The University of Virginia is known as having one of the best athletic programs in the country. So it should come as no surprise that many former Virginia athletes have gone on to do great things once they leave Charlottesville.
When Virginia takes a trip to the Steel City to take on the Panthers this Saturday, they will be playing in the same stadium a former Cavalier currently calls home. James Farrior, a top-10 pick by the New York Jets back in 1997, has resurrected his career with the Pittsburgh Steelers, earning a trip to the 2005 Pro Bowl and helping the Steelers win Super Bowl XL. However, he is not the only Cavalier football player to go on to do big things from the NFL draft class of 1997.
Nobody in Charlottesville will ever forget the impact twins Tiki and Ronde Barber had in making the Cavaliers a nationally known program. Tiki Barber, a New York Giants second-round pick in 1997, ran for 1,860 yards last year and made his second-consecutive Pro Bowl. Ronde, a third-round pick by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the same draft, also made his second-consecutive Pro Bowl last season. The Barbers have also made an impact off the field, producing two children's books, with a third coming out this fall. They also co-host a radio station for the NFL Channel on Sirius Satellite Radio.
Former Cavaliers have also had success in other sports, with several names participating in the 2006 World Cup. Former U.S. head coach Bruce Arena got his start as the University of Virginia men's soccer coach, where he guided the program to four straight national championships from 1991-1994 and five overall. Arena is currently the head coach of Red Bull New York.
The captain of the red, white and blue also has Cavalier ties. Claudio Reyna was a three-time All-American at Virginia, guiding the Cavaliers to national championships with Arena from 1991-1993. Reyna currently stars for Manchester City of the Premier League. World Cup team members Chris Albright and Ben Olson also played collegiate soccer for the Cavaliers.
In Major League Baseball, Ryan Zimmerman is justifying his pick as the fourth player taken in the 2005 draft for the Washington Nationals. After being called up in September 2005, Zimmerman has flashed gold-glove potential at third base and is doing surprisingly well at the plate. Currently, he is hitting .278 with 17 home runs and 89 runs batted in.
As a member of the Cinderella 1983-84 Virginia men's basketball squad that made it to the Final Four, Pacers coach Rick Carlisle knows what it takes to play at the highest level. Now, after winning an NBA title with the Boston Celtics in 1986, Carlisle is recognized as one of the best coaches in the NBA, having won 60 percent of his games with the Detroit Pistons and Indiana Pacers since his coaching debut in 2001. He also directed the Pacers to the best record in the NBA during the 2003-2004 season.
There are not too many athletes who serve as a collegiate head coach and play in a professional league at the same time. However, not only has Dawn Staley done that, she's done both very well. The former national player of year for the Virginia women's basketball team, Staley just finished her eighth and final year in the WNBA. As the head coach for the women's basketball team at Temple University, the 1992 graduate has guided the Owls to four Atlantic-10 Tournament titles in five years.
Read More
With last-second three-pointer, SMU silences men’s basketball
By Michael Liebermann and Thomas Baxter | 19 hours agoThe late shot crushed a bouncing arena.
With dominance and high hopes, women’s tennis opens the spring season
By Gracie Genereux | 20 hours agoA commanding opening victory set the stage for the season to come.
No. 6 women’s squash falls to No. 5 Stanford in first match of the new year
By Peter Kratz | 2 days agoThe Cavaliers fall to 0-1 in conference play after their first clash with the Cardinal.
