Ronde Barber

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Barber is the son of Geraldine Barber and James Barber. The Barber twin boys were born five weeks premature. Barber was born seven minutes before his identical twin brother Tiki Barber. He was named Jamael Oronde which means 'first born son'. Tiki played running back for the New York Giants. James Barber was a star cornerback at Virginia Tech and later played in the World Football League. His roommate in college was Bruce Arians. Ronde's parents separated when Barber was very young. James Barber rarely saw his sons when they were growing up, and failed to provide suitable financial support to them. His mother Geraldine worked two, sometimes three jobs to support her three sons. He and Tiki have an older brother, Tarik Barber. Barber graduated from Cave Spring High School of Roanoke, Virginia in 1993, and was a standout in football, wrestling, and track. In football, Barber was a three-time All-District selection. In track, Barber won the national title in the 55-meter hurdles as a senior in 1993, with a career-best time of 7.18 seconds. He was timed at 14.05 seconds in the 110-meter hurdles. He also won four Group AAA hurdles titles in indoor and outdoor track.

In Their Own Story

In the NFC Championship game on January 19, 2003, the Philadelphia Eagles faced the Buccaneers at Veterans Stadium. With Tampa leading 20–10 late in the fourth quarter, Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb dropped back to pass. Barber read the play, picked off the pass, and returned it 92 yards for a touchdown. The Philadelphia Inquirer called it 'the most ignominious defeat of Andy Reid's head coaching career' because of that return. The stadium fell near-silent. Barber also deflected 4 passes in that game. Two weeks later, in Super Bowl XXXVII, Barber made five tackles as the Buccaneers defeated the Oakland Raiders 48–21.

Reader's Guide

Barber received an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Virginia, where he played for the Virginia Cavaliers football team. He redshirted the 1993 season and played for the Cavaliers from the 1994 to 1996 seasons as a cornerback. He was also a kick returner in 1994 and 1996; in 1994, Barber returned 10 kickoffs for 171 yards, and in 1996, he returned 3 for 36 yards. As a defensive back, Barber made 15 interceptions returned for 112 yards in his career with Virginia: 8 for 56 yards in 1994, 4 for 18 yards in 1995, and 3 for 38 yards in 1996. The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) recognized Barber as Freshman of the Year after the 1994 season, and Barber earned first-team All-ACC honors in all his three seasons with Virginia. Barber was part of the Virginia teams that won the 1994 Independence Bowl and December 1995 Peach Bowl. After his junior season in 1996, Barber declared for the 1997 NFL draft. Barber graduated from Virginia in 1997 with a bachelor's degree in commerce with an emphasis in marketing. During Barber's time at UVa, he was a member of the IMP Society, one of the university's secret societies.

Did You Know?

• Barber was drafted in the third round (66th overall) of the 1997 NFL draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
• He is the only member of the 45/25 club (45+ interceptions, 25+ quarterback sacks).
• Barber's identical twin brother Tiki Barber was selected in the second round (36th overall) by the New York Giants in the same draft.
• Barber returned an interception 92 yards for a touchdown in the NFC Championship game on January 19, 2003, sealing Tampa's 27–10 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles.