Hall of Fame electee Ronde Barber to be honored at Valspar Championship

Before he is enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, Ronde Barber will be celebrated in Palm Harbor.

The first day of the Valspar Championship March 16 at Innisbrook Golf and Spa Resort will be Ronde Barber Appreciation Day, recognizing the former Bucs cornerback’s election to the Hall’s Class of 2023.

The day will feature acknowledgments of Barber’s career around the Copperhead Course and end with a ceremony after the final golfer has finished. On the 18th green, the tournament will honor Barber with a special video, special guests and remarks from Barber.

Patrons will be encouraged to leave their golf shirts at home and wear No. 20 Barber jerseys or other Bucs gear. The first 5,000 will receive a special Ronde Barber Appreciation Day commemorative item.

Barber, an avid golfer, joined the Copperheads, the organizing charity of the Valspar Championship, shortly after his retirement from the NFL and has been a member of the board of directors since 2018. This is his second time serving as the board’s general chair for the tournament.

“We are so grateful for the tremendous involvement Ronde has given us as a volunteer in the last several years,” tournament director Tracy West said in a news release. “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.”

The Valspar Championship runs from March 16-19 on Innisbrook’s Copperhead Course.