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Profiling Ronde Barber

He is no longer playing in the shadow of his twin brother, Tiki, and is enjoying every minute of it. Cornerback Ronde Barber is having a breakout season. He leads the Bucs with six interceptions, tied for fourth overall in the NFC, and also leads the team with 19 passes defensed.

In his fifth season in the league, Barber has had some critical moments and seems to make at least one big play every game. He scooped up Desmond Howard's fumble in the final seconds Sunday to seal the Bucs' 15-12 win over the Lions. In a 16-13 win over the Bengals, Barber had 10 tackles, one forced fumble and blocked his first punt, which was returned 11 yards for a touchdown by Todd Yoder. In the first game against the Lions, Barber was named NFC defensive player of the week after recording two interceptions, seven tackles and four passes defensed.

Truth be told, all of 2001 has been productive for the former third-round pick out of Virginia. He signed a a new six-year contract in the offseason, after signing and agreeing to a one-year deal the year before. He got married to longtime girlfriend Claudia in February and the two are expecting their first child. And recently, the 5-foot-9, 184-pounder, along with Tiki, were voted by People magazine as the sexiest male athletes in all of sports for 2001.

On April 7, 1975, he was born Jamael Oronde Barber in Montgomery County, Va. He and his brother had standout careers in football and track at Cave Spring High in Roanoke. Before going to Virginia, the younger Barber was quite the hurdler in high school. He won the national title in the 55-meter hurdle as a senior and twice won the state outdoor 110-meter title. As a Cavalier, he capped a four-year career with 15 interceptions and was a member of the Phi Eta Sigma Honor Society.

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