Under head football coach Charles Mayser, Barker anchored the offensive line from the guard position.

[4] That season marked two major landmarks for the team, the inaugural Bears–Packers rivalry game[5] and the Staleys winning the league championship.

[6] After his one season in the professional ranks Barker realized there was no money or future in playing football, so he moved back to Ames to be an assistant coach at his alma mater, Iowa State under Sam Willaman.

The following season he was hired to form the inaugural wrestling program at Cornell College in Mount Vernon, Iowa in addition to being an assistant football coach.

In 1923 Barker was hired by the University of Michigan to repeat the same process, form a wrestling program and serve as an assistant football coach.