ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, April 20, 1997 TAG: 9704210147
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY THE ROANOKE TIMES
Twins Tiki and Ronde Barber from Cave Spring High School fared better than expected on the first day of the NFL draft.
Tiki Barber was feeling pretty good Saturday when he walked off the 17th green at the Birdwood Golf Course after making a birdie.
He felt even better when his cellular phone started to ring and New York Giants coach Jim Fassel wanted to talk to him.
Fassel wanted to inform Barber that the Giants were preparing to select him in the second round of the NFL draft.
The 18th hole would have to wait.
Although Barber was somewhat restrained in his celebration, there was no holding back when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers called to say they had taken his twin, Ronde, in the third round.
``I couldn't have been happier for him,'' said Ronde, a three-time All-ACC cornerback, ``but from the moment we got off the golf course, I was sitting there looking at the phone and all I could think was, `Come on, ring.'''
The Barbers were among five Virginia players taken in the first three rounds and more should follow today in rounds 4-7. The most selections from UVa in a previous draft was four in 1993.
Predraft forecasts listed Tiki Barber as anywhere from the sixth- to the 12th-best tailback, but he was the third running back chosen, behind Florida State's Warrick Dunn and Antowain Smith of Houston.
``That was how it started out,'' said Barber, a two-time All-ACC running back and the 1996 ACC player of the year. ``When the process started, it was me and Warrick and Antowain at the top. And I thought that's how it always should have been.''
Barber's stock seemingly dropped when he ran 40 yards in 4.51 seconds at the national testing combine, but he recently had a 4.37 clocking for Tampa Bay coach Tony Dungy among others.
Tiki thought Tampa Bay might draft him until the Buccaneers went for Dunn in the first round.
``I was thinking Tampa Bay,'' he said. ``Then, I saw on the news that Warrick had been drafted and I figured [Tampa Bay] was out. Atlanta was another possibility. I hadn't talked that much to the Giants, but they had been up for every workout.
``I think it's a good fit. [Fassel] said he liked me as a third-round back and a punt-returner. He said I reminded him a little bit of Dave Meggett. But eventually, if things pan out, maybe I could be an every-down player.''
Even draft analyst Mel Kiper, who predicted Tiki would be selected on the final pick of the fourth round, was complimentary on ESPN.
``You don't see a lot of differences between Tiki Barber and Warrick Dunn,'' Kiper said. ``He's a tough kid who's tremendously versatile. I think he can be an outstanding pass receiver. He's going to fit in very well with Jim Fassel.''
Tiki joins two former Virginia teammates with the Giants, fullback Charles Way and safety Percy Ellsworth.
``I really didn't have a goal when this started,'' he said. ``Beginning in February, I wanted to be a first-rounder. As it came down to the end, I just wanted a chance.''
The same went for his brother, who was ecstatic for the chance to play for Dungy. Ronde, who ran the 40 in 4.62 seconds at the combine, did a 4.42 for Dungy.
``If there was anybody who Tiki or me would have wanted to play for, it was Coach Dungy,'' he said. ``From what I know of him and what I experienced when I met him at the Senior Bowl, he's a real down-to-earth guy.''
The Barbers, from Cave Spring High School, will be separated for the first time in their athletic careers.
``It looked for a while like I might go to the Giants, too,'' Ronde said. ``They had been talking to my agent about taking me in the third round, but the Bucs drafted first. We knew this day was going to come, but we're only as far apart as a phone call.''
LENGTH: Medium: 77 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: (headshots) Tiki Barber, Ronde Barber. color. KEYWORDS: FOOTBALLby CNB