On Saturday, as new Pro Football Hall of Famer Rondé Barber gave an eloquent summary of his football journey, he noted that he found a perfect ‘football family’ in Tampa, even thanking some former Tampa Bay Buccaneers video hands by name for their friendship. Before Barber found that NFL environment that allowed him to thrive, however, he was shaped in lasting ways by two members of his actual family.
Barber was presented on the stage in Canton by his twin brother, Tiki, the obvious choice. Rondé and Tiki shared that journey from their youngest days through college at Virginia, but the 1997 NFL Draft finally split their paths into two. Tiki went to the New York Giants six picks into the second round; Ronde was taken exactly one round later by the Buccaneers. They were together once again on a football stage in Canton on Saturday, as Tiki helped Rondé unveil his bronze bust and then sat nearby for the latter’s speech.