Former Virginia standout defensive back Ronde Barber was named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Thursday (Feb. 9) night at the NFL Honors events held in Phoenix, Ariz., three days before Super Bowl LVII.
Barber becomes the fifth individual from Virginia to be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He joins former UVA standouts Bill Dudley and Henry Jordan, former coach Earle “Greasy” Neale along with Ralph Wilson, Jr. (owner).
Recommended Videos
Also inducted as part of the 2023 class were Darrelle Revis, Joe Thomas, Zach Thomas, DeMarcus Ware, Don Coryell (coach), Chuck Howley (senior), Joe Klecko (senior) and Ken Riley (senior).
The only player with more than 40 interceptions and 25 sacks in his NFL career, Barber is a Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ legend. He is the franchise’s all-time leader in interceptions (47) and defensive touchdowns (12) after spending the entirety of his 16-year career in Tampa Bay.
A prominent piece of the Bucs’ historic Super Bowl champion defense in 2002, Barber is also a member of the 2000s All-Decade Team, as well as a five-time Pro Bowler and a three-time first-team All-Pro.
Sharing the spotlight with his twin brother and former All-Pro and Pro Bowler himself, Tiki, Ronde stood out as one of just two players since the turn of the millennium (HOF DB Charles Woodson) with more than 1,000 tackles and 40 interceptions. During his professional career, he totaled 47 picks and 28 sacks in 241 games. It marked the sixth time Barber was on the ballot and under consideration for the honor.
Barber, from Roanoke, Va., played at Virginia from 1994 to 1996 after redshirting the 1993 season. He had 15 career interceptions, including eight in 1994 when he was named the ACC Rookie of the Year after leading the league in that statistic. He was a first-team All-ACC selection each of his three seasons as a Cavalier and received second- or third-team All-America honors each of his years with UVA. While he declared for the NFL Draft after his junior season, Barber completed his degree in commerce in 1997.