A Destiny Fulfilled : If It Seems as if Jay Barker Has Been Alabama’s Quarterback Forever, That’s Because He Has Been Practicing for the Job Since He Was 7

The scene is familiar, if not universal, for most young boys growing up in America. Football in the front yard until dark, until after dark, until your parents call, until they call a second time.

“It was kind of funny because our neighborhood was split between Alabama and Auburn,” recalled Jerome Barker, better known as Jay Barker’s daddy. “The kids would always play in our front yard. One side always said it was Alabama, and the other said it was Auburn.

“On the day Alabama played Auburn, the game in the yard would start in the morning and when the real game would come on television, everyone went to their homes. At halftime, they would go out and play for 10 or 15 minutes then come back to watch the rest of the ballgame. After that, they were back out there again.”

Jay Barker, Alabama’s quarterback, the man who broke the records of Joe Namath and Ken Stabler, swears he never played on the Auburn side.

“No, never, it’s not in my blood,” he said. “And we would almost always win because I would get the most competitive guys on my side.

“At that time, I wanted to be Major Ogilvie because my dream was to be a running back at Alabama. But I ended up being a quarterback, and that turned out OK.”

OK?

Try this version of OK.

--Winner of the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award.

--Finalist for the Davey O’Brien Award as outstanding college quarterback.

--Fourth in Heisman Trophy balloting.

--Winningest quarterback in Alabama history (34-2-1).

--Threw 155 passes without an interception, a school record.

--Led Alabama to a national championship as a sophomore.

All this, and more, in a program that stresses the running attack.

THE FOUNDATION

Jay Barker unofficially committed to Alabama when he was 7.

“We were sitting in the den watching a ballgame when he told me he was going to play for the Bear (Bryant),” Jerome Barker said. “But, of course, at that age, he didn’t realize that by the time he got there the Bear would either be retired or passed away.”

Jay’s room was littered with Alabama paraphernalia. The centerpiece was a Bear Bryant poster, given a place of honor behind his bed.

“Whenever his mom would take him out somewhere, he always wanted her to buy him an Alabama shirt,” Jerome said. “So, we knew pretty early what his dream was.”

Jay played all the sports. He was a running back in youth football, a pitcher and shortstop in baseball and a guard and forward in basketball. When he was 13, he gave up baseball for a year and tried tennis. He finished the year second-ranked for his age in Birmingham, Ala.

At 16, Jay attended Bobby Bowden’s quarterback camp at Samford, where Jay’s mother was the football secretary.

“Jay still holds the record over there for throwing the ball 73 yards in the air at 16,” Jerome said. “And every time Bobby (Bowden) tells the story, it goes up a yard. I heard him on a talk show the other day and he said Jay threw it 79 yards. Before long, if he keeps telling the story, the kid will be throwing it 100 yards.”

Jay didn’t start his official quarterback career until his senior year at Hewitt-Trussville High. He completed 82 of 142 passes for 1,320 yards and 12 touchdowns, out of a wishbone offense.

Things were going well for Barker, except for one thing. It looked as if Alabama wasn’t going to offer him a scholarship.

THE FOOTBALL

There seems to be some disagreement as to how easy it was for Barker to get a scholarship from the Crimson Tide. His father had no doubt. Jay had plenty of doubts.

This much is clear: He was looking like the third choice for then-Coach Bill Curry. Jerome says Alabama would have eventually selected Jay once it had heard from the first two choices.

But in the meantime, Auburn, along with Florida State, North Carolina State, Southern Mississippi and Tennessee, had offered Jay scholarships.

“I was praying to the Lord to let the door be open for me to go to Alabama,” Jay said. “I wasn’t praying that Coach Curry would lose his job or that he would quit, only that I’d have a chance.”

Then it happened. Curry left for Kentucky.

Jay became the first recruit that new Coach Gene Stallings signed.

“I remember it as clear as anything,” Jerome said. “All the assistant coaches were standing around outside the football office and out walks Stallings with his arm around Jay as he says, ‘I got me my first quarterback.’ ”

Jay was a redshirt his first year after suffering a shoulder injury before the season. The next year, he began as the backup to Danny Woodson. But in the third game against Tennessee, Woodson was injured and Barker rallied the team to three fourth-quarter touchdowns and a victory. Two weeks later against Louisiana State, he got his first start and has been the No. 1 quarterback ever since.

His sophomore year, the Crimson Tide beat Miami in the Sugar Bowl to win the national championship, with Barker starting all 13 games.

As a junior, Barker ran his winning streak to 22 games before a 17-17 tie with Tennessee. He was hurt late in the season and missed the Gator Bowl.

This season, the nation started to notice Jay during the Georgia game, as he brought the Tide back from 21-10 in the third quarter to win, 28-26.

“You can visualize a career like I’ve had, but you’re never sure it’s going to happen,” Jay said. “Some of the people in my class set goals that we were never going to lose a game and win four national championships. I said, we needed to think about that, maybe three is more realistic.

“Well, we won one and had a chance for two more but they kind of slipped away from us. But we’ve had a good career. We’ve been blessed.”

THE FAITH

To know Jay Barker is to know about his faith. He loves to talk about it and appears to live it. He’s also in big demand as a speaker. Alabama Athletic Director Cecil (Hootie) Ingram even half-jokingly suggested that Barker renounce his scholarship and start accepting speaking honorariums. Barker said he would be uncomfortable taking the fees.

“I told him not to worry about it,” Ingram said. “Billy Graham is a pretty good guy and he gets paid.”

Barker can pick and choose his speaking engagements. “I’ve probably got about 2,500 letters back at my dorm,” he said. “They come all the way from California down to Miami. A lot of people want me to speak at Fellowship of Christian Athletes breakfasts, which I do. I also like to speak to church groups and youth groups.

“I try and do three a month. But it’s hard with school and all, studying and having a social life.”

Not all the letters talk of love and joy.

“I’ve gotten some bad letters,” he said, acting uncomfortable talking about it. “People want to know why I always thank Jesus and stuff like that. But I don’t let it worry me. All I can do is pray for that person. The Lord says that we will be persecuted. In a sense, persecution says that you are doing something right. If you’re not being persecuted, then you must not be making much of a difference.”

Barker admits that he can’t answer every letter but says he always tries to answer kids or to autograph something that is sent to him.

Barker’s speeches usually deal with abstinence. He says he has never used alcohol or drugs or had sex.

“That last part usually gets a few chuckles because I’m 22 and a quarterback at the University of Alabama,” he said. “But it’s true.”

THE FUTURE

Barker, 6 feet 4, has been dogged by the reputation that he can’t throw long and that, in reality, he’s not that special a quarterback. They say all he can do is win.

“The end result is winning, isn’t it?” Barker said. “If that’s all I do is win, then I’ll take that forever. You have to be able to make the plays and I think I’ve made my share of plays since I’ve been here. Those things don’t just happen, you also have to have ability and God has blessed me with that ability.”

Barker holds Alabama career records for attempts (706), completions (402) and yards (5,689). He has 26 touchdown passes, 14 this season. He also has 24 interceptions.

NFL scouts project Barker as only a middle-round draft pick, but Barker refuses to talk about his pro future. He will get his chance to impress the scouts Monday in the Florida Citrus Bowl against Ohio State.

“I’m not really worried about that right now,” Barker said. “Yeah, I want to be given a chance on the next level and hopefully someone will look at what I’ve done here at Alabama and give me a chance.”

As one might expect, Jerome Barker is putting a positive spin on things.

“(Alabama offensive coordinator) Homer (Smith) hasn’t told me this, but he’s told other people that he thinks Jay will go in the first three rounds,” Jerome said. “I don’t know, this is all new for us. But whatever happens, I know it will be for the best.”

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Alabama’s Winningest Quarterbacks

Quarterback Years Record Pct. Jay Barker 1991-94 34-2-1 .932 Ken Stabler 1966-67 19-2-0 .905 Dixie Howell 1932-34 22-2-1 .900 Richard Todd 1974-75 18-2-0 .900 Pat Trammell 1959-61 26-2-4 .875 Joe Namath 1962-64 21-3-0 .875 Terry Davis 1971-72 21-3-0 .875 Steve Sloan 1963-65 17-2-1 .875 Jeff Rutledge 1976-78 24-4-0 .857 Harry Gilmer 1944-47 30-9-2 .756 Mike Shula 1984-86 22-8-1 .726

Note: Gilmer and Howell played in the single wing and were the team’s primary pass thrower.

Minimum of 20 starts

Source: University of Alabama