Champ Bailey

Champ Bailey

Champ Bailey during the 2010 NFL season.
No. 24     Denver Broncos
Cornerback
Personal information
Date of birth: June 22, 1978 (1978-06-22) (age 33)
Place of birth: Folkston, Georgia
Height: 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	Weight: 192 lb (87 kg)
Career information
College: Georgia
NFL Draft: 1999 / Round: 1 / Pick: 7
Debuted in 1999 for the Washington Redskins
Career history
Washington Redskins (1999–2003) Denver Broncos (2004–present)
Career highlights and awards
Nagurski Trophy (1998) 10× Pro Bowl selection (2000, 2001, 2002, 2003 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010) 6× All-Pro selection (2000, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007) 2× NFL Alumni Defensive Back Player of the Year (2005, 2006) Co-NFL Interception Champion (2006) with Asante Samuel Holds NFL Record for most Pro Bowls for Cornerbacks (10) NFL 2000s All-Decade Team Denver Broncos 50th Anniversary Team
Career NFL statistics as of Week 9, 2011
Tackles	684
Sacks	3.0
Interceptions	50
Stats at NFL.com

Roland "Champ" Bailey' (born June 22, 1978) is an American football cornerback for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League. Bailey was drafted in the 1st round (7th overall) of the 1999 NFL Draft by the Washington Redskins. He played college football at the University of Georgia.

Bailey is 8th among Broncos in all-time interceptions. He has appeared in 10 Pro Bowls (the most for any cornerback in NFL history), and is widely regarded as one of the best pass defenders in football history.^[1]

High school years

Bailey attended and played football at Charlton County High School. He was one of the most reliable shutdown corners in his high school years and was widely sought by colleges across the nation.

College career

Bailey was regarded as one of college football’s greatest multiple threats (offense, defense and special teams) in his three seasons at the University of Georgia. During his final year at Georgia as a junior, he registered 52 tackles (four for losses), three interceptions, seven passes defensed, 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 All-America and first-team All-Southeastern Conference honors and claiming the Bronko Nagurski Trophy as the nation’s top defensive player following his junior season. Against Virginia 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. Bailey set a school indoor long jump record in 1998 of 25-10 3/4 feet to finish third at the SEC Indoor Track and Field Championships.^[2]

1999 NFL Draft

Bailey was drafted in the first round (seventh overall) of the 1999 NFL Draft by the Washington Redskins.^[3][4] He was the first player ever drafted from his hometown of Folkston, Georgia, an achievement Bailey states was big for his town to increase its interest in football.

Pre-draft measureables
Height	Weight	40-yard dash	10-yard split	20-yard split	20 ss	3-cone	Vert	Broad	BP	Wonderlic
5' 11 3/4"	184	4.28	1.48	2.49	3.79	NA	37	10'01	NA	NA
* represents NFL Combine **represents Georgia Pro Day—"X" Denotes "No Data" or "Did Not Participate"

Washington Redskins (1999 to 2003)

On July 24, 1999, Bailey signed a five-year, $12 million contract including a $2 million signing bonus.^[5] Bailey quickly established a reputation as one of the league's best defensive backs.^[6] He was a large presence on an inconsistent Redskins defense and benefited from time spent with 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.^[7] In a surprising move, the Redskins gave the four-time Pro Bowler permission to seek a trade.^[8]

Denver Broncos (2004 - present)

Prior to the 2004 season, Bailey was traded to the Broncos along with a second-round draft pick (who ended up being Tatum Bell) for Clinton Portis. Following the trade, he signed a seven-year contract worth $63 million.

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

On January 14, 2006, in a divisional playoff game against the New England Patriots, Bailey broke the record for the longest non-scoring play in NFL history. With the Patriots near the goal line, Bailey intercepted a pass from quarterback Tom Brady in the end zone and returned it 100 yards to the Pats' one yard line before he was chased down and tackled by New England's Benjamin Watson, who also happens to be a former Georgia Bulldog.

In 2006, Bailey had ten interceptions (tied for best in the NFL with Asante Samuel). Bailey also 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 in 2006. Also in 2006, Ron Jaworski stated during a MNF pre-season game against the San Francisco 49ers that Bailey only got tested 35 times and only four passes were completed over him, none for touchdowns.

In 2009, Champ Bailey did not allow one touchdown in 80 passes thrown his way that year, played in 98 percent of the snaps and remained one of the best-tackling cornerbacks in the game.^[9]

On September 15, 2009 Bailey was chosen in the Denver Broncos 50th Anniversary team by the Denver community. This team, including Bailey, was honored during the halftime-show of the Legacy game versus the New England Patriots on October 11.^[10]

In 2010, Champ Bailey matched up against some of the NFL's best wideouts. Bailey held Dwayne Bowe to zero 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. Champ Bailey was selected to play in his record breaking 10th Pro Bowl. No cornerback in NFL history has been to more.

It was announced on February 22, 2011 by the Denver Broncos vice president of football operations, John Elway that Champ Bailey was re-signed to a 4-year contract ^[11]

Personal life

He currently resides in Denver but has a house in West Virginia. He is the older brother of linebacker Boss Bailey, who joined Champ on the Broncos for one season in 2008 after playing the first five years of his career on the Detroit Lions. Champ, Boss, oldest brother Ronald, and cousin Kenny all played at Georgia.

References

1. ^ http://databasefootball.com/teams/teamleaders.htm?tm=DEN&lg=nfl
2. ^ "Champ Bailey". Denver Broncos Official Website. http://www.denverbroncos.com/page.php?id=498&contentID=2152. Retrieved 2008-11-28. 
3. ^ http://www.nfl.com/draft/history/fulldraft?season=1999
4. ^ http://football.about.com/od/nfldrafthistory/a/1999draftresult.htm - NFL Draft History - 1999 NFL Draft Results
5. ^ "REDSKINS, LIONS SIGN NO 1 DRAFT PICKS", Chicago Tribune, July 25, 1999.
6. ^ Aikman, Troy (2004). "Shutdown corner: the term starts—and ends—with Deion". The Sporting News. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1208/is_50_228/ai_n8576576/. 
7. ^ Broncos swap Portis for Bailey, CBC Sports, March 5, 2004.
8. ^ 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.
9. ^ Klis, Mike (June 23, 2010). "Broncos will have to deal with Bailey decision". Denver Post. http://www.denverpost.com/ci_15354803. 
10. ^ http://www.milehighreport.com/2009/9/15/1032381/denver-broncos-50th-anniversary/
11. ^ Klis, Mike (February 22, 2011). "Broncos re-sign Champ Bailey to four-year contract for $43 million". Denver Post. http://www.denverpost.com/sports/ci_17454037. 

External links

Biography portal

• NFLPlayers.com Profile
• NFL.com Profile
• CNNSI.com draft Video
• Champ Bailey news

Persondata
Name	Bailey, Champ
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	June 22, 1978
Place of birth	Folkston, Georgia
Date of death
Place of death