Marshall University Athletics
Marshall Athletics Hall of Fame
- Induction:
- 1994
- Class:
- 1988
A great all-around athlete, Mike Barber was a member of the basketball, baseball and track teams in addition to being a West Virginia all-state quarterback at Winfield High School, but quickly – and wisely – became a wide receiver at Marshall. Barber exceled in his new role and by the time he was a sophomore he earned first team All-Southern Conference honors as he caught 64 passes for 1,180 yards and 7 touchdowns. That just scratched the surface for Barber, who helped the Thundering Herd to the 1987 NCAA Division I-AA national championship game as he led the nation with 106 receptions, good for 1,757 yards and 11 touchdowns, winning consensus All-America honors. As a senior he was named the Division I-AA National Player of the Year as he grabbed another 79 passes for 1,325 yards and 8 touchdowns. For his career Barber made 249 catches for 4,262 yards and 26 touchdowns, at that time all Marshall records.
Barber was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the fourth round of the 1989 NFL Draft, which at the time made him the highest Marshall draft pick in history. His NFL career included one season with San Francisco, two with the Cincinnati Bengals and another with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He caught a total of 38 career passes and scored two touchdowns. Barber was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2005. He was inducted into the Marshall Athletic Hall of Fame in 1994.
