Barber: Do What You Love | Dallas Cowboys 2024

[Music] go [Music] Cowboys Roger takes the snap hson once he's going long move over sweetness make a place for Ev [Music] but I'm not going to say a word but I will say one thing right now how about them [Applause] Cowboy you know I try not to worry too much about uh know what the def going to do you know whether I wear in a 5 yard or 25 yard I make it you know like it's like it's my last care you know it's Sunday and uh you know God is good and not just try to go out there and make Blaze you know I'm just thankful that this opportunity I coached him for four years and getting to know him as mentally tough a guy as there was as physically tough a guy as there was his versatility I I I just think he was a rare guy as a player he was a guy that you could always count on he was a team guy I mean he he was a great teammate and he did that in college we all knew he was a hardnose runner down here Runner physical Runner and he's he going to get the yards and so I just knew anybody he was going to go with he was going to be a dog trying to tackle him by the hair they can't do it he was so tough the way he finished runs he was a violent Runner he was physical he was the type of guy that parcel really wanted to play with you give him a little ad boy little handshake little Pat to the helmet now he has his Bruiser Bill gave him that name for a reason uh that style of running that he had was uh very very different Barber coming right the leg still turn that that was his style a guy who would run through run by run over Maran was looking for that next guy to run over and maybe get another yard or two me and Brady James should talk about man boy we got to go out here and hit Barbera for two hour this just kind of how his Spirit was of never quit never give up here's a hand off to Bar hard he was detailed he communicate screen right so for me that was everything because now I understood what it took to be approaching through on the right side when the helmet is strapped on you know he ran with a purpose and he he always talks about wanting to literally run through [Applause] people off the field he is not like that right um very you know gentle and and a very nice person he played the piano it was his way of relaxing but yeah he he just love because it freed him of course we all understand and knew his running style off the field you got a chance to see who he truly was you got to see his heart you got to see The Human Side of the Beast that was running the football and that's what it was gentle giant helped everyone you know and and and and did a lot of things off the field car keeps everybody in order almost always when he'd come to visit us he'd make us an ice cream cake also like whenever I when I was a little kid um whenever I'd say his name he'd call he was a superhero to me um and you know just like that you know he's you know he's he's gone I would say for me that would be probably the the the the biggest regret I would have in my life that my son didn't know how much he was truly he was truly he was TR in 1977 number 41 Marian Barber a 17-year-old 6'2 in 200lb pan Barber matured gracefully into the Minnesota offense Swift agile and durable Barber ran with a panach uncommon to his youth yep so I went off to Minnesota 1977 she came up a couple years later we wanted to have our own Roots uh but that's where we started our family I got drafted to New York in 81 I believe uh but we decided then that whether I made the team or not Minnesota was GNA be our home we said Marion was a strike baby cuz that was uh the first of two strikes I was involved in he was big all our kids were big and he would they wanted to move here he was third grade we wanted him to play with fifth and sixth grade I said heck no because they're smarter and bigger even though Mary was good they had two three years having him only game you know as a kid uh he he he just wanted to be active with with his buddies you know I don't know when that changed when he was more to himself but I do know he just loved people uh and his friends right and so we definitely always again tried to be outside doing something and that's kind of what we what we did High School uh you know I think he kind of figured out that he was pretty good at what he did I always told him it's it's going to be the work that's going that's going to get you to to whatever you want to do it's going to be the work that you put in that's going to get you there he believed that that drove him Marian played at wetta high school which is my school district and this area is heavily recruited and really no one was recruiting a Marian junior year in high school had a good year senior year he had a really good year but again he only had one offer it was Minnesota I was at the University of Illinois when his dad was getting recruited out of Detroit so I knew the name and I knew his dad flate from Minnesota so one day late in recruiting I brought up to our staff full staff meeting I said tell me about this Barber kid and I like to play Devil's avocate with the my coaches so I said gez I said maybe we ought to recruit him as a defensive back and everybody said a defensive back what what are you talking about he said well they're playing against Creon Durham Joe Mau uh who's now a Baseball Hall of Famer was the quarterback he had never been intercepted all year long and Mari and barber intercepted him so I said maybe I recruit him as a defensive back so the first time I met him mom dad and Marin Marin didn't say a word he just sat and he just stared at me and I made it clear to him I'm gonna try to recruit you but as a defensive back and didn't take the scholarship sure enough we had two guys uh committed defensive back so then I had to call him up and say we're out of scholarship and he said I understand that ran into his dad maybe a week later and I said what's going on with Mary and he said he don't have anything going he'll probably walk on for you guys so I went back and I said you know we're going to take another defensive back we're going to take marry and barara if he'll take it so I called him up that night and I think he had learned his lesson he says I'm coming coach they always wanted to be Gophers too I mean it was he said when he was a little fell I'm going to Minnesota to break all dad's records I'm going I'm going he called me one day and he said dad I I really want to try to play running back and so I just said dude you just got to just ask the coach just say okay can I if I can can I try if I if I do it I do it if I don't at least you gave me the opportunity he made it an appointment to see me and he came in and if you know Marin very shy doesn't say very much and he said coach I have a favor he said I know you don't think I can play running back he said my favor is just give me a chance one year and if you don't think I can play running back then I'll go play defensive back I'll be the best defensive back I can be and I said well sure and I I thought well why not he's not going to play as a freshman anyway after the first practice Vic adamy my running back coach came to me and said we were wrong this kid can play this kid's good there's a lot of people including part of our staff including me that doubted that he was really a Bonafide Big 10 player let alone a star I really don't think Maran ever doubted that after his freshman in college it then it really started Ed you know coming out of who this guy is and Big 10 and he can go to the next level and again nothing that he probably would ever tell us but you could see that you know he had a mission that he could change you know his family's life uh if if things worked out I was at practice and I was watching practice and I'm sitting on the sideline full of myself uh knowing I'm they top recruit and boom the door just dust open and all you see is the shadow of this big Shadow just walking in so slow and calm I'm like who is Buddy right and so we looked at each other and it was just one of those we didn't speak he didn't say nothing I didn't say nothing I was going to break character I feel like he was sizing me up and it was just like two P two pit bulls he went on by his business and I stood on the sideline finished watching practice I remember the Michigan game everyone talks about it but that's truly my earliest memory being at the Dome crowd going crazy and I remember him dominating that game early on 15 10 goes wide he'll go to the end Z one of the best ones for me was Michigan and I remember that game Michigan our team never even rushed for 200 plus yards on us and we rushed for 400 yards on Michigan you know to actually see greatness in front you it was different you know I was full of myself but it was like I had to give respect when respect was D is like man this guy is amazing he he's something different and so like I say once I moved up to second on the depth chart and we got to put in 100 yard games back to back to back to to back to back to back to back and to back again um I think it was just we was just we was locked in from there and and you know a lot of people viewed that they were competing for the same position they didn't view it that way so the first play out there it be I'd look over there and he'd say you take it no you take it no you take it you take it I'd say would you make up your mind and then I'd be asked by the media all the time well who's in the start side I said don't ask me ask them after we start binding really and start playing and seeing how great we worked together it was just like it wasn't nothing that we couldn't do it's like everything we did do pertaining to football we did it together so one night after practice here I get in my car and I stop at the light down universe City Boulevard on a moped flying right through the light okay no helmet no safety glasses is Lawrence moury driving and marry and Barbara on the back and I and I mean this I didn't know what to do we was borrowing somebody moped right and I don't I don't know for the life of me how I became the driver I'm the little brother at this time and maran's on the back and I remember we was coming through campus and as we go through it's like we see this truck at the light and we can't really see it until we get side by side with it and all we looked and we SE Mason and his face was just red you know he he said something about it but it was like listen this is a big campus we we trying we not trying to walk everywhere yeah you know we played Alabama uh in in the ball game and Alabama had a great run defense they they really did on the first play of the game not a great hit nothing he just fumbles the ball and what I remember about that I'm standing on the sideline and maran's running right toward me you know which took a little guts cuz I really didn't like guys that fumbled the ball you know and before I could say anything Marion says don't worry coach I got this i got this and then he went on at the end of the game he's the MVP that's when he became uh a viable uh quantity of maybe coming out early I never heard anybody talking about that and like I say I knew he was leaving after that game before he knew he was leaving because it's like the performance he put in and the way he was running it's like what would be the point of staying in many ways it's the first game to be played in the NFL since February and boy are people ready yeah so Draft Day from what I remember so there was a lot of disappoint appointment or hurt because he didn't make it I think then it was only two days so the like the final pick in the third round was Maurice Claret running back Ohio State he went to Denver and you know Maran felt you know he that that's where he thought he was going to end up right and and I know after he wasn't drafted that day he he went off and and and had his Moment by himself that was the first time I actually saw an emotion of disappointment he was in our bedroom with his Bible and we were all downstairs and he was up there by himself with this SP I was sitting in my office and the secretary says that coach Bill Parcels from the Cowboys is on the phone he said I got a quick question to ask you he said I'm looking to take a guy looking to take a guy that you know can play uh eight 10 scrimmage snaps a game would be a good SP special teams player is really tough and is a good kid is Maran Barber that kid and I said without a doubt he said thanks a lot and he hung up and a couple minutes later someone walked in and said Dallas Cowboys just took marry and barber working our way through the fourth round the Dallas Cowboys just made their pick they have a good start when you get a Marcus Spears and Demarcus Wear and then a Kevin Bernett they assisted the defense yesterday today offense running back wide receiver two areas of concern they want to get some depth at running back behind Julius Jones and when you look at Marian Barbara III coming into the fold when you watched him play at Minnesota he was so tough the way he finished runs he was a violent Runner he was physical he was tough uh you know he was he was willing to block he did whatever he had to do but he was he was the type of guy that Parcels really wanted to bring that type of toughness uh to the room and and Mari and barar was that and even more Dallas really got to steal cuz they really got first round talent in a fourth round had really good production efficient in the way he runs has a willing blocker has good courage and has a reputation for really being a hard worker but he really was a preferred back with some pretty good backs on that board I think now we have a good situation here I think we got three kids that I'll put in the game and I think they can all carry the ball and I think you better get used to that around [Music] here Marion came in during the uh the bill parcel days so it's extremely rough no one on the team's guaranteed anything trust me but uh Maran kept doing the right things he was behind Julius he took his chances and opportunities to get on the field and when he did very he made very few mistakes lzo handoff Barber at Left End second level ran over a guy at the 10 2530 breaking away Julius Baran and Julius Jones you talking about fire KN you know Julius was the speed guy Baron was you know was physical back and they certainly you know during that time created a great onew punch that was was great for the Cowboys because Julius you know he was fast sneek and a small back and Marion was the battering r barber turns it up to the goal line touchdown Cowboy Baby it wasn't a competition to him it was more so I'm here to support you know Julius any way I can and give him a blow or whatever that may be you know he was really good at pass protection and blood Z back to throw pretty good protections he didn't care if he got the ball or not he just wanted to help the team and and support his team I don't think we expected him to be as powerful as he was I mean I saw him you know running at the University of Minnesota but I don't think I saw him in person how powerful he was going to actually be yeah you know I've always been a physical guy you know not scared of cont attack and uh you know that's my job I've always been that way and uh you know coach ly says you know break the tackle you know you going to make a play and uh no more College Cuts so I just try to go and attack the secondary as much as possible and he was selfless whatever role you know we gave him in a given week in a season he embraced the heck out of it and uh was one of those guys you absolutely love to coach everything that came out of his mouth was something from the Bible um something that could inspire you to you know attack the next day Barbera would have his headphones on before game this was like before you know headphones are really big he had these big huge headphones and he would listen to Kirk Franklin and uh Donnie McClaren before the game I mean it just blasting loud as you could get it um and you would think how could this guy run like this and listen to gospel music first and goal hand off barar Barbara breaks a tackle he's still going to the pylon barar got another touchdown for us before the football game we always wanted to make sure that we was calm you never wanted to be too excited before the game and gospel music a lot of times have a chance to sink you back and to be thankful to give thanks to give gratitude for you have an opportunity to play the game of football and he's singing it um while we're getting ready for the game and I'm thinking to myself know it works coming right get the block to the go ride touchdown I guess I guess was asking for forgiveness for his Defenders probably locked in and saying Lord thank you for this gift but what I'm about to do to these people to try to tackle me it's going to be bad business left theart he is jammed up he escapes to the left FL room you just saw the style of play and I remember the the big topic back then was why is he not starting over Julius Jones because his production was better than what Julius was doing but Julius was the guy that started the games Marian was a guy that I think other defenses were afraid to go against because of how he ran they they didn't want to tackle him goal line banging off a man how does he do it what happens to Mar Barber when he hits at football failure you know I just I'm I'm just thank for what I'm out there man I just let everything go and you know God's giv me his ability and uh you know I'm just trying to you know show him that uh you know I am obedient and thank [Music] y did y'all ever see your uncle play football uh no yeah highl yeah yeah videos videos does anything stand out whenever youall watch watch the videos uh well there's just one play that I really love oh yeah the greatest two yard run of all [Music] time back here in Dallas Hello friends Jim N along with Phil Sims this is going to be special I remember leading up to the game when we was looking at The Scouting Report and they was going over Mary and they was like and they just talking like they just F to dominate him and I'm like no dude run hard I'm steady trying to let him know without letting him know and like hey don't take him lightning like he run hard to the end zone touchdown lead going back and forth in this quarter now's the Cowboys who Trail fakes The Barber and then throws it wide of Whitten but it's a holding call against Dallas you know when you play in your coach for a long time there are a handful of plays that stand out to you and that's one of them and they run it Barber better be careful what was it seven guys that had their hands on him at some point the ultimate no no no yes yes yes kind of play and Mar runs back into the end zone and we're thinking this is going to be the most disastrous play ever I see him in the end zone I'm like ooh Mar get out of that ooh Mar break the tackle give it up Mar look out and I'm like and he rever field I'm like Mar you don't even got that type of speed out oh he's in the end zone he's still running around he's running right to left get out of the end zone we basically like what the hell is he doing the guys chasing him are Hall of Fame players it's Rodney Harrison it's Junior seal there's Vel there's wil for all these guys that are the best at their position in the NFL and Mary kind of hits it in there he should go down once he comes out of it he should go down again he runs over here he captures the corner and finally makes two yards and to to me you know a lot of people talk about this with him but it symbolizes who he was as a player now look wrap this guy up okay this guy's a strong Runner all right wrap him up but if you have to ask somebody what's marry and Barbara's highlight it's probably that play so he'll tell you he should have broke it right he should have taken it to the house I always agreed with him yeah you should have broke it you should have broke it but he he did not like losing yards at all they're going to give it a barber and he fights his way forward to the 2 three but he just showed you his relentlessness his Relentless Spirit how tough he was to bring down but that's just who he was and and so he became a fan fav caught it and he's still going you know it has a lot to do with just my attitude you know I just come in the game any chance I get I want to make a play and uh you know whenever they call my name I'm just ready he came into the Huddle and he said I refuse to let one person ever tackle me barber rumbling and bumbling I need to see it MB I need to see it every day he approached practice he approached it in that way the 2007 year probably one of the strangest years I've ever been a part of but you looking at a guy who is scoring all these touchdowns as a backup banging off a man touchdown mb3 and we're watching them game by game progress and do more and more so you can only do nothing just be excited oh welcome to Detroit Michigan in our match up for you today the 11-1 Dallas Cowboys the 6-6 Detroit Lions but Dallas has only achieved one of its goals so far which is to make the playoffs if they win today they win the EAS you know the Lions Back Then they played a lot of what we call Tampa 2 and so the guy who gets the ball a lot in that game is the tight end I think Whitten caught 14 or 15 passes checks it down to Whitten at the 41 throws it right Whitten open at the 50 snap on first down Romo a lot of time over the middle Whitten Oh What A Catch the other guy who gets the ball is the back cuz they're rolling the the coverage outside and the outside receivers will get limited opportunities in the passing game and I can just remember Romo looking over here throw it the 24 flips it over the middle to Barber on a check down fourth down throws it left Barber throw it to 24 time and time again pumps throws left Barber 15 in that game and we got down in close we knew who handed to toss Right Barber with Columbo and hoit pulling Barber breaks him the secondary first down turns the corner strolls the sideline walks the dog we had a protection where we're sliding to our right MB he's going to his left and whatever they worked out ITB faked as if he was going to block the end ran past him and Tony Roman just St him alive for the touchdown but that was an adjustment that they made we didn't even know about gives it to Barber at right tackle 25 breaks one churning big time we come back to that's the S the division aor uh typical Maran fashion looking over the middle pumps dumps it to Barber at the five takes on two Defenders I don't think like I said that was about the year he started BEC a little bit more vocal and be kind of figured out like you know what if I'm chipping or if I'm doing something if I can get myself in the vision of the quarterback at the last second he he can throw throw the ball to me dump it down so his kind of want to help fell us uh to get us over that low and offense we were having during that game and they're going to give it a barber up the middle and he walks it in his third touchdown of the day and in that game they were giving him Whitten they were giving him Barber and barber was taking it and had really great catches out of the back field and that's what carried them to that win and that division title hey hey it takes a team that's what it takes and it takes belief we have those two things and now we have all right [Applause] [Music] we we're having a great year in 2007 and he's such a huge part of it always putting the team first and it was a great example and then I think that's what gave us confidence to go ahead and draft a guy in the first round the next year 300 million visitors from around the world have entered the legendary doors of Radio City Music Hall and it's time for the National Football League draft in 2008 going into that 2008 draft barara was the only running back on the roster and and he was about to get a big contract I think everyone knew that but still especially at that position you have to have depth and it was a good draft class from it was very topheavy he had a lot of really good players in there but even in the middle rounds as well the one guys in every down back get guys a special complimentary back and we got to remember that we have't every down back in Mar Barber here I mean I think this is a decision that we're going to extend resign Barber let's go Jones with the 22nd pick in the 2008 NFL draft the Dallas Cowboys select Felix Jones good there we go there we go later rounds like the fourth round that's where tashar Choice was there and I think the Cowboys looked at that and said well Barber was was a fourth round pick and you know we've developed him and they thought they could do the same with the shark maybe a start knows better than I do Barber was a fourth round pick gny was a fourth round pick you know choice is a good football player right you know so this this is Jerry Jones with the Cowboys and we're getting ready to drafty with the Cowboys the cowboy so when you take a guy like Maran and kind of make him the senior guy in the room it shows that the coaching staff trusts him as a both as a player and as a person they're not going to bring two rookies in who they hope are going to contribute in play and uh put them in the charge of someone that they don't trust and respect in the Run back room it was really cool for me because the dude was a selfless guy no matter what the competition was he'll help you out he knew we could play football so when he when he saw us like man you got game and so he was always giving us confidence early on I also think that's just his nature cuz um you know when when even when he became the guy and and you know they draft two running backs you know he he immediately took those two under his wing I think the impact that he had on those guys and their ability to transition so quickly and play so well early on had a lot to do with Mary and barara that first year seeing him diving for the first down bar see how he worked I'm going to tell y'all this the power of example matters more than the example of power even though he was the guy in front of everybody he was the most humble the most selfless guy you see in the locker room he's one of my best teammates I've ever had good run boy [Applause] okay look it's one play when we were playing the Arizona Cardinals no we were battling that's one of those games where it's going back and forth and we're trying to find something that's going to give us a spark we're trying to fight backo going to Barber and MB gets a pass into the flat and you throw the ball out to MB and he just he takes off 35 trying to come left we literally thought he was just going to get out of bounds because we were like trying to save the clock okay we got to get close whatever and he winds up breaking a couple 45 first down Barber down the sideline Barber broke a tackle and he's kind of dancing on the sidelines and staying in and barber made a man miss with the T behold he breaks a tackle in it's non7 y touchdown Dives touchdown you know it's one of those things when you're on the sidelines it's like everybody starts chasing after I think you can see us chasing him from behind just getting excited about it I just remember how electric the sideline was to see him break all those tackles to see him not want to go down that was [Applause] V3 you know it's funny the first thing that Marin ever said to me he walks up to me and he goes what's up dread talking about my hair and he goes I got somebody to twist you up when we get back so here I am not knowing anybody not knowing how I'm going to be received and you have at that time one of the star players on the team walk up to you and he's just like when we get back to Dallas though I got somebody that's going to be able to twist your hair so I was like all right cool that's a pretty good connection and a half it was small but it was the first thing that you learn about Mary and Barbara you learn his heart that's just the type of guy he is that's his character he's always a giv person he quiet but giv he'll give the person the shirt off his back you know I'm just trying to get back bringing in a lot of guys to uh just kind of help these kids out and show them certain things that you know I can take on the long run you know not just talking about trip B but just living life what's going on man where the hustle at oh you ain't no hustling come on you supposed to be playing defense that's his passion that's what he want to do he want to see everybody win he want he want the world to be better I'm Turf and I just want to say from the bottom of my heart that's him plain and simple it goes to a testament if you've ever met his mom and his dad and both his brothers it's a testament to how he was raised and how he feels about people he gave over a million dollars to inner cities in Dallas and Minneapolis computers to schools and um printers he was a very giving guy so what he would do outside of that is to give yeah he was a genuine you know caregiver I used to always say this I grew up basically with three fathers you know being so young down being 11 years you know older than me Maran being 14 he was a true you know another father figure to be around Marian was a guy you could always lean on on the field off the field and you know what better example than a game in 2008 against Washington our nation's capital on this chilly mid November night and 12 miles from the center of Washington is VX field Washington face the Cowboys on Sunday night football Cowboys had had missed rumo for three straight games and they' only won one of them and and Tony wasn't really 100% uh but they had to have him back and so they they knew that he was going to give it a go and try to throw the ball as best he could third and three shotgun Romo looking that way pumps throws on a slant and the ball's intercepted at the Romo and that's dropped by Owens a fluttering pass was really bothered him he couldn't really throw the ball as accurate as he wanted to and MB was like Hey if I got my offensive line block and you can lean on me and we talk about Mary and Barbera being better in the fourth quarter than he is in the first second or third and this is the time that you use them this is the time that you need them if you're the cowboy and they will draw to Barber coming right he's getting some yards Barber again first and 10 and they'll give it a barber coming left Cuts back right bounces it back outside to the left yeah as receiver you hate it but you know it's like it's going to win us game so we're all forward and it's like you said it's Washington I hate Washington barber again sliding in the middle broke a tackle he may be the best finisher as a running back in the NFL TOS to him Barber extremely tiring but when you have someone like that that you're blocking for who's willing to put put it on the line for you as a running back you can do nothing but appreciate it you know when you have a player who when you give him the ball good things happen the tendency consciously or subconsciously they keep doing that on third down and eight he's going to throw over the middle caught Barber and uh one of the themes is in the big moments he was the guy we gave the ball to the Cowboys got the lead and they get into the fourth quarter that's what they're going to do they're going to feed him the ball Maran Barber he'll take it to the 20 and washingon has to spend its final timeout 10 yards the victory what do you want us to do huh what' you want us to do H what you want us to do we going to throw it hell no okay let's go first down Barber has carried the ball on every play they come out and a shotgun for him I think in those moments he never got tired which is crazy most backs might say give me a breather real quick but not Maran though animal because see Marion trained that weight it's certain running backs just run and they run off pure strength or how hard they work in off season but it's a couple of running backs like Mar but they run with willpower they do they've got a play that they want to run in this situation and we're going to find out what it is Fourth Down kraton In Motion they're going to pitch it right to Barber a block from Columbo first down as he gets to the 15 yd line like you said it's history in the making man it's it's in the books and uh we get the W and Maran Barber and the Dallas Cowboys have just saved their [Applause] season go to go [Music] go look when you say why did people love Mary and Barbara that's a great example he just literally took over and he just said come on whatever you have just bring it to meboy go one two three 2009 he had a good season uh again splitting some carries Romo's under Center and he hands the ball off to Barber they had all three backs in there together shotgun on second and six Romo points off to his right now the safety Blitz and barber will run bounces out left 3530 stiff arm to the 20 mb3 inside the 10 I think he pulled something Brad at the end of this run he just went down like a shot he's going into the for a touchdown and he comes up lame at the end of this round it looked like he blew a tire he had a little quiet injury he still was very productive and then in 2010 more injuries occurred and it was just hard for him to keep you know running at that same Pace he wasn't the same back he was a different guy his style kind of told you that it wasn't going to last a long time I think injuries took a toll he wasn't quite running the way that he would normally run those things started to add up you know in 2011 it was the the whole summer it was it was an NFL lockout and it just ended right before camp and that's when you know the salv C was was kind of was in a unique situation and the Cowboys had to cut some some high pric players and and Marian uh just happened to be one of them I think you know there were certain moves that the Cowboys made back then that you could see the writing on the wall that something was going to come especially when they have guys ready to play you know it was tough and it it it was you know just again everything he had given and and what he had given to the game you know being cut it messed me up when he left because I knew what he meant to everybody in the organization but you could sort of tell like when he was in Chicago you can see that he wasn't you know his same like type of person as in his Joy wasn't the same because he loved being a Dallas Cowboy he just woke up and just didn't have the passion of football and so you know I'm still young I'm still playing and I'm like how you just wake up and just don't love football no more I think he still had it in him but I also think he may have lost the love for and I think he wanted to do or find something that he could he could love again like he loved football giving up something you love and worked your whole life for I know that probably hurt him the most that structure was G he love structur he had to figure it out that's all he knew life after football is it's really hard you know you I think the best thing that you can do for someone that just got done playing is get get them into something else right away because when you sit around you Ponder a lot it it's a real Challenge and Marion was incredibly successful he played seven years it it felt like it went like that but now you know what am I going to do every morning when I wake up and if you haven't prepared for that it's daunting you still had a place in in Dallas but then he bought a home in in Minnesota and so was in a place where he could do some things and he was interested in trucking he pursued that for a little while that didn't go as that's the way he thought it would and so he got out of that and then he decided he was bam I'm going back to Dallas to me he was the same person and I and I know he was he probably needed help and I wish wish that I could do more you know what I'm saying I wish he allowed me to do more and I think his thing was he didn't want to put his burden on nobody which is respectable but it's like we Brothers a lot of time he rejected some help he stood on his own two feet and that's the type of man that he was you know what I mean and so you could tell like he was struggling with some things off the football field trying to find his path and do things the right way and then all of a sudden it was like he fell off the face of the map no one could get in contact with him he'll change his number he'll call him and then next day it's a new number you know the ring around game you know I'll let you know um uh and so was like it was nothing I can do to try to get him to me or me getting to him you know what I'm saying everything was going to be on his time and so I was trying to be patient hoping that we had time to figure it out to where we can reconnect and it just you know time ran out breaking news and it's sad news from the NFL sources have confirmed to CBS 11's JD miles that former Cowboys running back Mary and Barber has been found dead inside a Frisco residence this afternoon the Cowboys confirmed earlier this evening that Mary and Barbera had died this was startling and and stunning Barber was found dead inside his Frisco Texas Apartment on Wednesday no this got to be a [Music] Taio I didn't want to I couldn't accept it I I couldn't believe it you know um I struggle with explaining it uh because it's still a it's still a shock to me I'm still crushed broke down um I was about to hop on a plane and go recruit and just sat in the office and you know just broke down it's hard because a parent is never supposed to bury a child I carry him he's with me everywhere I go I never would have imagined you know somebody this close to me dying this young and me having to deal with it you know I had to process uh their their their death and so it was rough the thing that hit me the most in it um was he by he was by himself I I was sad that my dog died alone when he helped so many other people it's a tragedy when a life ends that young it's really incumbent on us that we remember the things about that person that Drew our attention that we don't try to think about um what were the circumstances around their death but more importantly to think about what were the things that made his [Music] life it's my dog birthday mb3 the bar so I brought him a couple of snacks cuz all he do is eat candy and snacks the 2000 snacks this what we get my boy lb for his birthday today all types of twist hot fries look at the muffins the muffins the 2000 snacks straight idiots we are man straight idiots in the locker room man here lock L3 he pop bottles with model that's our boy that's our boy there he [Applause] is he's skish all he runs out the building he runs out the building Bott happy birthday bro already my hey we did that cuz that's our boy that's our boy yeah that's off the hook Ah that's cold blooded boy that thing different you know what I'm saying boy I love that joke man seeing that that'll mess me up boy I love that jokeer that man damn I ain't even want to cry buddy buto give me a second man when you got people like that them Angels like that didn't have much time I didn't know MB was old in that picture in that video he Ain have much time to live but our relationship how we treated each other how we went about our work man that thing make it it make it meaningful that's why it hurt so bad cuz I love I man I wish I could see him again man just to tell them thank you yeah we don't get to see that's always going to be the be the challenge but I I I believe if if we can live off who who he who he was in life I mean the the love what you do and do what you love um I can't say it makes it easier but it it it it helps me to smile when I don't when I don't necessarily feel like smiling do what you love just that simple do what you love and love what you do love what you do do what you love every single day man do what you love put all want to say that was his little thing he used to say to us every day love what you do baby love what you do baby do what you love do what you love love what you do he he was a man by that phrase it's some of the best advice you'll ever hear and the older we get trust me the older we get the more it makes sense this is crazy like at at 39 I don't supposed to be here and he don't supposed to be here either now I knew you know we all know at one day this day was going to come but not this early I like the lion cuz he was defin a king he's definitely a king so yesterday we went to the graveyard and saw some cute little stones that were painted was that you guys yeah well we just made it like you know how he was like a rock like and they came to football he just went right through like that's what I made yeah also made it because uh I love him and yeah I just try to find comfort in somewhere of all the good things and all the memories we had the guy loved his team he loved his fans and he appreciated everything that came with that I hope people understand that um you know he had a huge heart the one thing that he wanted you to focus on is find something in the day to smile about whatever is happening to you in life just find something to smile about a lot of more now a lot of more we're not done yet it was so beyond football it was just the kind of person he was and how he positively impacted so many people's lives and and again the spirit that he had was contagious he made everybody's life around him better you know all the good things that he did and and all the memories we had thank you Jesus all the camps that he did for he gave the kids cook bags and he can have nothing he's glad to die if he hear me the word wise as the serpent yet harmless harmless as a dove you got to understand that some people God is going to call home before others I really think Marian is a true Saint man and to see him to know that he's watching over me and looking over me now man means everything to me he has affected me into a way where I even got his obituary in my in my office till today I see him every day will be missed has been missed will always be missed wish I could have a conversation with him just understand that he was more than just a football player to us someone who's just genuine and someone who just truly cared about his family you know I'll remember him through my kids because I'm going to teach my kids his ways because I think you know I would be selling them short if I didn't let's go because of the impact he had on my life and continues to have on my life whatever I can do to keep his legacy alive keep his name alive and just always to have people remember him in a good light every time I see a Dallas Cowboy and I see that number 24 that marry and barber to the day I die I'm happy for him happy for him here better place I'll see him one day hopefully not too soon but I see him again [Music] [Applause] [Music] Marin was a car lover and it was funny we both had old schools well he gets this idea that he has to get it to be able to go faster than mine so he puts a boat engine in it didn't go well burnt the whole engine up everything stuff like that so that was no longer that old school anymore that's a Maran story and he was a guy that you didn't want to pay for cuz he want extra everything extra meat extra toast we play spad in the locker room and uh he always had a saying um like when he was about to win the game he say thank you Dice and he slammed the cars down they have a thing when you're at crab table if the dice go off the table you know if you hit and they jump off and everything he's like same dice same dice put put him back he be like thank you Dice thank you Dice he lets them go one time and they don't even touch the table he go oh oh those not going to make it you want the same D like nope nope nope nm- thank you Dice thank you Dice you go or I remember we would always play you know football as kids in the house and we'd use pickles as our mouthpieces give me one more godamn and we used to bet for por I don't care where we at we can be at a party we can be in the club we can be anywhere when I say let me get two pushups let me get one