Perhaps it was always destined to be voted as the Top Moment in Bucs history, but Ronde Barber's pick-six that shut down the Vet had to go through some serious competition to win the tournament, including a gauntlet of memorable running backs

Scott Smith

Rond Barber's unforgettable pick-six in the 2002 NFC Championship Game to silence Veterans Stadium and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to their first Super Bowl has beenselected by thousands of fan votesas the Top Moment in franchise history. It had to beat out a field of 63 other memorable players, plays, games and trophies thrown over open water to take the crown, but specifically it won four head-to-head battles to make it to the Final Four.

First, Barber's 92-yard sprint beat out an even longer play, the team-record 98-yard touchdown run by Ronald Jones against Carolina during the Bucs' other Super Bowl season, in 2020. That led to a matchup with the Buccaneers' 1982 season finale, in which Doug Williams led a 17-point comeback to beat Chicago in overtime and clinch a playoff spot. Williams' team didn't have enough steam to rally against Rond, as it turned out.

The next round brought a very tough matchup, as the opponent was the first playoff victory in franchise history, a rousing 24-17 finale against the Eagles at Tampa Stadium in 1979 in which Ricky Bell famously ran 38 times for 142 yards. Bell couldn't catch Barber any more than Jones could. Now in the finals for the Red Bracket, Barber came up against yet another running back, as fan voting had pushed Mike Alstott's 19-yard pinball run off nine different Browns defenders past three other competitors. There may not be two more popular players in franchise history than Alstott and Barber, but the gravity of Barber's pick-six won the day.

The Final Four voting was a four-way free-for-all, with Barber's play and the Bucs becoming the first team in NFL history to play (and win) a Super Bowl in its own home stadium getting more votes than Derrick Brooks' dagger of a pick-six in Super Bowl XXXVII and Mike Evans extending his 1,000-yard streak on the very last play of the 2024 regular season.

All that was left was for those two winning plays to go head-to-head in the championship final, and once again, there was no stopping the biggest moment of Barber's illustrious careerand of the first half-century of Buccaneers football.

Here's how all of the voting went down, from 64 moments down to win. In each case, the winning moment is presented in bold type.

Round of 64

Red Bracket:

• Barber Shuts Down the Vet vs. Jones Jets for 98

• Bucs Open RJS with Win vs.Bucs Clinch vs. Bears

• Sapp Punishes 49ersvs. Wilder Sets Records

• Bucs' First Playoff Winvs. Brooks Limps Home on MNF

• Jurevicius Hits the Jets vs.Alstott Pinballs vs. CLE
• FR Score Seals Division vs.Bucs Hit Saints with 594
• Barber First to 40/25 vs.Bucs Rally to Beat WAS

• Bucs Stifle Ramsvs. Evans' First Big Game

Pewter Bracket:

• Brooks' Super Bowl Daggervs. Alstott Goes in Backward

• Quarles Scores from 98 vs.Mayfield Stiff-Arms Bosa

• "The Yucks" No Morevs. White's Overtime Save

• Turner Goes the Distance vs.Bucs D Swamps Favre, Pack

• Bryant Good from 62vs. Stadium Packed for Champs

• Smith's Super Bowl Pick-6vs. Brady Rallies Past ATL

• Fournette Untouched in SBvs. Brooks Finishes Ravens

• Selmon 1st Buc into Hallvs. McCoy Hugs Goodell

Creamsicle Bracket:

• Bucs' Homefield Historyvs. Joe Tips it to Himself

• Alstott Goes for Twovs. Caddy's Cleats to Canton

• Bucs Trade for Gruden vs.Baker Perfect at Lambeau

• Dunn-King Pitch Magicvs. Giles Scores 4 in Miami

• Scotty Goes Deep in GBvs. Shaq Sets Sack Record

• Bucs End Playoff Droughtvs. Bucs Clinch in Chicago

• Winfield's Goal-Line FFvs. Sale to Glazer Finalized

• Tom Brady Chooses Bucsvs. New Uniforms Unveiled

White Bracket:

• Franchise's First Winvs. Evans Catches 100th TD

• Run, Micheal Run! vs.Revenge in New Orleans

• SB MVP Jackson Picks Twovs. Gronk Scores Twice in SB

• Boat Parade Trophy Tossvs. Bucs Clinch in Monsoon

• Winfield Gives Peace Signvs. Brady's Kickoff Comeback

• Evans: 1000 on Final Playvs. Bucs Sack McNabb, Eagles

• Doug Martin's Record Day vs.Alstott/Dunn Stun Vikings

• One Round, Two HOF-ersvs. David Clinches WC Win

Round of 32

Red Bracket:

• Barber Shuts Down the Vetvs. Bucs Clinch vs. Bears

• Bucs' First Playoff Winvs. Sapp Punishes 49ers

• Alstott Pinballs vs. CLEvs. Bucs Hit Saints with 594

• Bucs Stifle Ramsvs. Bucs Rally to Beat WAS

Pewter Bracket:

• Brooks' Super Bowl Daggervs. Mayfield Stiff-Arms Bosa

• "The Yucks" No More vs.Bucs D Swamps Favre, Pack
• Bryant Good from 62 vs.Smith's Super Bowl Pick-6

• Selmon 1st Buc into Hallvs. Fournette Untouched in SB

Creamsicle Bracket:

• Bucs' Homefield Historyvs. Alstott Goes for Two

• Dunn-King Pitch Magic vs.Baker Perfect at Lambeau

• Scotty Goes Deep in GBvs. Bucs End Playoff Drought

• Tom Brady Chooses Bucsvs. Winfield's Goal-Line FF

White Bracket:

• Franchise's First Win vs.Revenge in New Orleans
• SB MVP Jackson Picks Two vs.Boat Parade Trophy Toss
• Winfield Gives Peace Sign vs.Evans: 1000 on Final Play

• One Round, Two HOF-ersvs. Alstott/Dunn Stun Vikings

Sweet 16

Red Bracket:

• Barber Shuts Down the Vetvs. Bucs' First Playoff Win

• Alstott Pinballs vs. CLEvs. Bucs Stifle Rams

Pewter Bracket:

• Brooks' Super Bowl Daggervs. Bucs D Swamps Favre, Pack

• Selmon 1st Buc into Hallvs. Smith's Super Bowl Pick-6

Creamsicle Bracket:

• Bucs' Homefield Historyvs. Baker Perfect at Lambeau

• Tom Brady Chooses Bucsvs. Scotty Goes Deep in GB

White Bracket:

• Revenge in New Orleans vs.Boat Parade Trophy Toss

• Evans: 1000 on Final Playvs. One Round, Two HOF-ers

Elite Eight

Red Bracket:

• Barber Shuts Down the Vetvs. Alstott Pinballs vs. CLE

Pewter Bracket:

• Brooks' Super Bowl Daggervs. Selmon 1st Buc into Hall

Creamsicle Bracket:

• Bucs' Homefield Historyvs. Tom Brady Chooses Bucs

White Bracket:

• Evans: 1000 on Final Playvs. Boat Parade Trophy Toss

Final Four

• Barber Shuts Down the Vet
• Brooks' Super Bowl Dagger
• Bucs' Homefield History
• Evans: 1000 on Final Play

Championship Round

• Barber Shuts Down the Vetvs. Bucs' Homefield History