Shawn William Barber (born January 14, 1975) is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Washington Redskins in the fourth round of the

1998 NFL Draft The 1998 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 18–19, 1998, at the Theater at M ...

. He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, ...

. He also played for the Philadelphia Eagles, Kansas City Chiefs and

Houston Texans The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division, and play their home ga ...

Early years

Barber was an all-district and all-region player as a safety at Hermitage High School in Richmond. Despite not playing football until he was a junior, he returned three interceptions for touchdowns and averaged over 20.0 yards per catch as a senior. He also earned all-district honors in basketball and lettered once in

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. In addition, he also letter in baseball his senior year. He even dabbled in gymnastics in middle school.

College career

Barber began his collegiate career at the University of Richmond as a safety but was moved to linebacker in his sophomore year. As a junior, Barber was an All-American honorable mention by the Associated Press and an all- Yankee Conference first-team selection. He recorded 94 total tackles (56 solo), six sacks, 13 tackles for a loss, and a forced

fumble A fumble in gridiron football occurs when a player who has possession and control of the ball loses it before being downed (tackled), scoring, or going out of bounds. By rule, it is any act other than passing, kicking, punting, or successful ...

en route to becoming the Atlantic 10 Conference Defensive Player of the Year in 1997 as a senior. He also added three interceptions and on special teams he blocked two kicks. In his four seasons at Richmond, Barber played in a total of 44 games with 33 starts and totaled 305 tackles, 20 sacks, 30 tackles for a loss, and five interceptions.

Professional career

Washington Redskins

Barber was drafted in the

by the Washington Redskins. In 1998, Barber saw duty in 16 games (one

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) for the Redskins, amassing 34 tackles (28 solo), one interception, two

passes defensed In American football, a pass deflected, also known as a pass deflection, a pass defended, a pass , a pass knockdown, or a pass breakup, is an incomplete pass that is caused by a defensive player. This is done by slapping or blocking the ball with ...

and a forced fumble. Also added a team-high 15 special teams tackles. During the 1999 season, he opened all 16 Redskins games for the first time in his career and totaled a career-high 148 tackles, 1 sack, five passes defensed, three forced fumbles and eight special teams tackles. He also added two interceptions for 70 yards with a touchdown. In 2000, Barber started 14 games for Redskins and was inactive for two games. That season, he registered 82 tackles, 2.0 sacks, two fumble recoveries and two special teams tackles. His last year as a Redskin was 2001. While he was a Redskin he appeared in 49 games (34 starts), amassing 281 tackles, 3 sacks, three interceptions with one touchdown, two fumble recoveries, four forced fumbles and added 25 special teams tackles. While he was there, he started two playoff games in 1999, amassing 16 tackles, a sack and a forced fumble.

First stint with Eagles

Barber's first season with the Philadelphia Eagles was in 2002. He started all 16 games as a linebacker and produced 119 tackles, one sack, two interceptions, including a career-long 80-yard touchdown, a career-high three fumble recoveries, one forced fumble, and seven passes defensed.

Kansas City Chiefs

In 2003, Barber was then signed by the Kansas City Chiefs, as an unrestricted free agent where he started 16 games. He ranked second on the team with 112 tackles, was tied for second on the team with a career-high five sacks and had two forced fumbles, one interception, and five passes deflected. He started his first game in a Chiefs uniform against the

San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team that played in San Diego from 1961 until the end of the 2016 season, before relocating to Los Angeles, where the franchise had played its inaugural 1960 season. The team is now ...

on September 7, recording seven tackles and a team-high two passes deflected. During the 2004 season, he started the season's first eight games at linebacker and finished with 42 tackles and a sack, as well as five passes deflected, a forced fumble, two quarterback pressures and an interception. In 2005, he only played three games for the Chiefs. Due to salary cap issues, the Chiefs released him on March 2, 2006.

Second stint with Eagles

Barber was signed by the Eagles to a one-year deal on March 8, 2006.

Houston Texans

On March 19, 2007, Barber signed a three-year contract with the

. He was released on February 20, 2008.

Coaching career

Philadelphia Eagles

Barber became a coaching intern for the Philadelphia Eagles during the 2010 offseason.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Barber, Shawn 1975 births Living people Players of American football from Richmond, Virginia American football outside linebackers Kansas City Chiefs players Philadelphia Eagles players Richmond Spiders football players Washington Redskins players Houston Texans players Philadelphia Eagles coaches