Rondé Barber, the general chair of the Valspar Championship, has been selected for inclusion in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
The Tampa Bay area will have a chance to salute Barber at the upcoming Valspar Championship, on March 16. On that day, Tournament patrons will be encouraged to show their support by wearing their Barber #20 jerseys and other Buccaneers gear.
The first 5,000 patrons will receive a special, commemorative item and there will be additional acknowledgments on the course of his achievements, according to a statement from the Valspar Championship.
All patrons are encouraged to congregate at the 18th green after the conclusion of Thursday’s play (around 7 p.m.) for a ceremony that will include guests significant in Barber’s career, a special video and remarks from Barber.
Barber played all 16 seasons of his career (1997-2012) with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and has continued to make the area his home. He joined the Copperheads, the organizing charity of the Valspar Championship, shortly after his retirement and has been a member of the Board of Directors since 2018. This is his second tournament as the Board’s General Chair.
“We are so grateful for the tremendous involvement Rondé has given us, as a volunteer, in the last several years,” says Tournament Director Tracy West. “As a player, he was known for his complete dedication to his craft with the commitment and endurance to play 224 consecutive games, a record for an NFL defensive back. With the Copperheads, he has shown a similar zeal, immersing himself in the culture of professional golf, absorbing the business and operations of the tournament and serving as a prime recruiter for players, Copperheads and tournament partners. We are ecstatic to have this opportunity to celebrate his selection into the NFL’s most prestigious club and to thank him for all that he has meant to the Tampa Bay community.”
Barber, and the rest of the Class of 2023, will be enshrined in Canton, Ohio in early August.
