Up until the age of 6 I had absolutely no interest in sports. Weekends were spent away watching the first six Star Wars movies and playing on my PlayStation 2. Up until that point, the only thing that excited me was what kind of lightsaber I would buy when I had enough money saved up. Then, something miraculous happened. My family switched television providers and all of a sudden we had the sports channels.
One rather boring day I was scrolling through the T.V guide when viewing “Sportscenter” caught my attention. I watched in amazement at what unraveled before my eyes. I vividly remember that it was a Monday, so I was able to catch the football highlights from the night prior. That night I tuned in to the Monday night game. I had absolutely no idea what I was watching, but it was so entertaining that I didn’t care.
I was too young to understand how the NFL’s schedule worked, so the next day (Tuesday) I tuned in once again to try and catch another game, but to no avail. Months went by and I started watching more football, and with the help of my older cousins, I learned the rules of the game.
My first love was the New York Giants, who had won the Super Bowl the first year I started watching. In my seven-year-old mind, it made sense to become a Giants fan. For one, my family would travel to New York every year on vacation. Second, the Giants had just beaten the undefeated Patriots, to win the Super Bowl.
The Giants had become my team, and my favourite player quickly become Tiki Barber. Although he had retired a year prior, the highlights of him in his prime quickly caught my attention. Initially, I was drawn to him because of his name. As time went on, I fell in love with the way he played.
What I found out also was that Tiki Barber had a brother that played in the NFL as well; Ronde. Ronde Barber had been with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers all of his career (and would retire a Buccaneer). Unlike his brother, who was a running back, Ronde played arguably the hardest position in football (second to the quarterback); cornerback.
Ronde was consistently one of the best cornerbacks in the league and was always the heart of the team when he stepped out onto that field. What’s even more impressive about his career is that he never ONCE missed a game. That’s right; not once. This man was something else.
He holds 10 Buccaneers franchise records, is a five-time pro-bowler, and is a Super Bowl Champion. Bucs fans can choose to remember Ronde Barber for a slew of things. What I remember him most for is his passion. commitment, and love of the game of Football. His dedication to the sport manifested itself into him becoming one of the all-time Buc greats.
Ronde, thank you for your play and for making a fan out of a six-year-old boy.
What was your favorite Ronde Barber moment? Let me know in the comments below!