The Pro Football Hall of Fame will formally welcome its Class of 2023 on Saturday. This week, Yahoo Sports is highlighting each member of the nine-man class, leading up to the big ceremony.
Former Buccaneers cornerback Ronde Barber initially announced his retirement from the NFL in 2013 after 16 seasons, one Super Bowl and five Pro-Bowl nominations in Tampa Bay.
Following six years of eligibility and three consecutive years as a finalist for the Hall of Fame, Barber will finally be immortalized in professional football history.
“When you’re in the conversation, you’re in the conversation for a reason,” Barber said about his nomination. “I’m just glad to get over the line.”
“It’s a shame it took Ronde this long,” former Bucs coach Tony Dungy said to the Tampa Bay Times. “But I don’t know there’s anybody who played that many games at corner and still played at a high level doing all those things in Year 13, Year 14, Year 15. It’s crazy.
One of Barber’s best plays in his career was a 92-yard interception return for a touchdown in the 2002 NFC championship game that slammed the door on the Eagles and sent the Buccaneers to the Super Bowl.
“You couldn’t hear a sound,” former Tampa Bay safety John Lynch said about Barber’s big play. “The stadium noise stopped. There was that sweet silence. There was nothing to say.”
Barber said of his iconic game: “Big games, they put a lot on me, a lot of responsibility. There’s a lot of technique stuff that I have to worry about every play. When you put stuff on me, it just gives me more opportunities to make plays. And [Eagles QB] Donovan [McNabb] never learned to look the other way, so it was just a matter of time until I hit him with something big.”
The play still seems to haunt the Eagles faithful to this day. Philadelphia fans were seemingly heard booing Barber as he was announced at the Super Bowl earlier this year.
The Buccaneers would eventually defeat the Oakland Raiders in Super Bowl Super Bowl XXXVII, 48-21, to capture the franchise’s first championship.
“Ronde was the embodiment of a true professional, a fierce competitor and a student of the game,” the Glazer family, owners of the Buccaneers, said in a statement. “He was a natural leader who always found a way to leave his mark on the game and was responsible for some of the most memorable moments in our franchise history. We look forward to celebrating his legendary career later this year when he takes his rightful place alongside the other Buccaneers Hall of Famers in Canton.”
Barber is Tampa Bay’s career leader in interceptions (47) and is the only player in NFL history to make at least 200 starts as a cornerback. He started 215 games and never missed one due to injury, which is the accomplishment that he’s most proud of. The Virginia product played a crucial role in the Buccaneers’ run defense, ending his career with 1,428 tackles.
Barber will be the fifth player that spent most or all of his career in Tampa Bay to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Ronde’s twin brother, former Giants running back Tiki Barber, will present him in Canton on Saturday.
