Tiki Barber, retired NFL Pro Bowl running back, philanthropist and NBC correspondent, will speak at Vanderbilt University’s Langford Auditorium Tuesday, Sept. 29, at 7 p.m.
Vanderbilt Speakers Committee, a student-run organization, is sponsoring Barber’s talk, “In Pursuit of Excellence On and Off the Field.” His success off the field has included a joint partnership of his corporation, Tiki Ventures LLC, with The Related Companies to restore and refurbish affordable housing, including more than 5,000 units across the country.
A book signing from 6 to 6:40 p.m. in the Langford Auditorium lobby will precede Barber’s lecture. Both events are open to the public.
Tickets for the lecture are available now at the university’s Sarratt Student Center box office or any Ticketmaster outlet. General public tickets are $10. Tickets may also be purchased at www.ticketmaster.com or by calling 615-255-9600.
Tickets are free to Vanderbilt students, faculty and staff. Only one free ticket may be picked up with a Vanderbilt identification card at the Sarratt Student Center box office.
Non-Vanderbilt students with their college or university identification cards may purchase tickets for $5 at the Sarratt box office or any Ticketmaster outlet.
In 10 seasons on the gridiron, Barber joined players Marshall Faulk and Marcus Allen as the only players in NFL history with at least 10,000 yards rushing and 5,000 yards receiving. A three-time Pro Bowler, his career is especially notable as he was born premature and suffered from febrile seizures as a toddler. He was told he never could play contact sports.
During his playing days with the NFL, Barber was a weekly co-host on FOX News Channel’s morning program FOX and Friends. He also was host of The National Sweep with Tiki Barber, a radio program that covered politics, news and entertainment and featured guests such as Sen. John McCain, Today show host Matt Lauer, Rear Adm. Kenneth P. Moritsugu and Daniel Kurtzer, former U.S. Ambassador to Israel.
Barber now splits his time between being a correspondent for NBC News and serving as an analyst for NBC’s Football Night in America. He also contributed to the 2008 Olympic Games, 2009 Golden Globe Awards and will cover the 2010 Olympics.
His memoir, Tiki: My Life in the Game and Beyond, was a New York Times bestseller. He has also co-authored five children’s books with Ronde Barber, his twin brother who currently plays for the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and is under contract to write two more.
Barber is active in the community and devotes time and money to the Children’s Miracle Network, the Fresh Air Fund and the Robin Hood Foundation, among others.
Media contact: Princine Lewis, 615-322-NEWS
princine.lewis@vanderbilt.edu