College Football Hall of Fame

MORRISTOWN, N.J. - John F. Hanson, Chairman of the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame announced Thursday that Thundering Herd great Mike Barber, the school's all-time leader in career receptions, is one of five individuals that will be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as part of the Divisional Class (Players from NCAA Divisions 1-AA, II, III, and the NAIA) of 2005.

Barber will become only the second player in school history to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. He joins Marshall legend Jackie Hunt who was enshrined last year.

A two-time First Team All-America selection, Barber was named National Player of the Year in 1988 by the American Football Coaches Association. The Thundering Herd’s first three-time First Team All-Conference pick, he led the nation in receiving while setting single-season conference records with 106 receptions and 1,757 yards in 1987.

Barber, a native of Winfield, W.Va., still holds many school records. He is Marshall's career receiving yards leader (4,262), and is the school's all-time single season leader in receptions (106 in 1987) and receiving yards (1,757 in 1987).

The Southern Conference’s all-time career leader in receptions (249) and receiving yards (4,262), Barber was voted Marshall’s Athlete of the Decade for the 1980s and is a member of the Marshall Athletics Hall of Fame.

Prior to graduation, Barber was selected in the fourth round of the 1989 NFL Draft by the San Francisco 49ers. Following a five-year professional football career, Barber has become a successful businessman in West Virginia.

A community minded individual, Barber maintains a very active role in local affairs while serving as a coach and member of the board of directors for Little League Baseball and youth basketball.

This year's class, which also includes Kirk Baumgartner of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, Leo Lewis of Lincoln, Willie Totten of Mississippi Valley State, coach Roger Harring of Wisconsin-La Crosse, and coach Frosty Westering of Parsons, will be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame during Enshrinement Ceremonies, August 12-13, in South Bend, Indiana.