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20 CAVALIER CORNER Former Virginia and NFL star Ronde Barber accomplished ev- erything he set out to do in his athletic career before he retired following the 2012 season. "[Twin brother] Tiki always says this, and I believe it too — you play football for three reasons: to make a name for your- self, if you can do that you can make some money, and third you want to be good enough to win a championship," he said. However, there was no clear path to accomplishing those goals. Dating back to even before his time in Charlottesville, it's never been easy — and Barber would not have it any other way. "I think all things worthwhile aren't done easily," he ad- mitted. "You must work through adversity. Finding that adversity — even if it isn't necessarily there — pushes you, makes you do that extra bit of work and makes you focus a little bit more." Before Barber made it to college, he was waiting for his opportunity on the prep field. After establish- ing himself as a college prospect, he was going against convention and choosing the Cavaliers, instead of following his "entire family," to Virginia Tech, where both parents attended and his father played. "I think there was some conflict for other people when we thought about going to UVA, but for us we were always drawn to Virginia," Ronde recalled of the brothers' choice. "We knew what it was aca- demically, most importantly, and George Welsh … we felt he was a storied coach that brought a team from nowhere to somewhere." Once he arrived on Grounds, a familiar feeling set in. Ronde red- shirted in 1993, while Tiki suited up and played for Welsh's 7-5 squad. "Tiki and the other guys are play- ing, and I am home watching," Barber remembered. "That adversity became a springboard for me." When Ronde finally got on the field in 1994, he led the nation with eight interceptions en route to earning ACC Rookie of the Year honors. The Barbers helped push UVA into the national rankings by mid-October before they finished No. 15 after a 9-3 campaign. With the brothers emerging as bona fide stars, UVA started 1995 in the top 25 and finished there. Despite a one-point loss to open the season at No. 14 Michigan, a one-point loss at North Carolina in early October and a one-point loss at No. 16 Texas two weeks later, November kicked off with a win over No. 2 Florida State. Without that early season adversity, maybe the Cavs don't hand the Seminoles their first-ever ACC loss and claim a share of the conference championship. "It just started to feel like as good as we were, we just weren't quite good enough to compete," Barber said of the team before hosting FSU. "Then we fast-forward to that Thurs- day night game against Florida State. It starts off the same way [as the previous losses], but then we end up beating them. "When I look back, I think about that entire 1995 season and the culmination of us playing in the Peach Bowl [where the Cavs beat Georgia, 34-27]. "It felt our team has finally arrived. I can look back and think we did something, and we were successful. … Despite those previous disappointments we were still able to win that ACC title in 1995, and for an athlete it's all about the ring." Despite a 7-5 follow-up campaign in 1996, Barber still had a successful season, earning his third first-team All-ACC laurel. With rings secured and résumés established, both Barber brothers left for the NFL. Tiki was drafted 36th overall in the second round, but Ronde stayed on the board until the Tampa Bay Buc- caneers called his name in the third round with the 66th selection. A man who needed no extra pushing had a tank overflowing with motivational fuel once again — although initially it didn't seem like what was to come would fol- low. Barber admitted to feeling "ill-prepared" when he arrived to training camp. "It felt like I wasn't going to have a long career," he said. "But it was the same adversity that I had been through before, so I knew that it was going to take a little more to get where I needed to go. And I chose to attack that opportunity. I learned that on the football field at Virginia and I learned that aca- demically at Virginia. "In the end I turned into a 16- year veteran, and I don't know how that happens, but I had to be- lieve that somehow came from the seed of disappointment that was planted early in my career." Even after his playing career ended, Barber has managed to stay connected to the game he loves. He joined FOX Sports as an NFL analyst in 2013, and teamed with play-by-play an- nouncer Chris Myers and sideline reporter Jennifer Hale on game coverage from 2014-16. Now, he is in his second year working alongside play-by-play announcer Kenny Albert. Although he covers the pro game, he still keeps a watchful eye on Charlottesville and sees Virginia taking a similar path to his own under head coach Bronco Mendenhall. "I understand what he wants to do, and I know how he wants to drive this football team with various ideals and character building for the guys," Barber said. "I am really rooting [for them] because I have a connection and I would love for Vir- ginia Football to reemerge." Barber knows best — a little adversity at the beginning of a journey, such as Mendenhall's 2-10 debut in Charlottesville, can lead to a huge payoff by the end. — Ryan Tice After earning three first-team All-ACC honors at Virginia, Barber was a five-time Pro Bowler, three-time first-team All-Pro, two- time second-team All-Pro and won Super Bowl XXXVII during his 16-year NFL career. PHOTO COURTESY UVA CONTINUED SUCCESS: RONDE BARBER, FOOTBALL