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Barber Elected to the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame
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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Former Virginia running back Tiki Barber was elected to the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 2011, as chosen by vote of the statewide Honors Court committee.
Hall of Fame President Eddie Webb said, “The Class of 2011 is an example of the quality of athletes and coaches that are being produced across the Commonwealth. Each nominee’s resume is recognized on a national or international level proving the point that the State of Virginia is one of the leaders in producing this nation’s top competitors.”
Barber, a native of Roanoke, Va., and 1997 graduate of the UVa, is the second all-time leading rusher in Cavalier history. He was named ACC Player of the Year and first-team CoSIDA Academic All-American in 1996. In the 1997 NFL Draft, Barber was selected in the second round by the New York Giants where he played running back for the duration of his NFL career (1997-2006).
Barber led the Giants in rushing from the start of the 2002 season to the end of the 2006 season, making him the 22nd player in NFL history to rush for over 10,000 yards in his career. During his 10-year career with the Giants, he was selected to three Pro-Bowls (2004, 2005 and 2006) and retired as the Giants’ all-time leader in receptions (586). His receiving yards (5,183) were second to Frank Gifford and Amani Toomer passed both after Barber’s retirement. Toomer has also broke Barber’s franchise record for receptions.
Other records Barber set while rushing the ball include most rushing yards for a game (234), a season (1,860) and a career (10,499). His 55 career rushing TDs are a franchise record, as are his 68 career total TDs (55 rushing, 12 receiving, 1 punt return).
Following his retirement, Barber served as a correspondent for NBC’s Today Show and an analyst on Football Night in America/Sunday Night Football. Barber currently serves as a football analyst for Yahoo! Sports.
The 40th annual induction ceremony will take place on Saturday, April 30, 2011, at the Renaissance Portsmouth Hotel & Waterfront Conference Center, as the crowning event of Hall of Fame Weekend. Tickets go on sale January 21, 2011. For more information, call (757) 393-8031.
The rest of the class contains:
• Jeff Rouse, native of Petersburg, Va., and seven-time NCAA Champion at Stanford; Olympic Gold medalist and World Champion swimmer.
• Bill Littlepage, Bridgewater College alum and the winningest coach in Virginia AAA High School League history with 775 career wins.
• Dr. Jim Jarrett, led Old Dominion Athletics in 28 National Championships and a reclassification to Division I in his 43-year career as director of athletics.
• Johnny Newman, the all-time leading scorer for the University of Richmond and the veteran of a 16-year NBA career with 12,740 career points.
• Pernell “Sweatpea” Whitaker, native of Norfolk, Va., and six-time World Champion boxer with a professional record of 41-3-1 with 17 knock-outs.
• Eugene “Pappy” Thompson, native of Bristol, Va., held a 50-year career as a journalist with the Bristol Herald Courier and 1982 inductee into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame.