Tiki Barber made a name for himself in the NFL playing for the New York Giants. He made it the Pro Bowl three times as a running back during his ten year career with the Giants. His success on the field made him be part of the 10,000 rushing yards club as well as being inducted to the New York Giants Ring of Honor.
Besides football Tiki is the co-founder and co-chairman of Thuzio. He is as an author, TV analyst, businessman and corporate spokesman. Tiki’s work includes being a correspondent for NBC News and Sports, Sirius Satellite radio host, author of nine children’s books, and a director at First Global Xpress, an international shipping company. Tiki graduated from the University of Virginia McIntire School of Commerce before being drafted by the Giants in 1997.
Tiki was kind enough to talk with me about fatherhood, his love of running, a game he will never forget playing in the NFL, and more.
Art Eddy: You ran in the New York Marathon last year. Tell me a little bit about that experience?
Tiki Barber: This was my second year running the marathon. I ran it for CC and Amber Sabathia’s Pitch In Foundation. It helps inner city kids with educational and athletic activities to build self-esteem and hopefully fulfill any dreams that they have in life.
The marathon is actually a unique athletic challenge for me. I was built to run in short spurts. I would power my way for a touchdown. Being retried now for nine years I needed something else to do. Running has become a passion.
AE: I was talking to my daughters about marathons. I was telling them how much of distance it is and how long it takes to run it. They were amazed by it.
TB: (Laughs.) Yeah, when you put it in context it sounds different. On TV they shorten it. You get snippets of it. When you are actually out there on the road it is a hike.
AE: What was your transition like from college to the NFL? What was the toughest hurdle to cross in that transition for you?
TB: It was always speed. I don’t mean the speed of the players. Yeah, it is one thing when Ray Lewis is bearing down on me. He is twice as big as me, but just as fast as me. That speed is one thing, but it is the pace of play. From one play to the next, it just happens so fast. If you get lost or confused then you become a liability.
You get tackled. You get up. You go right back into the huddle and the quarterback is calling the next play. You are right back to the line of scrimmage. It is really hard to have that awareness of everything that is going on. I was able to have sustained success not because I was physically better, but because I had a better understanding of how to be successful.
AE: You have had many great games in your career is there one game that stands out the most?
Tiki Barber
TB: Without a doubt. There is no second. A lot of people asked me that with having five games rushing over 200 yards. You ran for over 230 yards and had three touchdowns in your last game against the Redskins, but the game that will never leave my memory, my consciousness, it feels like it happened yesterday was the game after Wellington Mara passed away. He was one of our great owners and icons in the NFL.
We played the Washington Redskins. The week leading up to that game was very emotional as you can imagine. We went to his memorial service and funeral at St. Patrick’s Cathedral. John Mara, his son gave this unbelievable remembrance of his father. We went back to Giants Stadium to practice. The clouds opened up on an overcast day and the sun beam came down on the field. I remember saying to Coach Coughlin that was Wellington looking down on us. He looked up and said you are probably right.
That next weekend, the first play of the game we ran a toss to the left. It was a 59 yard run. We had our way with the Redskins that day. I had another 50 yard run, but I also got caught. Then Tim McDonald, who was Wellington’s grandson, said to me, ‘Hey, are you going to score a touchdown or are you going to keep being caught old man?’
I said, ‘Timmy before this game is over I promise you I am going to score you a touchdown. So with about two minutes left in the third quarter we are on the six yard line. We call a draw. I jump over Sean Taylor, a safety, may he rest in peace, for the Redskins. I get into the end zone. I get up and I blow a kiss and I drop the ball. I turn around really quick and pick the football up. I ran over to the sideline. That was my 260th yard for that day.
I took the ball and went over to Timmy. I said, ‘Timmy this ball is for you, your family, and your grandfather. I appreciate everything that you guys have done for me.’
I took myself out of the game because I had done what I had come to do, which was honor one of the great men in the National Football League. One of the great men in my life. I will never forget it. That will always stick with me with my ten years with the Giants.
AE: Switching to fatherhood now, what went through your mind when you found out that you were going to be a dad for the first time?
TB: Oh man it was crazy. It was back in 2001. My son was born in 2002. It was life changing. For so much of my early professional life it was just about me. I am trying to build this career as an NFL athlete. I am in New York City. There are so many things going on. There is so much excitement.
That moment that AJ was conceived, he is a junior. My real name is Atiim Kiambu. So he is Atiim Junior. We call him AJ and when he came into my life everything that I used to do went hazy. My focus came all about being a dad. How can I nurture this young man into the best person that he can be?
Now he a little budding football and baseball player. He is always asking for advice about this situation or that situation. Sometimes I don’t have the answer. It is about being there and being supportive. Obviously my life is complicated because I had a divorce after my fourth kids. We had twins. Now I have a 20 month old.
Fatherhood is never easy. Sometimes it is very, very complicated especially when you have blended families and with difficult situations that I went through. At the end of the day I have always said this. Kids just want a couple of things. One is to know that they are loved and most importantly that you will always be there. That is anything I can offer to any father to be or father right now. Just show them love and show them that you will always be there and things will usually turn out right.
AE: What is the biggest difference from the time you were growing up to now as your kids are growing up?
TB: It is access to information and access to ideas. Things that you and I or people older than us someone had to tell you about it. Or you would to have had experienced it. Nowadays they know about things that they have never seen or have experienced. They communicate differently with their friends. For me it was getting on my bike and saying, ‘Hey Chris, let’s go down to the park.’
Now it is let’s FaceTime and play Madden together. The one thing I always tell my kids is instead of texting, pick up the phone. If you have to ask me something other than what time are you going to pick me up, call me. I would rather talk to you or FaceTime with you rather than be lost behind a screen that is impersonal.
Life of Dad Quick Five
AE: What is your favorite family movie you guys like to watch together?
TB: We watch all kinds of movies. I hate to admit it, but my 13 year old made me watch Bad Grandpa. I am sitting there watching this and I am saying to myself I can’t believe I am watching this with my 13 year old son. (Both laugh.) The movie we love watching together is Aladdin. That was my favorite movie growing up. It fits the whole family. I go from a 13 year old to one that is 20 months. So we watch Aladdin together.
AE: Do you guys have a song that you guys like to dance together as a family?
TB: It is hard because we listen to so much music. It is probably because I am moving into Country (music) and I am trying to get my kids into Country. So I am going to say Buy Me A Boat.
AE: Describe the perfect family vacation.
TB: The perfect family vacation for me would be somewhere where there is a ton of activities. So Costa Rica is perfect. I actually have been there with my family. You can sit on the beach. You can go into the rain forest. You can go zip lining. So things with great activities, but with also great meals in the evening.
AE: Who was your sports hero growing up?
TB: My sports hero was Walter Payton. The Bears stunk for a lot of years, but he always achieved. He was the do everything back. He got his glory when he won the Super Bowl in ‘85.
AE: Which team did you love to hate in your playing days?
TB: Well it complicated for me because I grew up a Redskins fan. Charley Casserly was their GM when I was coming out of the University of Virginia. That is an easy drive and so he comes down. He comes to me and says to me that I am his kid’s favorite running back, but we can’t draft you because we have too many. So before draft day my dream of playing for the Washington Redskins was crushed.
I don’t think that it is a coincidence that two of my five 200 yard days came against the Washington Redskins. I didn’t hate them. The team I hated most was the Eagles. I have a unique history with the Eagles. My first game was against the Eagles. I had a big day against them. My last game of my career, which was a playoff game in 2007 was also against the Eagles.
We lost. They ended up beating us in the end by a field goal. Brian Dawkins, their Hall of Fame safety came up to me and said that he was going to miss me. To him I was one of the game’s true warriors. The Eagles were the team that I hated. I respected the hell out of them, but I hated, hated the Eagles.
Follow Tiki @TikiBarber on Twitter.