September 24, 2016 was a special day for Thomas Barber and his family.
After initially being given a redshirt for his freshman campaign with the University of Minnesota football team, Barber, after missing two games, was given a maroon and gold jersey for the Golden Gophers’ game against Colorado State.
On the back of that jersey was the number 41, the same number Barber’s father, Marion, donned while he was a Golden Gopher.
“My dad saved some VCR tapes of him playing in college, so I remember watching those with him,” Barber said. “I knew I would never be a running back like him, but I wanted to wear that same number and represent not only our family, but him.
“I didn’t tell my parents I was losing my redshirt in time for the Colorado State game and my mom told me after that he thought someone else put on his number and he was upset. He then realized it was me and after the game he gave me a big hug and told me how proud he was of me.”
While Barber is the fourth member of his family (his brothers Marion Barber III and Dom Barber also played for Minnesota), Barber is the first to wear his father’s old number.
“It meant a lot to follow in my father’s footsteps by wearing the same number,” Barber said. “My family all teared up with pride because they know I worked hard for this.
“People around me always told me I would have to work hard for this.”
Barber’s journey toward becoming a Golden Gopher started during his tenure at Armstrong High School, where he first learned what it meant to be a successful football player. Barber was a part of the Armstrong Class of 2016 that helped turn around the Falcons’ program with their play on the field, as well as with their attitude off the field.
Despite helping the Falcons have one of their best seasons in recent memory, Barber said what his senior class did with the program wouldn’t have mattered if the Falcons weren’t successful this season.
“It all depends on the next year and Armstrong had another great record this year,” Barber said. “Coach Negan always said it is about getting better each year, which is what it means to have a strong senior class.
“We just have to focus on strong team chemistry so we can keep winning games.”
Barber has been able to come from an Armstrong team in which he was a part of a strong senior class to being one of the youngest players on the Golden Gophers. Barber said his transition has been made easier by the Golden Gophers’ strong senior class.
“[Head Coach Tracy Claeys] always talks about how this year’s group of seniors has really gone above and beyond for us,” Barber said. “They push all of us and there is no finger-pointing, no blaming and we are all working hard and that has been the key.”
Barber graduated from Armstrong early to join the University of Minnesota in January 2016, where he was able to post a 3.2 GPA during the spring semester. He said that adjusting to the schoolwork load has been his biggest adjustment so far in college.
“Other than the speed of the game, the game is a lot faster, the school workload is a lot heavier,” Barber said. “There is not a moment where I’m not doing school work.
“You’re able to come home from high school and take a nap, but now I go from lifting to tutoring to class to practice and then I go home to do more homework or tutoring.”
Barber said that he carries the same mentality off the field that he does while he dons the maroon and gold.
“The mindset I have is to not be scared,” Barber said. “We go through the same stuff and we just have to go out there and hit stuff and not be scared and not back down from a challenge.
“I remember when Coach Claeys called me into his office and said I would be put on every special teams unit and I might be able to work my way into the defensive rotation and I didn’t say no.”
That mindset also helped Barber when he was told he was going to play a significant role for the team against Nebraska Nov. 12.
“I stepped in for that Nebraska game after Nick [Rallis] was suspended for the targeting call and I just did my job,” Barber said. “It’s all about stepping to the plate.
“Nick sat down with me after practices and he wanted me to be prepared. There was no selfishness and he really helped me.”
All in all, Barber said he has had a great first impression with the Golden Gophers.
“This has been an unreal experience so far,” Barber said. “Especially coming in as a freshman, the seniors have done a lot of work to get us where we are right now and we have had a great year, but we’re not finished yet.
“We’re looking to have some more fun and finish out strong.”
Barber, while his talent speaks for itself, believes that it takes hard work and dedication to play Division I collegiate football.
“It’s just about staying in school and working hard,” Barber said. “I don’t remember missing any summer training and you should do another sport to stay focused.
“I played hockey to make me more flexible and playing other sports helps build up other muscles.”
Contact Chris Chesky at chris.chesky@ecm-inc.com. Follow him on Twitter at @MNSunSports or @SunSportsChris.