Tiki Barber, Bossier’s Weldon Brown top I-Bowl’s latest all-time group

Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl officials are celebrating 50 years of competition this year and they’re doing it in a big way.

The organization is releasing the top 50 all-time players in I-Bowl history and they’re releasing them in five-player increments. The list was voted on by a local panel of media members, including the Shreveport Times, and I-Bowl representatives.

The latest group of Nos. 36-40 on the all-time list include Bossier High/Louisiana Tech standout Weldon Brown and one of the most recognizable names to play in the I-Bowl in Virginia’s Tiki Barber.

Numbers 36 through 40 on the Independence Bowl’s All-Time Team include:

Barber might be one of the biggest household names on the all-time list, but before turning himself into the 14th greatest New York Giant of all-time, he played in the 1994 I-Bowl against TCU. He had three carries for 18 yards, three receptions for 2 yards and an 18-yard kickoff return. Barber had a highly successful college career for the Cavaliers, as evidenced by his No. 21 jersey being retired by Virginia, his selection to the ACC’s 50th Anniversary Team, and his induction into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame in 2011. Barber was named ACC Player of the Year in 1996 after rushing for 1,360 yards and 14 touchdowns (TDs). Drafted in the second round of the 1997 NFL Draft, he turned himself into the Giants’ all-time leading rusher — rushing for 10,449 yards in his career. He was named first-team All-Pro in 2005 when he rushed for 1,860 yards and nine TDs, while also adding 54 receptions for 530 yards. Also a three-time Pro Bowler, Barber was inducted into the Giants Ring of Honor in 2010.

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One of the bigger humans on this list, the 6-foot-4, 335-pound Smith starred in two I-Bowls for Alabama — including in Nick Saban’s lone I-Bowl victory in 2007. He became just the fourth true freshman offensive lineman to start at Alabama, starting all 13 games in 2006, including the 2006 I-Bowl against Oklahoma State. Smith continued his rise to stardom in 2007, starting every game at left tackle and being named first-team All-SEC and winning the Jacobs Blocking Trophy as the best offensive lineman in the conference. He helped lead Saban to his first bowl victory in Crimson, defeating Colorado 30-24. The next season was his best and final season in college, as he was a unanimous All-American and won the Outland Trophy and Jim Parker Trophy as the best offensive lineman in college football. Smith would go on to be selected sixth overall in the first round of the 2009 NFL Draft and play in the NFL from 2009 through 2021, playing 121 games and starting 98.

Bossier’s Brown shined under the bright lights at Independence Stadium in Louisiana Tech’s first I-Bowl appearance in 18 years. The former Bearkat finished the game with 10 solo tackles and 14 total tackles, one interception, one fumble recovery and one pass breakup en route to being named the 2008 Defensive Player of the Game. The 2008 season, Brown’s senior year, was his best of his career, totaling 75 tackles, a career-high five interceptions and two forced fumbles. He collected nine interceptions over his final two years in Ruston. Brown would go on to play in the Canadian Football League from 2010-15, intercepting eight passes in his career for the Edmonton Eskimos and Saskatchewan Roughriders.

A second player from the 2007 Alabama squad in this group of five, McClain helped Saban cap off his first season in Tuscaloosa on a high note in the 2007 bowl victory over Colorado, finishing the game with five total tackles, 0.5 tackle for loss, one interception and two passes deflected. The 2007 season was his first on campus, and he earned an SEC All-Freshman selection. McClain’s career took off over the next two years in Crimson, as he was named third-team All-American and first-team All-SEC in 2008 before turning in a truly great season in 2009. Anchoring the defense that would help lead the Tide to a National Championship, McClain won the Lambert Award and Dick Butkus Awards while also being named the SEC Defensive Player of the Year and a unanimous All-American. He would go on to be selected with the eighth pick in the first round of the 2010 NFL Draft and play in the NFL from 2010 through 2015.

Mealey turned in an effort in the 1997 I-Bowl against Notre Dame that still stands as one of the best rushing performances in the game’s history. He rushed the ball 34 times for 222 yards and two TDs on his way to being named the 1997 Offensive Player of the Game. His 222 yards are the second-most net yards rushing in a game in I-Bowl history, right behind his LSU teammate Kevin Faulk in 1995. Mealey finished with 2,238 yards rushing and 29 TDs for his career in the purple and gold before being drafted in the seventh round of the 2000 NFL Draft. He spent three years with the Green Bay Packers.

Players were nominated and evaluated based on the following criteria: 40 percent weight on their I-Bowl performance; 30 percent on their college career; 30 percent on their pro career and accomplishments.

Jimmy Watson covers Louisiana sports for the USA TODAY Network. Email him at jwatson@shreveporttimes.com and follow him on Twitter @JimmyWatson6.

This article originally appeared on Shreveport Times: Tiki Barber, Bossier’s Weldon Brown top I-Bowl’s latest all-time group