Pauline Kirbo Thames
February 10, 2009
Julia H. Richard
February 12, 2009
South Terrebonne’s all-time leading receiver Mike Barba has only been to two Nicholls State football games in his life.
The school invited him to the games last fall as part of its recruiting process.
Impressed by what he saw, Barba signed a letter of intent last Wednesday to play for the Colonels.
“They played hard and they looked like they had fun when they were playing,” Barba said. “The coach (Colonels head coach Jay Thomas) said he had plans for me in the future, so I decided Nicholls was the place.”
Barba was the only player from the Tri-parishes to sign with Nicholls on National Signing Day. Thomas said Barba was a prized addition to the Colonels’ rush-oriented triple-option offense.
“He has great hands and body control, so if you get the ball around him, he can catch it,” Thomas said. “The routes he runs are almost perfect routes. So bringing him here as a receiver, he’s a guy you want to get the ball to.”
Barba finished his Gators career with 69 catches for 1,380 yards and 22 touchdowns.
He was selected 1st-team All-District as a receiver and punter the past two seasons. He was also chosen as a 5A All-State player – 2nd-team his junior year and honorable mention his senior year.
Even though the Colonels return their punter from last season, Barba could find himself doing some occasional kicking.
“Coach Thomas said don’t forget how to punt because sometimes they will have to hurry up and punt on third down to pin the opponent deep,” Barba said.
Thomas likes Barba’s all-around athletic ability so much that he is even considering putting him on the opposite side of the ball.
“We’ll start him out at receiver, and you never know. You might see him in the secondary playing free safety,” Thomas said. “We’ve signed a number of guys in the past like Mike that are talented and versatile and can play a number of positions.
“We try to recruit that way, not just pigeonhole guys that can help the team in other ways,” he added.
Barba, who also played centerfield for the Gators baseball team, will have the opportunity to play baseball for the Colonels next spring.
Nicholls baseball coach Chip Durham saw Barba play last summer as a member of the Southland Hogs of the Babe Ruth 16-18 League.
He said he is thrilled by the prospect of Barba trying out for his club.
“We’re glad to have him coming to Nicholls and spreading his time around with football and baseball,” Durham said. “He’s an outstanding athlete. It’s rare that you run across an athlete that can play two sports. He’s fast and a very good outfielder. He has a lot of ability.”
For Barba, who also played soccer for the Gators, it is the culmination of what he set out to accomplish four years ago.
“I knew I wasn’t going to go to college for soccer, but football and baseball, I’ve been pushing for four years to get to the next level, and it’s paid off,” he said. “I’m excited about playing two sports in college. Not everybody gets the opportunity to do that.”
Barba’s first two years in football were unremarkable. But by the end of his sophomore year, coaches started to see his potential as a dominant player.
“He just matured as an athlete. It wasn’t anything we did,” said Stephen Barba, Mike’s father and Gators’ offensive coordinator. “He just put his mind into being a better receiver and baseball player.”
Mike had his breakout season his junior year with 35 catches for 740 yards and 15 touchdowns. Despite losing two games in 2008 due to Hurricanes Gustav and Ike, Barba had 34 catches for 640 yards and seven touchdowns.
“He gave us the chance to throw the ball a little more, gave us a target,” said Gators head coach Richard Curlin. “So we changed up the (Wing-T) offense a little bit to take advantage of that.”
Barba already knows he will have to get faster and stronger to succeed at the next level.
He plans to utilize the Nicholls weight training program over the summer.
Despite his physical gifts, Barba thinks it’s his intangible qualities that will get notice early on at Nicholls next season.
“I want to show people that you don’t have to be arrogant and cocky to get known,” he said. “I want to be known as a player that can get the job done as freshman and showing upperclassmen that I can have a positive impact on the team.”
After suffering a back injury last summer playing for the Hogs, Barba is considering majoring in Athletic Training Science.
“I went to rehab and did therapy during the week and played through it. I would have liked to have known what’s going on with my body,” he said. “I want to help athletes diagnose their injuries and get them back on the field as quickly as possible.”
After four years of Friday night games at “The Swamp,” Barba said he would miss playing in front of all the fans and friends who knew him.
However, what he will miss most is having his dad on the sidelines.
“That was real fun. I could come off the sidelines and tell him what the defense is doing, and he would say, ‘We’ve seen this on tape, and we’re going to do this,'” Barba said. “I’ll be close to home, but I’m going to miss him being on the sidelines and telling him all that stuff. So it’s going to be a change.”
“I’m not just going to miss him because he’s a great athlete,” the elder Barba said. “I’m going to miss being a part of his everyday life. “It’s been a real blessing to coach him and follow him the way I have.”
Gators wide receiver Mike Barba (seated, second from right) signs a letter of intent to play at Nicholls State this fall. Around Barba are, from left, standing: athletic director Francis Labat, assistant coach Dale Luckett, principal Ken Delcambre, head football coach Richard Curlin. Seated is Barba’s family: brother Johnathan, father and offensive coordinator Stephen, and mother Pamela. * Photo by KEYON K. JEFF
