Rondé Barber

CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES

1999 NFC — St. Louis Rams 11, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 6

• Barber started at right cornerback. He had eight tackles, two of which were for a loss.

2002 NFC — Tampa Bay Buccaneers 27, Philadelphia Eagles 10

• Barber started at right cornerback. He had three tackles and one sack. He also had one interception which he returned 92 yards for a touchdown, one forced fumble and four passes defensed.

SUPER BOWLS

Super Bowl XXXVII – Tampa Bay Buccaneers 48, Oakland Raiders 21

• Barber started at right cornerback. He two tackles and two assists and one tackle on special teams.

ALL-LEAGUE TEAMS

All-Pro: 2001 (AP, PFWA) • 2004 (AP) • 2005 (AP)

All-Pro Second Team: 2002 (AP) • 2006 (AP)

All-NFC: 2005 (PW)


PRO BOWLS

(5)    – 2002, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009


IN THE NFL RECORD BOOK (at time of his retirement following 2010 season)

• [Tied for 1st] Most Interceptions Returned for Touchdown, Game – 2 (vs. Philadelphia, Oct. 22, 2006)
• [Tied for 1st] Most Fumbles Returned for Touchdown, Season – 2 (2004)
• [Tied for 1st] Most Opponents Fumbles Returned for Touchdown, Season – 2 (2004)
• [Tied for 3rd] Most Fumbles Returned for Touchdown, Career – 4
• [Tied for 3rd] Most Opponents Fumbles Returned for Touchdown, Career – 4

TEAM RECORDS
Tampa Bay Buccaneers records held by Barber
(Records through the 2012 season, Barber’s final season with Tampa Bay)

• [1st] Most Defensive Touchdowns, Game – 2 (vs. Philadelphia, Oct. 22, 2006)
• [1st] Most Interceptions, Season – 10 (2001)
• [1st] Most Interceptions Returned for Touchdown, Game – 2 (vs. Philadelphia, Oct. 22, 2006)
• [1st] Most Interceptions, Career – 47
• [1st] Most Interception Return Yards, Career – 923
• [1st] Most Touchdowns on Interceptions, Career – 8
• [1st] Most Games Played, Career – 241
• [1st] Most Games Started, Career – 232
• [1st] Most Defensive Touchdowns, Career – 12
• [1st] Most Total Touchdowns by a Defensive Player, Career – 14
• [Tied for 1st] Most Interceptions, Game – 3 (at New Orleans, Dec. 23, 2001; at New Orleans, Dec. 4, 2005)
• [2nd] Most Tackles, Career – 1,428
• [Tied for 3rd] Most Defensive Touchdowns, Season – 2 (2000, 2004, 2006, 2007)

Postseason records

• [1st] Longest Interception Return – 92t (at Philadelphia, Jan. 19, 2003)
• [Tied for 2nd] Most Games, Career – 10
• [Tied for 2nd] Most Defensive Touchdowns, Game – 1 (at Philadelphia, Jan. 19, 2003)
• [Tied for 2nd] Most Interceptions, Career – 2

LEAGUE/TEAM STATISTICAL TITLES

NFL statistical championships

• Interception title: 2001

NFC statistical championships

• Interception title: 2001

Team statistical championships

• Interception titles: 2001, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2011, 2012

YEAR-BY-YEAR TEAM RECORDS
 

Year	Team	W	L	T	Divison Finish
1997	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	10	6	0	(2nd)
1998	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	8	8	0	(3rd)
1999	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	11	5	0	(1st)
2000	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	10	6	0	(2nd)
2001	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	9	7	0	(3rd)
2002	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	12	4	0	(1st)
2003	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	7	9	0	(3rd)
2004	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	5	11	0	(4th)
2005	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	11	5	0	(1st)
2006	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	4	12	0	(4th)
2007	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	9	7	0	(1st)
2008	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	9	7	0	(3rd)
2009	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	3	13	0	(4th)
2010	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	10	6	0	(3rd)
2011	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	4	12	0	(4th)
2012	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	7	9	0	(4th)

* Qualified for postseason in bold

 

Full name: Jamael Orondé Barber 

Birthdate: April 7, 1975

Birthplace: Blacksburg, Virginia

High school: Cave Spring (Roanoke, Virginia) 

Elected to Pro Football Hall of Fame: Jan. 17, 2023

Other members of the Class of 2023: Don Coryell, Chuck Howley, Joe Klecko, Darrelle Revis, Ken Riley, Joe Thomas, Zach Thomas, DeMarcus Ware.

Pro career: 16 seasons, 241 games.

Drafted: 3rd round (66th overall) in 1997 by Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Uniform number: 20

RONDÉ BARBER: Oh, man, this is awesome. Look, I was so excited earlier I was trying to button my jacket and I ripped the top button off my gold jacket here, so it won't be buttoned during this speech. 

Wow, thank you Jim Porter and this wonderful Hall of Fame family up here, the board as well.  Tiki, love you, brother. Always stood with me. Today, my most important day, thank you for standing with me. 

Bravo on this bust, Blair. You did a fantastic job not making me look like him. You know, I've been inundated with Hall of Fame stuff, as we all have, since February, so I got to give a quick shoutout to Katie Hiestand for helping us along this journey, but really that thanks should go to my wife, Claudia.  

(Applause.)

I don't know how you managed 420 people, but you have done that today. I love you most.  You know that. You are the foundation for which I stand.  

Yammile and Justyce, my two daughters, you came into our world at our peak. I had just won the Super Bowl, and one was in the hotel watching and one was in my wife's belly. We laid a high standard for you, so just know that, and I'll always love you as you chase your journey. 

To my family and friends, my aunts, Sharon, Janice that are here, my aunt Karen, thank you for being here.

Uncle BA. I see you. I got you to take off that Kangol for my hat. I like it.  

To all my teammates, there are a lot of you here, and I appreciate you being here. My two favorites, I got to say, Mike Alstott, Joe Jurevicius, and along with John Lynch, we formed ourselves a little Rat Pack down in Tampa. I can't tell you what happened, but it was fun. 

Brian Kelly, I know you're here, my compatriot on the other side of me. Donnie Abraham is not here. But thanks for being here, guys.  

I'm going to tell you a little bit about my journey, because it's not a unique journey. I'm not going to stand up here today and give you ordinary, because I was not an ordinary cornerback. I stand here amongst these legends of the game remembering a time when I was never imagined to be a Pro Football Hall of Famer.  

My rookie year, hell, my second year in the league I was literally just hoping Rich McKay wasn't going to cut me. 

Come a long way in 26 years. You know, I was not Darrelle Revis, trust me, I was not that guy.  

But not all of us are anointed or can't miss prospects, proclaimed to be future Hall of Famers on day ones of our career. In fact, most guys are quietly fighting that little crisis of confidence wondering if you were good enough. There was plenty of doubt about me.

Now that I'm here I think I owe a very small thanks to those of you, for whatever reasons, who questioned me, either undervalued, underestimated, underappreciated me. It gave me the motivation to not only outwork my peers, but to be better than the expectations of me. 

So, I set out to become uncommon. I never set out to be one of the 371 players in professional football. If anything, I wanted to do things that others either could not or would not do. That defined my career.  

Amongst my peers, I really felt like I had to do more to be equal. Do uncommon things. Find legendary. Because let's face it – this is what gets me every time – I was, what, too small, too slow, just a system cornerback. Somebody still needs to tell me what that is, because I don't know. 

It's easy to be marginalized when you're surrounded by Hall of Fame defenders. Sapp, Brooks, Lynch, our man Simeon Rice, they all grabbed a lot of headlines. Early in my career I was simply overlooked. Again, it was the doubt that most bothered me. 

It also provided me that fuel and sent me to work angry. I was never going to be satisfied just being a guy. I wanted to prove everyone wrong. Ordinary was not an option. 

In my family legendary is a standard. Tiki, certainly not your ordinary running back. New York Giants all-time leading rusher, the only man in NFL history according to Kenny Albert to rush for 10,000 yards, catch 5,000 yards worth of passes, and return 1,000 yards as well. Pretty awesome, T, and spectacularly, too.  

(Applause.) 

Without him I wouldn't have had that daily reminder to chase greatness. If you don't remember anything else I say today, remember this: I am here because of my brother.  

(Applause.) 

The inherent competition, the easy motivation to match accomplishments, and the unwavering unconditional support that only a twin can know. You simply cannot tell my story without telling our story. 

We shared a lot. A womb of course, an alma mater, children’s books, Pro Bowls and All-Pros.  I've got more of those, of course. 

(Laughter.) 

The lows and highs of this profession. But man, we had a fabulous football life. However, the single biggest reason I'm standing here right now is that little five-foot-nothing lady sitting in the front row. Geraldine "Brickhouse" Barber Hale. 

(Applause.)

Everything I learned in life one way, or another came from her. To keep going, don't quit, persevere. She’s a single parent with too much to do and not enough time to do it, working multiple jobs. She possessed this self-instilled ability to force her will on her situation and not only succeed but find a way to thrive.  

I've heard that phrase a lot in my life, force your will on your opponent, from a lot of coaches, but my mom showed me how to do this first. We were 19 years old trying to find our way in college and on the football field when we learned that she was well on her way to beating breast cancer almost a year before we were even aware she was diagnosed.

She never made her adversity our burden. I love you for that, mom. My mom, she's kind of a bad ass.  

(Applause.) 

I remember thinking at the time, too, if she could do that, what couldn't I do? Mom, you always told us to play proud, right? I know you're proud right now. Tiki and I received that same text every Sunday, play proud. I'm proud of being uncommon and doing uncommon things and reinventing what it means to play corner back in the NFL. 

But y'all know, I am most proud to call Geraldine "Brickhouse" Barber Hale my mom.  

(Applause.) 

And while we didn't grow up with a father in the home, I'm going to take a moment to recognize some important men in my life. Coaches, they're the guiding lights, the vehicles if you will, who take you from where you are to where you want to go.  

So, thank you Mike Talley for giving me a love of football in Pee Wee.  

Coach Anderson and Fuzzy Minnix for teaching me what it means to win.  

Steve Spangler who would be my Cave Spring High School coach in Roanoke, Virginia for setting me on a path and being a mentor that I didn't know I needed. 

And then in college, Art Marcos at Virginia.  My Bucs guys, first Herm Edwards, Mike Tomlin, Raheem Morris, Jimmy Lake, my long-time special teams coach Rich Bisaccia, and JG, thanks for my ring, brother. You taught me how to excel and make football family, but more importantly, you taught me how to be my best self always. And early in my career I was just an ordinary guy.  By the time I finished my fourth year I was a middle-of-the-road free agent with little to no interest and only one place to go. Stay put and get a new DB coach, and that was Mike Tomlin.  

Mike is not here, but he gave me my jacket yesterday. Before he ran me through his first EDD drill – and if you don't know what that means, it's everyday drill, he told me, Rondé, you're different. 

What he had seen me do no one else was doing. He told me, you're going to be a 20-20 guy.  Okay. So, we set our sights on that. It would be 12 more years and a 45-25 career that sent me here.

Football is always changing, and Mike T, you helped change one little corner of the game that would define me. I think he imagined this for me well before I could, and he gave me the air to breathe it into existence. Thanks for the empowerment, dude. Thank you.  

(Applause.) 

As I finish here, I would be remiss not to mention my video guys. I was a junkie for that room.  Dave Levy, Pat Brazil, the Brians. I know they're here. Matt Mills. Cheers, boys. The equipment and especially the training staff, you can't not miss a game in 16 years without enduring injuries you probably shouldn't have played through, so thank you Todd Toriscelli for allowing me to never have an excuse. 

All this became my obsession and why? Because I felt like I did my job by not letting anybody else do my job. It takes a lot of impulsion to be unique, a willingness to imagine your success, a will to work for it. 

I had that, but it certainly takes a football family, man, and for me, I had the best one possible.  

(Applause.) 

I want to thank the fans. Yes, Philly fans, even you I appreciate. I'm fortunate to have played in one of the best sports towns in this country. I have always felt loved and embraced in Tampa and back in Virginia, so I feel this recognition for every one of you watching at home that are here today, those pewter and red fanatics that rallied for me the past six years screaming at the top of their lungs, hey Hall of Fame, you're missing one of the greats. 

I saw you guys do it. I see you guys today.  

However, I think I've made this clear, my biggest fans are the people close to me, my family, my friends. I think we're going to have a pretty good party tonight. You know, I played a long time in the NFL. 16 years is special tenure with one team.  

I joke that I had a lot invested in the emotional bank account of the Buccaneers, but really that means I had a lot of the love from the Glazer family. So, Joel, Bryan, Ed, Darcie, Avie, Kevin, the rest of the Glazers, Malcolm and Linda, I know you guys know this, but I do love you for your faith in me and always being there for me and my family. 

Ethan Locke, Mark Lepselter, my agent, my manager, my friends, I can't thank you enough for representing me over the years.  

When Tampa drafted me in 1997, I came into a great situation. Great teammates, high expectations, a benchmark set by a Hall of Fame head coach and a pretty fanatical play caller on defense. 

To be the fourth Buc off a single defense speaks to the lasting legacy of these two men. Tony Dungy, each one of us has mentioned the man you are, and it's because it's true. You set a standard. 

(Applause.)

On and off the field there was a standard. And the time we shared in Tampa will always be special to me. 

Monte Kiffin, God bless you, man. Even though you couldn't pronounce my name right for ten years, I'm all right with Randy, that's cool.

(Laughter.) 

You are the reason, brother. You took a good player, you evolved the position around him, and you made me the best to ever play it. Sapp, Brooks, Lynch, let's go lose ourselves in another moment, boys.

Some people wait a long time for this recognition. I think about Ken Riley. Knowing his family, I'm glad to be his classmate now. Some are still waiting. So, Ira Kauffman, I see you there sporting my hat. Well done, my friend, telling my story to these voters.

In the surrounding days after Brooksy came and knocked on my door, spending time with my compatriots, my best friend Brian, Ben, and Paul, I had this realization that every single one of you guys have had up here, that's it's done. The journey, my football journey that I've been on for 40 years has reached its zenith.  

With that realization comes a pretty good reflection for me. That there is nowhere else to go. I can stop being an angry worker. I actually can stop trying to prove everyone wrong. 

Come a long way in 16 years. After today there will be 23 corners in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and I'm not like any one of them because I couldn't be.  

(Applause.) 

I'm here because I refused to just be a guy; ordinary was not an option. I learned something along the way in the NFL. It's a special place, man. No matter where you come from, no matter where your journey started, no one gets to define you but you. This league rewards you if you dare to be uncommon and choose to be a little bit extraordinary. 

This is one the most humbling moments of my life standing in front of you now. I cannot wait to proudly represent professional football, the Pro Football Hall of Fame, as I wear this gold jacket – and hopefully get this button fixed.  

God bless you all and God bless America.

(Applause.)