TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) – Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ cornerback Rondé Barber became the 10th Bucs player to be immortalized by the NFL after he was set to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
On Thursday night, Barber finally became a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2023 after being snubbed out of the honor for the past three years.
Back in January, Barber was announced as one of the 15 finalists for this year’s Hall of Fame Class, marking it the third year in a row that he made the cut.
This is Barber’s sixth year of eligibility and he has been at least a semifinalist, first breaking through to finalist status in 2021.
Barber is now the fifth player who spent all or the majority of his career with the Bucs to wear the golden jacket, joining Lee Roy Selmon (Class of 1995), Warren Sapp (2013), Derrick Brooks (2014), and John Lynch (2021).
Other Hall of Famers with ties to the Buccaneers include Tony Dungy, the team’s head coach from 1996-2001, quarterback Steve Young, guard Randall McDaniel, wide receiver Tim Brown and General Manager Ron Wolf.
The Buccaneers selected Barber as a third-round pick in the 1997 draft. During his football career, he made the Pro Bowl five times, in 2001, 2004-2006, and 2008. Barber was also named an Associated Press All-Pro five times.
According to the Buccaneers’ website, Barber spent all 16 of his NFL seasons with Tampa Bay and is the only cornerback in NFL history to make 200 consecutive starts at the position. His 241 games played and 232 starts are both franchise records. It was reported that Barber “never missed a game due to injury.”
The Bucs’ all-time record for interceptions (47) and defensive touchdowns (14) belongs to Barber as well.
