Barber to be recognized as part of ACC Football Honors Class

Courtesy UVA Media Relations

Former Cavalier defensive back Rondé Barber has been announced as a member of the 2023 Atlantic Coast Conference Football Honors Class. He is a native of Roanoke, where he attended Cave Spring High School.

This year’s 14-member group also includes Boston College’s Gosder Cherilus, Clemson’s Jeff Bostic, Duke’s Matt Daniels, Florida State’s Charlie Ward, Georgia Tech’s George O’Leary, Louisville’s Michael Bush, Miami’s Dennis Harrah, North Carolina’s Alge Crumpler, NC State’s Ray Agnew, Pitt’s Jackie Sherrill, Syracuse’s Robert Konrad, Virginia Tech’s Jeff King and Wake Forest’s Bill Ard.

This year’s class will be celebrated during the ACC Football Honors program presented by the Charlotte Sports Foundation at the Belk Theater in Uptown Charlotte on the evening of Friday, Dec. 1, and during the on-field pregame festivities at the 2023 ACC Football Championship Game, set for 8 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 2, at Bank of America Stadium. ACC Network will air the ACC Football Honors production on Dec. 15 at 7 p.m.

The ACC Football Honors program will start on Friday at 5:30 p.m. Tickets to the event are $150 and include a pre-show reception as well as a post-show reception. Tickets are on sale now via Blumenthal Performing Arts.

As a Cavalier, Barber was a three-time second- or third-team All-American (1994, 1995 and 1996) and named the 1994 ACC Rookie of the Year. During his UVA career he was a three-time All-ACC first-team selection (1994, 1995 and 1996).

Along with his brother Tiki, they became the first brother combination to be named first-team All-ACC in the same season two years in a row in 1995 and 1996. Barber helped lead the Cavaliers to bowl wins in the 1994 Independence Bowl and the 1995 Peach Bowl. He is tied for 15th overall in the ACC and third in Virginia history with 15 career interceptions. He led the ACC in interceptions with eight in 1994 and was member of UVA defense that intercepted passes in 39 consecutive games (1993-1996) to set an NCAA record.

Following his Cavalier career, Barber was drafted in the third round of the 1997 NFL Draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He played 16 seasons for the Buccaneers (1997-2012). Barber was a member of the Super Bowl XXXVII Championship team. He completed his NFL career with 47 regular-season interceptions and holds the NFL record for the most consecutive starts by a defensive back with 215 (224 including playoffs).

Barber retired as the NFL’s all-time leader in sacks by a cornerback with 25. He was named to the NFL’s All-Decade Team (2000s) and was a five-time Pro Bowl selection and a three-time All-Pro first-team pick (2001, 2004 and 2005) and a two-time All-Pro second-team selection (2002 and 2006).

Earlier this year Barber as inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2023. He is also a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Ring of Honor. Barber is one of just 24 players in Virginia history to have his jersey retired.

Barber graduated from Virginia in 1997 with a degree in commerce and an emphasis in marketing. He was a member of the All-ACC Academic team in 1996.

UVA ACC HONORS CLASS

Class – Player
2005 – Bill Dudley
2006 – Jim Dombrowski
2007 – Joe Palumbo
2008 – Tiki Barber
2009 – Jim Bakhtiar
2010 – Barry Word
2011 – Chris Slade
2012 – Frank Quayle
2013 – Tom Scott
2014 – George Welsh
2015 – Patrick Kerney
2017 – Bob Davis
2018 – Herman Moore
2019 – Don Majkowski
2021 – Shawn Moore
2022 – Thomas Jones
2023 – Rondé Barber