deal with his loss.
 


To an Athlete Dying Young​

BY A. E. HOUSMAN
The time you won your town the race
We chaired you through the market-place;
Man and boy stood cheering by,
And home we brought you shoulder-high.

Today, the road all runners come,
Shoulder-high we bring you home,
And set you at your threshold down,
Townsman of a stiller town.

Smart lad, to slip betimes away
From fields where glory does not stay,
And early though the laurel grows
It withers quicker than the rose.

Eyes the shady night has shut
Cannot see the record cut,
And silence sounds no worse than cheers
After earth has stopped the ears.

Now you will not swell the rout
Of lads that wore their honours out,
Runners whom renown outran
And the name died before the man.

So set, before its echoes fade,
The fleet foot on the sill of shade,
And hold to the low lintel up
The still-defended challenge-cup.

And round that early-laurelled head
Will flock to gaze the strengthless dead,
And find unwithered on its curls
The garland briefer than a girl’s.
 

Oct 10, 2003. On 21 carries rushed for 197 yds and 1 TD.

An afterthought on that Friday night given the final score, but should be remembered as one of the finest Gopher performances ever.

A Barber has been on the Gopher roster half of the years I have had season tickets, which I started purchasing in 1999.
 
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RIP MBIII !!!!!!!!!!

This is so tragic.
I know he had some struggles in recent years, read something recently (within the past year or so) that he was struggling immensely with mental health issues, I fear it could be CTE related..
I hope he's now at peace and send my prayers and deepest condolences to a great U family, the Barbers, on the loss of Marion. A true Gopher legend.
 

goldengophers said:
His style in the NFL was incredibly violent to great effect but no doubt took a toll on his brain.
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I remember Dallas almost exclusively using him in the second half as the punishing battering ram against tired defenses. He seemed unstoppable. In hindsight now I wonder what was sacrificed in order to play with that style.

He was the best player on the team that sparked my first love of Gopher football. Will never forget him. Sad day for Gopher nation 😢
 

GoForGold said:
Also, too often forgotten, it was a thing of beauty in 2003 with Thomas Tapeh at fullback opening up holes for Maroney and Barber.

gophersports.com

The Running Men: Running backs Marion Barber III and Laurence Maroney - University of Minnesota Athletics

Peanut butter and jelly. Thunder and lightning. Macaroni and cheese. The words just seem to go together. One word seems designed to fit with the other. For t...
gophersports.com gophersports.com
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Very sad news.

When I refer back the running game of that time it is always to three players...Maroney, Barber, and Tapeh. A thing of beauty.
 


This really sucks. Gopher great, great teammate (never showed any issue with RB by committee before it was common), and one of the toughest dudes to carry the football.

I am not trying to speculate on anything but it was clear he was having some struggles the last few years. It's proof that even for the toughest people on the planet, life can be brutal and unforgiving. I really do hope MBIII has found some of the peace that has maybe eluded him in the last few years.

My thoughts and prayers are with him and his family.
 

GophersInIowa said:
This sucks. He was one of my favorites.
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Still hurts. I always wanted the number 41 due to his dad. Most that I grew up with thought it was because of Dave Osborne (Vikings Fullback). I fell so sad for the family.

The Barbers were so great to everyone. I remember talking to them Marion II, his wife, and Marion the II's brother(once), a few times outside of the Metro Dome in the tailgating area. Always made you feel like they had all of the time in the world to talk with you. I know that their faith will carry them, but I still.

Hopefully PJ and staff can be supportive of Thomas Barber during this most difficult time.
 

GopherVotary said:
Awful news.

If I recall correctly, other schools were recruiting him to be a DB, but Mason told him he would get a shot at RB. What a great RB he became.
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IIRC Mason said that his own kids went to high school with MBIII. The kids insisted that MBIII was really good, and Mason ultimately awarded their last scholarship to him. Mason said that as soon as they got him on the practice field they knew that he was something special. A sad day for Gopher fans...
 

denguegopher said:
IIRC Mason said that his own kids went to high school with MBIII. The kids insisted that MBIII was really good, and Mason ultimately awarded their last scholarship to him. Mason said that as soon as they got him on the practice field they knew that he was something special. A sad day for Gopher fans...
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Yeah, he was obviously a great RB but he was one hell of a DB too. He picked off Mauer 3 times in HS.
 


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