Marion Barber III, who spent his last NFL season as a Bears running back, has died, the Cowboys confirmed Wednesday. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram said he was found in his Frisco, Texas, apartment, but did not cite a cause of death. He was 38.
Barber ran for more than 500 yards in all but one of his six Cowboys seasons from 2005-10. As Julius Jones’ platoon partner in 2007, Barber made the Pro Bowl despite not starting a game.
Barber backed up the Bears’ Matt Forte in 2011, rushing 114 times for 422 yards and six touchdowns. His season was marred by a Week 11 gaffe against the Broncos. With the Bears up three and trying to run out the clock with two minutes left, Barber took a handoff left and allowed linebacker D.J. Williams to shove him out of bounds.
The Bears eventually punted and the Broncos tied it on a 59-yard Matt Prater field goal. Six plays into overtime, Barber fumbled as the Bears were setting up a field goal. The Broncos recovered and eventually won on a 51-yard field goal.
Before he ran for 4,780 yards as a pro, Barber starred at Minnesota, finishing with 35 touchdowns — two more than his father of the same name, who also played for the Golden Gophers.
