Stew Barber

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Stew Barber
No. 64, 77
Positions
Personal information
Born(1939-06-14)June 14, 1939
Bradford, Pennsylvania, U.S.
DiedJune 11, 2025(2025-06-11) (aged 85)
Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina, U.S.
Height6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight250 lb (113 kg)
Career information
High schoolBradford Area
CollegePenn State
NFL draft1961: 3rd round, 30th overall pick
AFL draft1961: 4th round, 25th overall pick
Career history
Playing
Coaching
Operations
  • Buffalo Bills (1979–1982)
    General manager / VP of administration
Awards and highlights
Career AFL statistics
Games played125
Games started115
Stats at Pro Football Reference
Executive profile at Pro Football Reference

Stewart Clair Barber (June 14, 1939 – June 11, 2025) was an American professional football player who was an offensive tackle for the Buffalo Bills of the American Football League (AFL). He was later an executive for the Bills in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Penn State Nittany Lions.

Early life

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Barber was born on June 14, 1939, in Bradford, Pennsylvania to Arthur Clair and Jeanne Stewart Barber.[1] He attended Bradford High School (now Bradford Area High School), where he played tackle on the football team.[2] It is also reported he played end for four years in high school, on offense and defense.[3][4] He also played basketball in high school.[5] He broke his father's high school shot put record.[1]

College career

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He accepted a football scholarship from Penn State University; having also received full scholarship offers as a basketball player.[1] He was a flanker (end) as a freshman, as well as a defensive end, and second team end as a sophomore.[3][4] The 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 220 lb (99.8 kg) Barber was switched to tackle before his junior season (1959) at Penn State, and played his junior and senior years at tackle.[3][4] He was a two-way tackle.[6] He started on the 1959 Penn State team that defeated the University of Alabama, 7–0, in the first Liberty Bowl.[4]

As a 6 ft 3, 233 lb (105.7 kg) senior in 1960, he played 305 minutes out of a possible 540 minutes in nine regular season games.[7][4] Barber was named to the Associated Press (AP) first-team All East team, as well as the AP's first-team All-Pennsylvania College football team. Future Hall of Fame tight end Mike Ditka[8] was also named to both of those first teams.[9][10] United Press International (UPI) also named Barber to its All-East team.[4] Barber also received several All-American honors as an offensive tackle as a senior.[4][1]

In December 1960, he started on the 1960 Penn State team that defeated the University of Oregon in the Liberty Bowl, 41–12.[11][12][4] He was also chosen to play in the Blue Gray Classic that year.[4]

He graduated with a degree in business administration.[13]

Professional career

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Barber was selected by the Buffalo Bills in the fourth round (25th overall) of the 1961 AFL draft and was also selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the third round (30th overall) of the 1961 NFL draft.[14] On January 8, 1961, he signed with the Bills.[15] As a rookie, he started 14 games at outside linebacker and had 3 interceptions, returning one for a touchdown.

In 1962, he was moved to left tackle, protecting quarterbacks Warren Rabb, Jack Kemp and Al Dorow. He helped the team win two straight AFL Championships.[16] In 1962, he filled in 6 games at left guard in place of an injured Billy Shaw.

Barber announced his retirement after the 1969 season. In his career he only missed one game, made first-team All-AFL two straight seasons and played in five consecutive AFL All-Star games. In 1970, he was named to the second-team American Football League All-Time Team.

Honors

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On April 15, 1967, the city of Bradford honored Barber by holding Stew Barber Day.[17]

Coach, executive and scout

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After playing football, Barber worked in the Buffalo Bills front office as a college scout, assistant general manager and vice president.[18] He was the Bills vice president and general manager from 1979 to 1982. On March 14, 1983, he resigned from the team.[19][1] It has also been reported that when Bills owner Ralph Wilson hired Kay Stephenson to coach the Bills in 1983, Stephenson wanted the Bills to replace Barber and the team fired him. Even before that, it was reported that Barber had been the object of complaints from a number of players and others over his management decisions.[20]

Barber was the offensive line coach for the New York Stars and Charlotte Hornets of the World Football League in 1974, under head coach, Babe Parilli.

Personal life and death

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Early in his career with the Bills, Barber, his wife Vicki (Serwatka) Barber and their family lived in Buffalo during the offseason, where Barber worked at Darling & Company, a meat rendering business. Barber and Vicki met while both were students at Penn State, and married during her junior year. They had been married for 63 years at the time of his death in 2025.[13][1] After retiring from professional football, he went into private business and moved to Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina.[1]

Barber died on June 11, 2025, at the age of 85 at his home in Mt. Pleasant. He was survived by his wife, three daughters and four grandchildren. Two other daughters predeceased him.[1][21][22]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h "Stewart Clair Barber Obituary June 11, 2025". J Henry Stuhr. Retrieved December 7, 2025.
  2. ^ "PHS Gridders Face Strong Bradford Club Friday Night". The Spirit (Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania). October 19, 1955. p. 6.
  3. ^ a b c "Stew Barber Playing Tackle For Penn State". The Kane Republican (Kane, Pennsylvania). September 22, 1959. p. 3.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i Davidson, Buddy (December 20, 1960). "Blue Ranks Gain Penn State Star". The Montgomery Advertiser (Montgomery, Alabama). pp. 4B.
  5. ^ "PHS Jayvees Lose, 68–44, at Bradford". The Spirit (Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania). February 26, 1955. p. 6.
  6. ^ Brown, Chris (June 15, 2025). "Bills remember two-time AFL Champ Stew Barber upon his passing". www.buffalobills.com. Retrieved December 7, 2025.
  7. ^ Murray Jr., Harvey P. (December 31, 1960). "Sports Sputterings". Sunbury Daily Item (Sunbury, Pennsylvania). p. 13.
  8. ^ "Mike Ditka | Pro Football Hall of Fame | Pro Football Hall of Fame". pfhof. Retrieved December 7, 2025.
  9. ^ "All-East Collegiate Grid Squad Named". Evening Express (Portland, Maine). Associated Press. November 29, 1960. p. 17.
  10. ^ "Bucknell's Tehre Selected On AP All-State Grid Team". Sunbury Daily Item (Sunbury, Pennsylvania). Associated Press. December 31, 1960. p. 13.
  11. ^ "Powerful Penn State Wears Down Oregon, 41–12; Only 16,000 Watch". The News and Observer (Raleigh, North Carolina). Associated Press. December 18, 1960. pp. 2, Sec. II.
  12. ^ "Penn State Routs Oregon In Liberty Bowl 41–12". Honolulu Star-Advertiser. United Press International. December 18, 1960. pp. C-2.
  13. ^ a b "Stew Barber's Working Day Longer In Winter Than During Grid Season". The Buffalo News. March 28, 1964. pp. C-2.
  14. ^ Brady, Erik (June 19, 2025). "Stew Barber was a singular figure in Bills history, in multiple ways". The Buffalo News. Archived from the original on June 19, 2025. Retrieved June 20, 2025.
  15. ^ "Penn Starter Signs". Retrieved February 19, 2018.
  16. ^ "All-Time Team OL preview". Retrieved February 19, 2018.
  17. ^ "Bradford, His Home Town, To Honor Stew Barber". Buffalo Evening News. April 14 1967. p. 48. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  18. ^ "A History of Bills General Managers". Retrieved February 19, 2018.
  19. ^ "The Buffalo Bills Monday said Stew Barber, the team's..." Retrieved February 19, 2018.
  20. ^ Felser, Larry (March 15, 1983). "Stew Barber: Pay Was Good, but Job Was Tough". The Buffalo News. pp. D16.
  21. ^ "Former Bills OT Stew Barber dies at 86". NBC Sports. June 15, 2025. Retrieved June 16, 2025.
  22. ^ admin (June 14, 2025). "Stewart Barber Obituary - Death Notice and Service Information". Legacy.com. Archived from the original on July 1, 2025. Retrieved June 16, 2025.
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