At long last, Bucs legendary cornerback Ronde Barber has received the call: He is a Pro Football Hall of Famer. Barber, along with the rest of the 2023 class, will be inducted in Canton, Ohio, this summer.

After being named a Hall of Fame finalist for the third straight year back in January, Barber finally got the news he (and everyone) has been waiting for on Thursday, as the NFL announced the full Class of 2023.

It’s an honor that Barber has long deserved. He revolutionized the nickel cornerback position, made five Pro Bowls, was a three-time All-Pro and earned a place on the NFL’s All-2000s team. Over his 16-year career, he became the only player in NFL history with at least 45 interceptions and 25 sacks. The 1997 third-round pick finished with 47 and 28, respectively, plus he went on to set a league record for consecutive starts by a cornerback (209, including the playoffs) and by a defensive back (224, including the playoffs). From 1998 until he retired after the 2012 season, Barber didn’t miss a single game.

Legendary Bucs CB Ronde Barber: Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Not to mention, Barber was a key part of the Bucs’ 2002 Super Bowl-winning defense, which is one of the best units in NFL history. His 92-yard pick six off of Philadelphia’s Donovan McNabb in that year’s NFC Championship Game sent Tampa Bay to Super Bowl XXXVII, which it won by a score of 48-21 over the Oakland Raiders to claim its first-ever Lombardi Trophy.

Barber was a career Buc, spending 1997-2012 with the team that drafted him. His name was inducted into the Ring of Honor inside Raymond James Stadium in 2019, and soon, he’ll have the Pro Football Hall of Fame logo next to his name the same way the team’s other Hall of Famers do.

Ronde Barber Joins Other Bucs Legends In Canton

When he is inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in August, Ronde Barber will join a host of other Bucs legends who have busts in Canton. Lee Roy Selmon (Class of 1995), Warren Sapp (2013), Derrick Brooks (2014) and John Lynch (2021) are among them, with the latter three playing alongside Barber on that championship defense in 2002.

Legendary Bucs CB Ronde Barber – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

When Lynch, the Bucs’ latest Hall of Fame inductee, was in Canton for his ceremony back in 2021, he made the case for Barber. Of course, he is among the many who have long believed the legendary cornerback deserves a spot in the Hall.

“I think this guy’s time is coming, but Ronde Barber was a teammate of mine in Tampa and you look at his numbers, you look at everything,” Lynch said. “I played with the guy, and I saw it firsthand. He’s as mentally tough of a player as I’ve ever been around. The numbers speak for (themselves). I think he – along with Charles (Woodson) – defined playing that nickel slot position. He could blitz and he could cover. He was always around the ball. He scored touchdowns. He’s a Hall of Fame player. He belongs.”

It was a long road to the Hall for Barber, as this was his sixth year of eligibility. In each of the first five years, he was a semifinalist. And in both 2021 and 2022, he was a finalist. But now, he has broken through to claim his deserved spot in football history, as well as the bronze bust and gold jacket that come along with it.

Former Pro Football Hall of Fame President David Baker often said one of the key principles that makes someone a Hall of Famer is that the story of football cannot be told without them. That’s certainly the case for Ronde Barber.