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Champ Bailey

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Champ Bailey
refer to caption
Bailey with the Denver Broncos in 2010
No. 24
Position:Cornerback
Personal information
Born: (1978-06-22) June 22, 1978 (age 46)
Fort Campbell, Kentucky, U.S.
Height:6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight:192 lb (87 kg)
Career information
High school:Charlton County
(Folkston, Georgia)
College:Georgia (1996–1998)
NFL draft:1999 / round: 1 / pick: 7
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
NFL record
  • Most pass deflections: 203
Career NFL statistics
Total tackles:931
Interceptions:52
Interception yards:464
Pass deflections:203
Forced fumbles:7
Fumble recoveries:6
Sacks:3
Total touchdowns:5
Stats at Pro Football Reference
Pro Football Hall of Fame
College Football Hall of Fame

Roland "Champ" Bailey Jr. (born June 22, 1978) is an American former professional football player who was a cornerback in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Georgia Bulldogs, where he earned consensus All-American honors, and was selected by the Washington Redskins in the first round of the 1999 NFL draft.

In 2004, Bailey was traded to the Denver Broncos, where he played for ten seasons until he was released in early 2014, following the Broncos Super Bowl XLVIII loss. Bailey signed with the New Orleans Saints shortly afterward but was released before the start of the regular season. In October 2014, Bailey announced his retirement from the NFL after 15 seasons. He was selected to 12 Pro Bowls in his career, the most ever for a cornerback. He holds the current NFL record for most passes defended, with 203. In 2019, he was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. Bailey is widely considered to be one of the greatest cornerbacks in NFL history.[1]

Early life

[edit]

Bailey was born in Fort Campbell, Kentucky[2] and grew up in Folkston, Georgia, where he was a three-sport athlete (football, basketball, track) at Charlton County High School.[3][1] His two brothers, Ronald and Boss Bailey, also played football at Charlton County and the University of Georgia. Champ's first two seasons at Georgia overlapped with Ronald's last two seasons; Champ then played his final season alongside Boss. Ronald went on to sign with the NFL's Dallas Cowboys but suffered a career-ending injury. Boss played linebacker in the NFL for the Detroit Lions from 2003 to 2007, then joined Champ on the Denver Broncos in 2008.[4]

At Charlton County High School, Bailey recorded 3,573 rushing yards, 58 rushing touchdowns, 13 100-yard rushing games, and 1,211 passing yards on 74 completions. On defense he recorded eight interceptions, while on special teams he returned 26 kickoffs for 731 yards and 22 punts for 318 yards. His total offensive yardage was 5,855 with 394 points scored. He still holds school records for season rushing yards (1,858), season rushing touchdowns (28), season scoring (180), and single-game rushing (417 yards), while also tying the record for single-game rushing touchdowns.[5]

College career

[edit]

Bailey received an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Georgia, where he played for the Georgia Bulldogs football team from 1996 to 1998. He was regarded as one of college football's greatest multiple threats (offense, defense, and special teams) in his three seasons as a Bulldog. In his final year at Georgia, he registered 52 tackles (four for losses), three interceptions, seven passes deflected, 47 catches for 744 yards (15.8 avg.), five touchdowns, 84 yards rushing on 16 carries, 12 kickoff returns for 261 yards and four punt returns for 49 yards. He averaged 103.5 all-purpose yards per game and logged 957 plays (547 defense, 301 offense, and 109 special teams) on the way to earning consensus first-team All-America and first-team All-Southeastern Conference honors and claiming the Bronko Nagurski Trophy as the nation's top defensive player. Against the Virginia Cavaliers in the Peach Bowl, he caught three passes for 73 yards, including a 14-yard touchdown, rushed three times for nine yards, returned five kickoffs for 104 yards, returned a punt 12 yards, and posted two tackles and one pass defended at cornerback. In three years at Georgia, he played 33 games (24 starts) and recorded 147 total tackles, two fumble recoveries, one forced fumble, eight interceptions and 27 passes defended. He was an All-SEC first-team selection as a sophomore, starting every game at left cornerback and one game at wide receiver.[citation needed]

Track and field

[edit]

Bailey was also a standout track and field athlete at Georgia; he ran the 55 meters and 60 meters, recording personal bests of 6.35 seconds and 6.85 seconds, respectively. He also competed in long jump and triple jump.[6]

Bailey set a school indoor long jump record in 1998 of 7.89 meters (25 ft 11 in) to finish third at the SEC Indoor Track and Field Championships.[7]

Professional career

[edit]
Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Vertical jump Broad jump
5 ft 11+3⁄4 in
(1.82 m) 		184 lb
(83 kg) 		31+3⁄8 in
(0.80 m) 		9 in
(0.23 m)		 4.28 s 1.48 s 2.49 s 3.79 s 37.0 in
(0.94 m)		 10 ft 1 in
(3.07 m)
All values from NFL Combine and Georgia Pro Day[8][9]

Washington Redskins

[edit]

Bailey was selected with the seventh overall pick in the first round of the 1999 NFL draft by the Redskins.[10][11] He was the first ever drafted player to come from his hometown of Folkston, Georgia.[12]

On July 24, 1999, Bailey signed a 5-year, $12 million contract including a $2 million signing bonus.[13] Bailey quickly established a reputation as one of the league's best defensive backs.[14] He was a large presence on the Redskins defense and benefited from time spent with eventual Hall of Fame cornerback teammates Deion Sanders and Darrell Green. After the 2003 season, Bailey's contract with the Redskins expired and he threatened to boycott training camp if the club exercised the franchise tag.[15] In a surprising move, the Redskins gave Bailey permission to seek a trade.[16]

Denver Broncos

[edit]

Prior to the 2004 season, Bailey was traded to Denver along with a second-round draft pick for Clinton Portis.

On September 12, 2004, during the NFL's opening Sunday Night Football game of the season against the Kansas City Chiefs, Bailey intercepted his first pass as a Denver Bronco.

On January 14, 2006, in a Divisional Round playoff game against the defending champion New England Patriots, he broke the record for the longest non-scoring play in NFL history at the time. With the Patriots near the goal line, he intercepted a pass from quarterback Tom Brady in the end zone and returned it 100 yards to the New England one-yard line before he was tackled by New England's Benjamin Watson.

In 2006, Bailey had 10 interceptions (tied for best in the NFL with Patriots cornerback Asante Samuel) and did not give up a touchdown during the season. Bailey, San Diego Chargers running back LaDainian Tomlinson and Miami Dolphins defensive end Jason Taylor were unanimous choices for the NFL All-Pro team. Following the season's conclusion, Bailey finished second in voting for NFL Defensive Player of the Year.

In 2009, Bailey did not allow a touchdown in 80 passes thrown his way that year, played on 98% of the snaps and remained one of the best-tackling cornerbacks in the game.[17]

On September 15, 2009, Bailey was chosen for the Broncos 50th Anniversary team by the Denver community. This team was honored during the halftime show of the Legacy game versus the Patriots on October 11.[18]

In 2010, Bailey matched up against some of the NFL's best wideouts. He held Dwayne Bowe to no catches on 2 targets. The Arizona Cardinals only completed 3 passes on him for 19 yards in a game where he matched up with Larry Fitzgerald. Bailey was selected to play in his record-breaking 10th Pro Bowl. No cornerback in NFL history has been to more.[citation needed] He was ranked 48th by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2011.[19]

It was announced on February 22, 2011, by the Broncos vice president of football operations, John Elway, that Bailey was re-signed to a 4-year contract.[20]

During the 2012 offseason, Bailey was named the 46th-best player in the NFL by the league's network, NFL Network.[21]

In 2012, Bailey was named an All-Pro for the 8th time of his career and was selected to the 2013 Pro Bowl. The Pro Bowl selection was his 12th, extending the record he set for trips by a cornerback, and tied the record for most Pro Bowls played, along with Randall McDaniel and Will Shields.[22] On December 6, 2012, Bailey recorded the 52nd and final interception of his career, picking off Carson Palmer in a 26–13 victory on Thursday Night Football over the Oakland Raiders.[23]

During the 2012 AFC Divisional Round against the Baltimore Ravens, Bailey was beaten woefully multiple times on deep routes by Ravens wide receiver Torrey Smith, who totaled 98 yards for two touchdowns on three catches as Baltimore would go on to win in dramatic fashion 38–35 in double overtime, en route to eventually winning Super Bowl XLVII.[24] Bailey’s struggles against Smith led to the initial speculation on the effectiveness of the aging 34-year-old cornerback.

During the 2013 offseason, Bailey was named the 53rd-best player in the NFL by his peers on the league's network, NFL Network.[25]

During the course of the 2013 season, while not making his season debut until Week 7 at the Indianapolis Colts, Bailey was limited to a career-low 5 games with a foot injury; however, Bailey returned in time for the playoffs and held his own when fellow cornerback, Chris Harris, was ruled out for the remainder of the season after a torn ACL.[26] Bailey played in his first Super Bowl at Super Bowl XLVIII in which he had 4 tackles in a 43–8 loss to the Seattle Seahawks.[27]

On March 6, 2014, the Denver Broncos released Bailey.[28]

New Orleans Saints

[edit]

On April 4, 2014, Champ Bailey signed a two-year, $7 million contract with the New Orleans Saints.[29][30] Bailey failed to make the final roster and was released by the team on August 30, 2014.[31]

Retirement

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Bailey announced his retirement from professional football on October 18, 2014.[32] On November 14, 2014, it was announced that Bailey would sign a one-day contract with Denver to allow him to officially retire as a Bronco.[33]

Pro Football Hall of Fame

[edit]

On February 2, 2019, Bailey was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. He was enshrined on August 3, 2019, during a ceremony in Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium.[34]

Personal life

[edit]

Bailey married his wife, Jessica, at the Pelican Hill resort in Newport Beach, California in 2014.[35][36]

Bailey was inducted into the Kentucky Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2019.

NFL career statistics

[edit]
Legend
NFL record
Led the league
Bold Career high
Underline Incomplete data

Regular season

[edit]
Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
GP GS Cmb Solo Ast TFL QBH Sck PD Int Yds Y/I Lng TD FF FR Yds Y/F TD
1999 WAS 16 16 80 73 7 2 — 1.0 16 5 55 11.0 59 1 0 0 0 — 0
2000 WAS 16 16 61 56 5 0 — 0.0 14 5 48 9.6 48 0 0 1 0 0.0 0
2001 WAS 16 16 51 49 2 1 — 0.0 18 3 17 5.7 12 0 1 1 0 0.0 0
2002 WAS 16 16 68 62 6 2 — 0.0 24 3 2 0.7 2 0 0 1 0 0.0 0
2003 WAS 16 16 72 68 4 5 — 0.0 9 2 2 1.0 2 0 1 2 1 0.5 0
2004 DEN 16 16 81 68 13 6 — 0.0 12 3 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 — 0
2005 DEN 14 14 66 60 6 3 — 0.0 23 8 139 17.4 65 2 1 0 0 — 0
2006 DEN 16 16 86 74 12 5 0 0.0 21 10 162 16.2 70 1 0 1 4 4.0 0
2007 DEN 15 15 84 71 13 5 1 0.0 14 3 3 1.0 3 0 0 0 0 — 0
2008 DEN 9 9 44 39 5 3 2 1.0 3 1 0 0.0 0 0 2 0 0 — 0
2009 DEN 16 16 74 63 11 3 0 0.0 15 3 18 6.0 11 0 1 0 0 — 0
2010 DEN 15 15 45 41 4 3 1 1.0 13 2 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 — 0
2011 DEN 13 13 39 35 4 1 0 0.0 10 2 0 0.0 0 0 1 0 0 — 0
2012 DEN 16 15 66 61 5 3 0 0.0 8 2 18 9.0 18 0 0 0 0 — 0
2013 DEN 5 3 14 12 2 0 0 0.0 3 0 0 — 0 0 0 0 0 — 0
Career 215 212 931 832 99 42 4 3.0 203 52 464 8.9 70 4 7 6 5 0.8 0

Postseason

[edit]
Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions
GP GS Cmb Solo Ast TFL QBH Sck PD Int Yds Y/I Lng TD
1999 WAS 2 2 4 4 0 0 — 0.0 2 1 5 5.0 5 0
2004 DEN 1 1 8 8 0 0 — 0.0 1 0 0 — 0 0
2005 DEN 2 2 5 3 2 0 — 0.0 2 1 100 100.0 100 0
2011 DEN 2 2 5 3 2 0 0 0.0 3 0 0 — 0 0
2012 DEN 1 1 2 2 0 0 0 0.0 1 0 0 — 0 0
2013 DEN 3 2 11 11 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 — 0 0
Career 11 10 35 31 4 0 0 0.0 9 2 105 52.5 100 0

NFL records

[edit]
  • Most Pro Bowl selections for a defensive back (12)
  • Most passes defended (203)
  • Longest interception return in a postseason game without scoring (100 yds) (vs New England Patriots, 1/14/06)
  • Youngest player to intercept 3 passes in a game (21) (at Arizona Cardinals, 10/17/99)

Pro Bowl records

[edit]
  • Most career interceptions in Pro Bowl (4)

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Ledbetter, D. Orlando (August 1, 2019). "Long way from Folkston to Canton, Ohio for Champ Bailey". ajc. Archived from the original on August 2, 2019. Retrieved November 5, 2021.
  2. ^ "Champ Bailey". NFL Enterprises LLC. Retrieved September 6, 2012.
  3. ^ Barney, Justin (October 4, 2019). "Champ Bailey returns to Charlton a hall of famer". WJXT. Retrieved November 5, 2021.
  4. ^ Demasio, Nunyo (November 17, 2002). "Speaking Softly, a Big Hit". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved November 5, 2021.
  5. ^ "Charlton County Indians School Records". Charlton County High School. Archived from the original on August 2, 2018. Retrieved September 12, 2013.
  6. ^ "Champ BAILEY | Profile". www.worldathletics.org. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
  7. ^ "Champ Bailey". Denver Broncos Official Website. Archived from the original on July 2, 2007. Retrieved November 28, 2008.
  8. ^ "Champ Bailey, Georgia, CB, 1999 NFL Draft Scout, NCAA College Football". draftscout.com. Retrieved August 27, 2021.
  9. ^ "Champ Bailey, Combine Results, CB - Georgia". nflcombineresults.com. Retrieved August 27, 2021.
  10. ^ "1999 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 28, 2023.
  11. ^ "NFL Draft History: Full Draft". NFL.com. Archived from the original on April 19, 2008.
  12. ^ T, David. "Champ Bailey "Something To Prove"". Bleacher Report. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
  13. ^ "REDSKINS, LIONS SIGN NO 1 DRAFT PICKS", Chicago Tribune, July 25, 1999.
  14. ^ Aikman, Troy (2004). "Shutdown corner: the term starts and ends with Deion". The Sporting News.
  15. ^ Broncos swap Portis for Bailey, CBC Sports, March 5, 2004.
  16. ^ Len Pasquarelli, 'Skins could use 'franchise' tag on CB; Champ Bailey, one of the league's top cornerbacks, was surprisingly given permission by the Redskins to seek a trade, ESPN, February 16, 2004.
  17. ^ Klis, Mike (June 23, 2010). "Broncos will have to deal with Bailey decision". Denver Post.
  18. ^ "Denver Broncos 50th Anniversary Team Released". September 15, 2009.
  19. ^ "2011 NFL Top 100". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
  20. ^ Klis, Mike (February 22, 2011). "Broncos re-sign Champ Bailey to four-year contract for $43 million". Denver Post.
  21. ^ "Champ Bailey ranked No. 46 in NFLN's Top 100". Archived from the original on June 3, 2012. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
  22. ^ "Mind-blowing stats for the 2013 Pro Bowl". National Football League. January 24, 2013. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
  23. ^ "Denver Broncos at Oakland Raiders". National Football League. December 6, 2012. Retrieved December 24, 2024.
  24. ^ "Torrey Smith Abuses Pro Bowler Champ Bailey". Baltimore Ravens. January 13, 2013. Retrieved December 24, 2024.
  25. ^ "The Top 100 Players of 2013". National Football League. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
  26. ^ "Champ Bailey starting in place of Chris Harris". CBS Sports. January 19, 2014. Retrieved January 21, 2014.
  27. ^ "Super Bowl XLVIII - Seattle Seahawks vs. Denver Broncos - February 2nd, 2014". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 3, 2017.
  28. ^ "Broncos release Champ Bailey". ESPN. March 6, 2014. Retrieved March 6, 2014.
  29. ^ "Champ Bailey agrees to terms with New Orleans Saints for two-year deal". April 4, 2014.
  30. ^ Rosenthal, Gregg (April 4, 2014). "Champ Bailey, New Orleans Saints agree to contract". NFL.com. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
  31. ^ "Manningham, Bailey, Sam among top 10 potential roster cut casualties - Sporting News". August 29, 2014. Archived from the original on September 3, 2014. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
  32. ^ Sessler, Marc (October 28, 2014). "Champ Bailey retiring after 15 NFL seasons". NFL.com. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
  33. ^ "Champ Bailey to sign one-day contract, retire with Broncos". NFL.com. November 14, 2014. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
  34. ^ "Pro Football Hall of Fame's Class of 2019". Pro Football Hall of Fame Official Site.
  35. ^ "Georgia". www.dawgnation.com. Archived from the original on July 13, 2020. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
  36. ^ "NFL Star Champ Bailey -- MARRIES HOT MODEL GIRLFRIEND". TMZ. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
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