By Dave Johnson
W&M Athletics

A relationship that goes back two decades in the National Football League helped William & Mary's lacrosse team have a profitable weekend.

With former Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Ronde Barber and Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin '95 in town to help, more than $40,000 was raised at the Inaugural Women's Lacrosse Golf Tournament. Forty players in groups of four played 18 holes Sunday at Two Rivers Country Club in Williamsburg.

"That's going to really enhance our program," W&M coach Colleen Dawson said. "We have pretty lofty fund-raising goals here, and that will help us reach our goal. Every year I want to go over our goal so we can enhance our program.

"We want to be fully funded in scholarships, and these things make a program better. That amount of money in one day obviously shows the athletic department our commitment to them, and hopefully we can receive that in return and enhance our program in ways we need to."

The Optimal Service Group of Wells Fargo Advisors was the event's title patron. Joe Montgomery '74, a former Tribe football player, is the company's managing director-investments.

The celebrity draws were Barber and Tomlin, who played the 17^th hole with each group passing through. Each has a personal interest in the lacrosse program. Barber's daughter, Justyce, is a freshman midfielder for the Tribe. Tomlin, in addition to being a W&M alum, is Justyce's godfather.

Tomlin's first NFL coaching job was with the Buccaneers as defensive backs coach from 2001-05. Barber, who played collegiately at Virginia, was one of his starting cornerbacks. They won a Super Bowl together in the 2002 season.

Tomlin left after the '05 season, but Barber would end up playing all 16 of his NFL seasons in Tampa.

"Ronde says the reason he stayed in Tampa so long was because Mike came in to coach him and he led the league in interceptions that year," Dawson said. "They've been best friends for 20-plus years and their families vacation together."

Dawson said most of the heavy lifting was done by Claudia Barber, Ronde's wife, whose former career was in marketing and event planning.

"Claudia Barber has done events like this before with Mike and Ronde, so she kind of recreated the model and did it here," Dawson said. "It was really successful and did a lot for our program. She deserves all the credit."

The Barber's involvement came from a desire to help the program move forward. They realized how improved financial support is going to allow all facets of the program grow, most especially in terms of impacting scholarships. They are committed to helping the coaching staff provide the best possible playing experience for the student-athletes - and events like this provide a catalyst for the friends, families and alumni of the William & Mary Lacrosse program to rally behind.    

The event was put together in a month. But they're already talking about next year's tournament, which they hope will be even bigger.

"Claudia said we could recreate this the next few years and keep it going," Dawson said. "Definitely after yesterday, it's something we want to continue to do.

"It was a great day, and to have that caliber of people around your program really proves women's lacrosse will be on the map for a long time. We're obviously very excited about that."

The tournament-winning foursome was William & Mary Athletic's Chief Medical Officer Virginia Wells, M.D., former women's basketball coach and long-time administrator Barb Wetters, men's basketball coach Dane Fischer and Tribe football/lacrosse athletics trainer Anthony Fisichella.