Instead, I put myself squarely in the middle of it and learned to love it," he said. I didn't shy away from it and think of it as this behemoth across the river. "I think I adapted over time so well because I did that. And even though he was in the media capital of the country, he still relied on his roots to make connections away from the field.Įvan Agostini/AP Tiki Barber and Traci Lynn Johnson attend a special screening of 'Our Idiot Brother' Hosted by the Cinema Society at MiMA Tower on Monday, Aug. Because I lived in New York City, media became the obvious one."īarber credited a move to New York's Upper Eastside as a catalyst for his assimilation into the Big Apple lifestyle. "Once I got drafted to New York and realized that football could be up one year down the next year, I started to look for other opportunities. "They wanted to talk to us, so it kind of brought us out of our shell," he said. The once shy high school student reached back on the experience of being a media favorite in Charlottesville because of his performance and his ability to express himself. I remember always being intimidated by it." "I had been to New York, maybe twice in my life. ![]() "I was terrified when I got drafted by the Giants simply because I had no idea what to expect," Barber said. Julie Jacobson/AP New York Giants' Tiki Barber eludes Philadelphia Eagles' Brian Dawkins on his way to a touchdown in the first quarter during NFL football game action in East Rutherford, N.J. The thrill of making it to the highest level of the game was tempered greatly by the daunting reality of playing in the biggest city in the country. Tiki was a second-round draft pick of the New York Giants in 1997. It was great for us academically, great for us socially and obviously athletically as well." We found the perfect destination for ourselves at Virginia under Coach Welsh. "Coach Caldwell left so we wouldn't end up in Happy Valley, got snowed out at Michigan where we would have gotten lost in a student population of 40,000 up in Ann Arbor. "I do believe things happen for a reason," Barder said. ![]() They took that as a Sign that they should follow a different path. Then they thought about Michigan, but a snowstorm canceled their official visit. They were headed to Penn State until the coach recruiting them left for another job. Tiki and his twin brother Ronde matriculated to the University of Virginia where each blossomed into All-ACC talent.īut UVA wasn't their first or second school of choice.
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