William Sherrerd Barker (born July 3, 1987) is a former

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

offensive tackle Offensive may refer to: * Offensive, the former name of the Dutch political party Socialist Alternative * Offensive (military), an attack * Offensive language ** Fighting words or insulting language, words that by their very utterance inflict inj ...

who played in the

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. He was signed by the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisi ...

as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

in 2010. 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 ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

Early life

Barker grew up in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, a suburban community outside of Philadelphia, with his two sisters, Lila and Lexie. He attended

The Haverford School , motto_translation = , address = 450 Lancaster Avenue , location = , region = , city = Haverford , county = , state = Pennsylvania , ...

. Despite focusing on football, he also excelled in lacrosse where he started on defense for Haverford's nationally ranked team.

College career

Barker played at the University of Virginia. He earned Second-team Freshman All-American during his freshman season by the

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. He was named team captain as a senior.

Professional career

Dallas Cowboys

After going undrafted in the

2010 NFL Draft The 2010 NFL Draft was the 75th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The 2010 draft took place over three days, at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, New York, with the firs ...

, Barker signed as a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

with the

on April 24, 2010.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Barker signed to Tampa Bay's

practice squad In sports, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. Frequently used in gridiron football, they serve as extra players during the team's practices, ...

after being cut by Dallas, and was activated later in the season. He was waived during final cuts on September 3, 2011, and re-signed to the Buccaneers' practice squad two days later.

Miami Dolphins

Barker was signed off the Buccaneers'

on October 5, 2011. He was released by the Dolphins on September 1, 2012.

References

External links

Virginia Cavaliers bio

Tampa Bay Buccaneers bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Barker, Will 1987 births Living people American football offensive tackles Virginia Cavaliers football players Dallas Cowboys players Tampa Bay Buccaneers players Haverford School alumni Miami Dolphins players