(born
June 22 ,
1978 in
Folkston, Georgia ) is an
American Football player, starting at
Cornerback for the
Denver Broncos of the
National Football League . He is the older brother of
Detroit Lions Linebacker Boss Bailey .
Bailey was drafted out of the
University Of Georgia by the
Washington Redskins with the 7th pick in the first round of the
1999 NFL Draft . Prior to the
2004 season, he was traded to the Broncos along with a second-round draft pick (
Tatum Bell ) for
Clinton Portis . Bailey has been named to six consecutive Pro Bowls and 2 All-Pro's.
On
January 14 ,
2006 in a divisional playoff game between the
New England Patriots and the
Denver Broncos , Bailey broke the record for the longest non-scoring interception return in the playoffs; With the Patriots poised to score, Bailey intercepted a pass from
Tom Brady in the endzone and returned it 100 yards to the New England 1 yardline before being hit by Patriots Tight End
Ben Watson and fumbling the ball out of bounds. The play was considered the most crucial of the contest which the Broncos would go on to win, hence ending the Patriot's quest for a historic third straight Super Bowl title.
During his college career, Champ Bailey also played on offense playing the position of Wide Receiver. He has recently played Wide Receiver in the 2005 Pro Bowl, trading positions with wide receiver
Chad Johnson . During the Pro Bowl, he was given a chance to be a hero when
Steve McNair , Quarterback for the
Tennessee Titans , threw a Hail Mary in an attemp to win the game for the AFC team, but the pass was deflected and fell to the ground.
Champ Bailey set a career high in
2005 by intercepting 8 passes (plus 1 more in the postseason), and scoring 2 defensive touchdowns. Pictured to the right, Bailey intercepts
San Diego Chargers quarterback
Drew Brees and takes it for a touchdown in Week 2 of the 2005 NFL Season (September 18, 2005).
