Champ Bailey

At 45 years old, Champ Bailey has this physical status:

Roland "Champ" Bailey Jr. (born June 22, 1978) is a former American football cornerback in the National Football League (NFL).

He played college football for Georgia, where he earned consensus All-America honors, and was drafted by the Washington Redskins in the first round of the 1999 NFL Draft.

He is the uncle of former NFL linebacker Boss Bailey. Following their Super Bowl XLVIII loss, Bailey was traded to the Denver Broncos in 2004, who released him in early 2014.

He was signed by the New Orleans Saints shortly after, but he was released before the regular season began.

Bailey resigned from football after 15 seasons in October 2014.

He was selected to 12 Pro Bowls in his career, the most for a cornerback.

With 203 passes, he holds the most passes for most passes defended in football.

In his first year of eligibility, he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2019.

Early years

Bailey was born in Fort Campbell, Kentucky, and grew up in Folkston, Georgia, where he was a three-sport athlete (football, basketball, and track) at Charlton County High School. Ronald and Boss Bailey, his two brothers, played football at Charlton County and the University of Georgia. Champ's first two seasons at Georgia coincided with Ronald's last two seasons; Champ then played his final season alongside Boss. Ronald went on to sign with the Dallas Cowboys but suffered from a career-ending injury. Boss was a linebacker for the Detroit Lions from 2003 to 2007, then a 2009 Broncos recruit.

With 13 100-yard games, Bailey's Charlton County Indians High School career has the most notable statistics from his time. He completed 1,211 yards on 74 percent completions. He had 8 interceptions and 28 PR for 318 yards on defense/special teams. With 394 points scored, his total offensive yardage was 5,855 with 394 points scored. With 1,858, season rushing TDs in season 2016 tied for single-game rushing TDs for the first time since 1953 (he is also tied for fifth with 5 yards).

Personal life

In 2014, Bailey married Jessica at the Pelican Hill resort in Newport Beach, California.

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College career

Bailey earned an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Georgia, where he competed for the Georgia Bulldogs' football team from 1996 to 1998. In his three years as a Bulldog, he was regarded as one of college football's top multiple threats (offense, defense, and special teams). He had 52 tackles (four for losses), three interceptions, seven passes deflected, and 47 yards for 744 yards (15.8 avg.) in his final year at Georgia. On 16 attempts, five touchdowns, 84 yards passing, 12 kickoff returns for 261 yards, and four punt returns for 49 yards. On his way to earn consensus first-team All-Southeastern Conference accolades and naming the Bronko Nagurski Trophy as the country's best defensive player, he averaged 103.5 all-purpose yards per game, 201 offense, and 109 special teams. In the Peach Bowl, he ran three times for 93 yards, including a 14-yard touchdown, returned 5 kickoffs for 104 yards, punt 12 yards, and held 1 pass defense at cornerback, with 3 tackles and 1 pass defense at cornerback. He played 33 games (24 starts) and 147 total tackles, two fumble recoveries, one forced fumble, eight interceptions, and 27 passes defensed in three years at Georgia. As a sophomore, he was an All-SEC first-team pick, starting every game at left cornerback and one game at wide receiver.

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

Bailey finished third at the SEC Indoor Track and Field Championships in 1998, setting a school indoor long jump record of 7.89 meters (25 ft 11 in) and placing third.

Professional career

Bailey was selected by the Redskins with the seventh overall pick in the first round of the 1999 NFL Draft. He was the first ever drafted footballer to come from Folkston, Georgia.

Bailey agreed to a five-year, $12 million deal, with a $2 million signing bonus on July 24, 1999. Bailey quickly established a reputation as one of the league's best defensive backs. He was a keystone for the Redskins defense and benefited from time with eventual Hall of Fame cornerbacks Deion Sanders and Darrell Green. Bailey's deal with the Redskins came to an end during the 2003 season, and he threatened to leave training camp if the club used the franchise tag. Bailey was allowed to request a trade by the Redskins in a surprising move.

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

Bailey intercepted his first pass as a Denver Bronco on September 12, 2004, during the NFL's first Sunday Night Football game of the season.

In a divisional playoff game against the New England Patriots on January 14, 2006, he set the fastest non-scoring play in NFL history at the time. With the Patriots nearing 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 being tackled by Benjamin Watson of New England.

Bailey had 10 interceptions (tied for most in the NFL with Asante Samuel in 2006) and did not give up a single touchdown during the season. Bailey, San Diego Chargers running back LaDainian Tomlinson, and Miami Dolphins defensive end Jason Taylor were unanimous picks for the NFL All-Pro team. Bailey came in second in NFL Defensive Player of the Year after the season came in second.

Bailey did not allow a touchdown in 80 passes this year, played on 98 percent of the snaps, and was one of the game's best-tackling cornerbacks.

Bailey was selected by the Denver community on September 15, 2009, for the Broncos 50th Anniversary team. On October 11, this squad was honoured at the halftime show of the Legacy game against the Patriots.

Bailey met up with some of the NFL's best wideouts in 2010. On two targets, he held Dwayne Bowe to no catches. In a game where he matched up with Larry Fitzgerald, the Arizona Cardinals only passed for 19 yards on three plays. Bailey was selected to play in his 10th Pro Bowl. No cornerback in football history has been greater.

Bailey re-signed to a four-year contract, according to Broncos vice president of football operations, John Elway.

Bailey was voted the 46th best player in the NFL by the league's network, NFL Network, during the 2012 offseason.

Bailey was named an All-Pro for the seventh time in his career in 2012, and he was selected to the 2013 Pro Bowl. Randall McDaniel and Will Shields made his 12th Pro Bowl selection, extending the record he set for trips by a cornerback and tying the most Pro Bowls played record.

Bailey was named by his peers on the NFL's network, NFL Network, during the 2013 offseason.

Bailey was limited to a career-low 5 games with a foot injury in the 2013 season, but when fellow cornerback Chris Harris was ruled out for the remainder of the season after a torn ACL injury, he recovered in time for the playoffs and held his own. In a 43–8 loss to the Seattle Seahawks, Bailey played in his first Super Bowl, in which he had 4 tackles.

Bailey was unveiled by the Denver Broncos on March 6, 2014.

Champ Bailey's two-year, $7 million deal with the New Orleans Saints came on April 4, 2014. Bailey did not make the final roster and was suspended by the team on August 30, 2014.

On October 18, 2014, Bailey announced that he would have left professional football. Bailey will officially retire as a Bronco on November 14, 2014, according to the Denver newspaper on November 14, 2014.

In his first year of eligibility, Bailey was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on February 2, 2019. On August 3, 2019, he was enshrined in Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium at a reception.

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