Mike Barber

Houston’s All-Time Team: Mike Barber

Mike Barber
Position: Tight End
Team: Houston Oilers
Years: 1976-1981

Career: Bum Phillips felt he had a find when he drafted WR Mike Barber out of Louisiana Tech in the second round of the 1976 draft. He understood what he had but he didn’t realize what he would become.

Barber was drafted two rounds ahead of another Oiler wideout, a guy named Steve Largent who (oops) was cut before beginning his Hall of Fame career in Seattle. Were it not for Mike, this might have gone down as one of the worst drafts in team history.

At 6’3", 230 lbs., Barber was on the large size for a wide receiver but he had 4.5 speed coming out of college. At Tech, he was converted from quarterback to receiver. He was injured during his senior season and fell to Houston on concerns that his injury and small-school competition would minimize his pro effectiveness. Mike hurt a knee during his rookie season and spent most of it on injured reserve. In 1977, he found himself behind Ken Burrough and Billy Johnson at the wideout spots and behind Jimmie Giles at the tight end position. Barber caught just nine passes – one of them for his first pro score.

The ballyhooed trade that brought draft rights for Earl Campbell to Houston was also the big break for Mike Barber. Giles was sent to Tampa Bay in the deal and Barber became the starter at tight end. He was small for the position but his speed, in an era before three-WR formations were common, created mismatches that Bum quickly learned to exploit. Barber was one of the few tight ends in the league who could run deep patterns and this was a problem for the slower safeties and linebackers that lined up against him.

Yet Mike wouldn’t have held that position for long if he hadn’t learned how to block. After all, clearing holes for the franchise running back was now the first order of business.

"When we first got him, he wanted to catch the ball and didn’t care about blocking," explained Phillips. "When he found out the team needed him to be a good blocker, he did it."

As the 1978 season developed, Barber became a bigger weapon in the Oiler offense. Soon he had replaced Burrough as Dan Pastorini’s favorite receiver. Mike would finish with 32 catches for 513 yards and three touchdowns. He also had two carries for 14 yards.

In the playoffs, Mike’s talents found a national stage. He caught four passes for 112 yards in the wild card win over the Dolphins then topped that with five catches for 83 yards and two touchdowns in the next round against the Patriots, catching scoring tosses of 19 and 13 yards.

A vicious cheap shot by Pittsburgh’s Mike Wagner took Barber out of the 1979 AFC Championship Game at the start of the second quarter. Houston was already behind, 14-0, but the loss of Barber took away part of any Oiler comeback strategy. Houston fell, 34-5.

Known as a hard worker and a tough guy, Mike would rebound the next year to catch 27 passes for 377 yards and three scores. He would add three more catches for 51 yards in three post-season games.

The 1980 season would see two major changes for Barber. The first came when Phillips traded Pastorini to Oakland for QB Ken Stabler. Barber would have to adjust from the bullets of the righthanded Pastorini to the deft tosses of the lefthanded Stabler.

Then, midway through the year, Phillips added Stabler’s favorite Raider receiver, TE Dave Casper. The Oilers designed a two-TE offense to allow more blocking for Campbell and to keep both Barber and Casper on the field. Campbell, again, led the league in rushing while Barber led Houston in receptions, catching 59 for 712 yards and five scores. Casper, however, caught almost as many in six fewer games and outgained Barber in receiving yards. Ironically, the Oilers would lose the wild card game that year to the Oakland Raiders.

Mike’s role reduced even further after Phillips was fired and new coach Ed Biles returned the offense to a traditional pro set. Barber caught just 13 passes for 190 yards and one score. It was the beginning of the end.

Sent to the Los Angeles Rams in the offseason, Barber spent parts of the next four seasons in Los Angeles before finishing his NFL career in 1985 with Denver.

After leaving football, tough-guy Mike Barber found another tough job. He runs a prison ministry, bringing the gospel to the macho world of jailhouses. His television ministry can be seen every weekend on the Trinity Broadcasting Network.

Houston Highlight: With under a minute to go in the first half of a 7-7 tie in Miami during the 1978 Wild Card Game, the Oilers had a third down at their own 47-yard line. Dan Pastorini, about to be hit, threw downfield to Barber who had worked his way into the secondary. But fullback Tim Wilson, on an underneath route, jumped up and tipped the ball. As it fell, Miami linebacker Larry Gordon raced in to scoop up the pigskin. It caromed off his arm and Wilson took another stab at the reception. Finally, Barber raced back into the play and caught it off Wilson’s arm, turned and ran for the sideline.

Halfback Ronnie Coleman blocked another Miami linebacker as Barber turned upfield and scampered to the Miami 27-yard line for a 26-yard gain. Mike was also able to get out of bounds to stop the clock.

Although the play should have set up a late field goal attempt, the Oilers bumbled the clock and came away without a score. It ultimately didn’t matter as Houston came out with a 17-9 upset win.

Mike Barber’s career stats Year Catches Yards Avg. TD 1976 INJURED 1977 9 94 10.4 1 1978 32 513 16 3 1979 27 377 13.9 3 1980 59 712 12.1 5 1981 13 190 14.6 1 Totals 140 1,886 13.5 13 Mike Barber Return to Houston Pro Football Find out who else has made the All-Time Team.