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

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Former Gophers coach Glen Mason, who recruited and coached Barber with Minnesota, said he was devastated by Wednesday's news.

"Marion Barber was a great running back for the University of Minnesota. Everybody saw that. … I saw it firsthand every day," Mason said. "When I heard this, I couldn't get it out of my mind what a great kid he was. He always had a smile on his face. Everything was upbeat, everything was positive. He played for me for four years and never gave me a problem — not one. … He was a delight to be around."

Former Gophers quarterback Bryan Cupito, who was a roommate of Barber's during the 2004 season, echoed Mason's sentiments.

"He was such a good person," Cupito said. "Forget football — he was awesome at football — but he was such a good guy. Hilarious, fun to be around, everybody loved him."

"He was very close with Laurence Maroney," Mason said. "… They were characters. To be around them, it was a laugh a minute."

Mason said Barber reached out to have dinner while visiting the Twin Cities a couple of years ago and talked about the fun times they had reminiscing. Wednesday, the coach took the news hard.

"I really do feel like I've lost a family member," Mason said.

www.startribune.com

Marion Barber III, former Gophers and Wayzata football star, found dead in Texas

An outstanding running back at every level of the game, Marion Barber III struggled with his post-football life.
www.startribune.com www.startribune.com

Go Gophers!!
 

Very sad news. My thoughts go out to him and his family and friends.
 








Unregistered User said:
Yeah, I'm sure Dez was super concerned.

"Bryant founded Personal Corner, an NFT website, to assist athletes and influencers in digitizing their personal brands."
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How exactly does your second sentence support your first? You think because Dez is helping players make more money that means he doesn't know or care about his former teammate? Talk about an awful take...
 



I'm so upset for all the reasons people have so eloquently posted above.
I'm hopeful that PJ recognizes this in a long term meaningful way.
Add a box for contributions to the MBIii fund on my season ticket renewals. Make it be for something great, just like #21.
 

Very sad. So many young NFL/former NFL players have died recently. Demaryus Thomas, Haskins, Gladney. Now this.
 

I hope MBIII's brain is tested for CTE. Young men destroying their brains and futures for our entertainment.
 

Dave H said:
How exactly does your second sentence support your first? You think because Dez is helping players make more money that means he doesn't know or care about his former teammate? Talk about an awful take...
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Yeah, anyone who read Dez's tweet back in November (I think we made a concerned thread about it) would know he cared about MBIII when many others didn't care, or at least didn't know what he was going through.
 




MNVCGUY said:
To the tweet that says the Barber family is arguably the most impactful......I don't think there is any argument to be had....I can't think of any family more synonymous with Gopher Football than the Barbers....

I can't even come up with a close second.
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McNamara
 



Block M said:
I hope MBIII's brain is tested for CTE. Young men destroying their brains and futures for our entertainment.
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Way too early to tell, but I hope they do take a hard look to see if there was CTE when they do the autopsy. He was such a violent runner and he wasn't afraid of contact at all. Great player who has been snatched from us way too soon.
 

50PoundHead said:
Way too early to tell, but I hope they do take a hard look to see if there was CTE when they do the autopsy. He was such a violent runner and he wasn't afraid of contact at all. Great player who has been snatched from us way too soon.
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It is awfully sad. My heart goes out to the Barber family. MBIII gave everything on the playing field.

He was truly legendary.

I hope that they strengthen the targeting rule.
 

50PoundHead said:
Way too early to tell, but I hope they do take a hard look to see if there was CTE when they do the autopsy. He was such a violent runner and he wasn't afraid of contact at all. Great player who has been snatched from us way too soon.
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They won't be testing for CTE. While a cause of death has yet to be determined, his father has said he had a will that was very specific that he did not wish to be tested for CTE after death. It is described as a will and not a suicide note. Marion possibly made the most money of any Gopher player in the NFL and it's good that he at least had some final directives in place.

Sadly, it also sounds as if he had been deceased for a few days when found.

profootballtalk.nbcsports.com

Marion Barber's family doesn't know cause of death but foul play not suspected

Marion Barber III's family is awaiting word from the coroner in Frisco, Texas, about how the former NFL running back died.
profootballtalk.nbcsports.com profootballtalk.nbcsports.com

 
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Maybe it's because I am not into fantasy football, but I was sort of taken aback by how prolific Barber's NFL career was in terms of numbers. 59 TDs in 7 seasons, over 99 games played.

Bill Parcells, who was in charge when the Cowboys drafted him, spoke very highly of MBIII.


He ranks 8th all time on the Cowboys TD list. Everyone ahead of him is in Canton already or likely will be at some point. I guess Dez Bryant would be the 1 question mark. Zeke Elliot probably has some work left, but he's only 26.


EDIT - updated TD number to reflect receptions (6)
 
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Just wandering around through Football Reference I was looking at Minnesota Alumni TD numbers (regular season) in the NFL. Highly Unofficial list, as I may have missed some guys and if so all apologies. Here are the M's I could find with at least double digits:

59 - Marion Barber III
54 - Eric Decker
42 - Gino Cappelletti (AFL)
35 - Rick Upchurch
31 - Charlie Sanders
25 - Bronko Nagurski
22 - Laurence Maroney*
10 - Matt Spaeth

Other notable Alums:

9 - Darrell Thompson
7 - Bud Grant
6 - Maxx Williams (still active)
4 - Marion Barber Jr

*Maroney had 1 receiving TD, off course thrown by Tom Brady.
 

Nice article by Chip today on MB3. Afraid I can't link but sure somebody can. Still sad over this.
 


It's been fun watching these old videos. When you hear the band go into the fight song, I feel like I can smell the metrodome in all it's half-capacity glory.

Also interesting is the offense Mason used to run. It's the "wide-zone" that the Shanahan's have made famous over the years and definitely one of the "it" offenses in the NFL right now. Mason's didn't have the bells and whistles, but it's the same blocking you see on Sundays.
 




MPLS paper

FRISCO, TEXAS – Former Gophers running back Marion Barber III died of heat stroke, police said Monday.
In a statement, Frisco police said the Collin County medical examiner had ruled Barber's death an accident. A police spokesman provided no further elaboration on the circumstances of the 38-year-old's death, and the medical examiner's office did not immediately respond to a message from the Associated Press.
Police making a welfare check on June 1 found Barber dead at a Frisco apartment that he was believed to have been leasing.
According to USA Today and the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, the autopsy report said that a bathtub faucet in Barber's apartment was running when officers arrived and the thermostat was set to 91 degrees with the heat turned on.
"Mr. Barber was known to exercise in sauna-like conditions," the coroner wrote in his report, according to those publications.
The Cowboys drafted Barber in the fourth round of the 2005 draft, and he rushed for 4,780 yards and 53 touchdowns in his NFL career, playing six years in Dallas before finishing up with a season with the Chicago Bears in 2011. Barber led the Cowboys in rushing for three seasons in a row and was a Pro Bowl pick in 2007.
"We are heartbroken by the tragic death of Marion Barber III," the Cowboys said after his death. "Marion was an old school, hard-nosed football player who ran with the will to win every down. He had a passion for the game and love for his coaches and teammates. Our hearts go out to Marion's family and friends during this difficult time."
 

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