Ronde Barber, a Buccaneers Star, to be Inducted into Hall of Fame in 2023 After Receiving Six Nominations
Ronde Barber, a Buccaneers Star, to be Inducted into Hall of Fame in 2023 After Receiving Six Nominations.
On Saturday, the Pro Football Hall of Fame will formally welcome its Class of 2023. Leading up to the major ceremony, the media is profiling each member of the nine-man class this week.
Ronde Barber, a former Buccaneers cornerback, announced his retirement from the NFL in 2013 after 16 seasons, one Super Bowl, and five Pro-Bowl nominations in Tampa.
Barber will finally be enshrined in professional football history after six years of eligibility and three years as a finalist for the Hall of Fame.
“When you’re in the conversation, you’re in it for a reason,” Barber said of his nomination. “I’m just glad to get over the finish line.”
“It’s a shame Ronde took this long,” former Buccaneers coach Tony Dungy told the Tampa Bay Times. “But I don’t know of anyone who played that many games at corner and still did all those things at a high level in Year 13, Year 14, Year 15.” It’s insane.
One of Barber’s best career plays was a 92-yard interception return for a touchdown in the 2002 NFC championship game, which propelled the Buccaneers to the Super Bowl.
“You couldn’t hear a sound,” recalled former Tampa Bay safety John Lynch of Barber’s spectacular play. “The stadium roar came to a halt. There was that beautiful silence. “I had nothing to say.”
“Big games, they put a lot on me, a lot of responsibility,” Barber said of his legendary game. Every play, I have to think about a lot of technical aspects. When you put things on me, it simply gives me more chances to make plays.
And [Eagles QB] Donovan [McNabb] never learned to turn away, so it was only a matter of time before I nailed him with something major.”
The play continues to torment Eagles fans to this day. Fans in Philadelphia were heard booing Barber as he was introduced at the Super Bowl earlier this year.
The Buccaneers eventually defeated the Oakland Raiders in Super Bowl XXXVII, 48-21, to win the franchise’s first championship.
“Ronde was the embodiment of a true professional, a fierce competitor, and a student of the game,” the Buccaneers’ Glazer family 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 our franchise’s most memorable moments.” We look forward to commemorating his remarkable career later this year when he joins the other Buccaneers Hall of Famers in Canton.”
Barber is Tampa Bay’s career interceptions leader (47) and the only cornerback in NFL history to make at least 200 starts. He started 215 games and never missed one due to injury, which is his most cherished accomplishment. The Virginia graduate was an important part of the Buccaneers’ run defense, finishing his career with 1,428 stops.
Barber will be the fifth player elected into the Hall of Fame who spent the most of his career in Tampa Bay.
Tiki Barber, a former Giants running back, will present Ronde in Canton on Saturday.
