This is another big weekend for Niko Barber as the Kansas City Chiefs roll into their seventh straight AFC Championship game Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium.
The Overland Park resident will have a sideline spot to all the action as a member of the team’s equipment staff under the leadership of longtime Equipment Director Allen Wright.
Barber is one of seven full-time employees in the equipment department, which grows to a team of 17 for game days.
Barber, 22, first landed with the equipment department during training camp in 2019 serving as a high school intern. It was the summer before his senior year at Bishop Miege High School in Roeland Park, where he played football all four years.
“It was a lot of fun being still in high school, I didn’t really see anything but a fun internship,” Barber said. “Then Allen [Wright] had a couple of spots for game day and did I have flexibility to do that … I told my (high school football) coach that I might have to miss a few Saturdays and he said as long as I stayed on top of things.”
When Barber graduated from high school in 2020, he planned to attend the University of Kansas that fall, but KU announced classes would all be online due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Barber decided to go in a different direction.
The Chiefs equipment staff was expanding to meet the needs brought on by the pandemic, and Barber landed a job as an hourly employee, and he has now been part of the full-time staff for the past three seasons.
He is the son of former Chiefs player Shawn Barber
Barber grew up around football.
His father is former Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Shawn Barber who played several seasons with the hometown team before retiring in 2007. As a kid, Niko watched his dad play in the NFL, igniting his love for football.
Still, he said he never felt pressured by his parents to “join the family business.”
“My mom (Nicole) and dad encouraged us to make our own path,” Barber said. “My dad would never make any of us do sports. Being an adult now makes such a difference.”
So what’s it like working for the NFL’s latest dynasty, the Kansas City Chiefs, who have won three Super Bowls in his time with the team?
Barber said the weeks are long during season and the schedule is hectic. Hours vary depending on the day of the week, as well as the players’ and coaches’ planned activities.
Players are typically off on Mondays, but the equipment staff is usually hard at work doing laundry (about 40 large loads weekly), getting equipment ready and repaired, prepping jerseys, footballs and assisting with anything players may need.
Then there are the days when Patrick Mahomes wanders into the equipment area to choose footballs for game day. Ultimately, there are 12 chosen for the game going into a designated bag.
What’s game day like?
Game day prep kicks in at the end of the week.
If it is a home game, Barber and his colleagues deliver equipment to the stadium locker room during the week. On game day, Barber and the rest of the crew arrive about five hours before kickoff to finish laundry and head over to Arrowhead Stadium.
“We pack for the players including their helmet, mouthpiece, as well as checking they have everything they need,” he said. “We have an open door policy where the players can ask for anything and we will try to get it for them including track pants, hoodies, etc.”
As soon as the game starts, it’s time to clean up the locker room before heading out to the field. During the game, Barber is out on the sideline.
“Our job is to get them whatever they need and be on ready status, “ he said. He’s also on call for quarterback towels.
“It’s good to have those in your pockets,” he said.
Barber also picked up a “new task” this season.
“I get to hold up the personnel card to tell them what personnel the offense is in, so I could learn more about the defense,” he said. “It’s fun, and it keeps me engaged in the game.”
Barber also travels with the team for away games, when the tasks increase with more equipment to move and longer days for travel.
“On game days out of town, we pack for what the players need packing the red bags that have their cleats, helmet, jersey and pants with pads in them, any braces they need, special socks they like to wear — everything they need for game day goes in those bags,” he said. “We load up the truck and all that stuff goes on the plane. We travel with all of our equipment and we travel with the team.”
After the game, it is clean up time, and the routine starts all over again.
Barber is still working on his college degree
Eventually, Barber says he wants to become a coach.
“Because I am trying to learn more about coaching, I will stay and meet with some of the defense coaches. I will try to learn more about the game,” Barber said. “I like being on the defense side.”
Barber is also taking online classes to earn his college degree from Park University.
Barber loves his job, especially his contact with the players, which is frequent.
“My favorite part to me is the interaction with the players and the organization and how nice people can be. You interact with them constantly like a coworker,” he said. “I will run some routes with them during practice. I stay on the defense side and anyone who needs anything I will get it for them.
“Coach [Andy] Reid has a big rule that you treat all people with respect,” Barber added. “When they (players and coaches) treat us with respect it is a two-way street … I enjoy learning stuff every single day.”
‘It is all about consistency’ during playoffs
When it comes to playoffs and another potential Super Bowl, Barber said change is kept to a minimum for the equipment staff.
“We like to keep things the same. It is all about consistency here,” he said. “Everyone knows what to expect. It is a lot with four to five trunks filled with about 10 items for staff clothes including pants, belts, two undershirts, quarter zip, and light jacket.”
Wright is proud to have Barber as a part of his equipment staff.
“I’ve known Niko all his life. I was close with his father who let me know he was interested in working training camp,” Wright said. “I didn’t think twice, and it didn’t take long for him to fit in with the staff, players and coaches. It’s been fun watching him grow and come into his own in this environment.”
When the season is over, the equipment staff unpacks everything and rotates taking some time off. Then the staff is back at work preparing for off-season training in the spring, and the schedule begins again.
During the season, Barber doesn’t have much time for anything but football.
He visits his girlfriend, who lives in New York City, and spends time with his family, does his homework “and I love to play video games,” he said.
Dad Shawn Barber is proud of all his son has been able to accomplish on his own.
“I think it’s an awesome story about a kid in high school wanting to be around football and taking the initiative on his own to drive up to training and volunteer and do whatever was needed to be around it all,” Shawn said. “A lot of people in the (Chiefs) building didn’t realize he was my son until three, four years in. He showed what he could do. It shows he has pride in his work and he didn’t want anyone giving him an easier path or allowance being the son of a former player.
“He stands on his own merit.”
