Buffalo Bills legend Stewart “Stew” Barber, a two-time AFL champion and five-time All-Star offensive tackle, died peacefully at his home in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, on Wednesday, June 11, 2025. He was 85 years old, passing just three days before his 86th birthday.
Barber spent his entire nine-season professional career with the Buffalo Bills from 1961 to 1969, playing 112 consecutive games and missing only one match due to injury throughout his AFL career. He was instrumental in the Bills’ back-to-back AFL Championship victories in 1964 and 1965, serving as a cornerstone of what many considered the best offensive line in the AFL East during that era.
Born on June 14, 1939, in Bradford, Pennsylvania, Barber was the son of Arthur Clair Barber and Jeanne Stewart Barber. His athletic prowess emerged early, as he broke his father’s high school shot put record at Bradford Area High School and received full scholarship offers in both football and basketball. He often recounted wearing his grandmother’s boots during his youth because they “pinched his feet and made him run faster.”
Barber chose to attend Penn State, where he earned All-American honors as an offensive tackle during his senior year. It was at Penn State where he met his future wife, Vicki Serwatka. The couple met in December and married in July, with Vicki spending their honeymoon in Evanston, Illinois, while Barber attended training camp.
Upon graduating in 1961, Barber faced a significant decision when both the Buffalo Bills and Dallas Cowboys drafted him. The Bills selected him in the fourth round of the AFL Draft, while the Cowboys chose him in the third round of the NFL Draft. Barber opted for Buffalo, partly because it was closer to his Pennsylvania home and because he preferred playing offense rather than the defensive role the Cowboys envisioned for him.
Barber began his professional career as an outside linebacker, recording three interceptions including a pick-six as a rookie. However, he quickly transitioned to offensive tackle, where he became one of the AFL’s premier linemen. His exceptional play earned him five consecutive AFL All-Star selections from 1963 to 1968, along with All-AFL First Team honors in both 1963 and 1964.
After retiring as a player in 1969, one year before the AFL-NFL merger, Barber remained connected to professional football. He initially worked in private business before joining the World Football League as a coach with the New York Stars and Charlotte Hornets in the mid-1970s. He later returned to the Bills organization as a college scout, eventually rising through the ranks to become assistant general manager and vice president.
From 1979 to 1982, Barber served as the Bills’ vice president and general manager. His tenure with the organization officially concluded in 1983, after which he returned to private business. He and Vicki eventually moved to Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, where they built their dream home and spent their retirement years.
The couple was married for 63 years and raised five daughters together: Tracey Richter, Jennifer Beall, Alicia Barber, Michelle, and Rebekah. Michelle and Rebekah preceded their father in death. Barber is also survived by four grandchildren – Kaitlyn, Allison, Grace, and Darren – as well as his sister Pam Meredith of Maryland, nephew Tim Meredith, nieces Deb and Marge Meredith, and great-niece Ry Walker.
Family members described Barber as a humble man with an incredible work ethic that he passed down to his children. His daughters remembered him as their gentle giant and greatest supporter, noting that they all knew not to change the television channel on Sundays during football season and to hide dessert before their father could finish it all.
According to his obituary, Barber’s final words to family members when they left him were always the same: “Watch out for the other guy.” The family noted that they believe he is now watching out for them, ending the obituary with “GO BILLS!!”
Private services will be held in East Aurora, New York, at a later date, with arrangements handled by J. Henry Stuhr, Inc. Mount Pleasant Chapel. In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that memorial donations be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee.
Barber’s legacy with the Bills remains significant, as he was part of the franchise’s only championship teams and represents an era when Buffalo was among the AFL’s elite organizations. His contributions both on the field as a player and in the front office as an executive helped shape the franchise during its formative decades in professional football.
