Champ Headed To Pro Football Hall of Fame

Champ Bailey has a lot of well-earned accolades from his time as one of the best players at his position during his time as a Bulldog and beyond.

Now, the former two-way player for Georgia has another name to be known as - NFL Hall of Famer. He joins three other Bulldogs there - Terrell Davis, Charley Trippi and Fran Tarkenton.

The Folkston native was among those voted into the Pro Football Hal of Fame on Saturday getting in on the first ballot. Its the apex of a stellar 15-year career with the Redskins and Broncos. Bailey was not the only former Georgia player up for consideration - Richard Seymour, who made a name for himself with the Patriots, was also a finalist.

Overall, Bailey was named to the Pro Bowl 12 times, the most for a cornerback, A member of the NFL’s all-2000s team, Bailey has 52 career interceptions.

For those of us who saw him play Between The Hedges, Champ Bailey being a Hall of Famer is no shock. In three seasons, he had 147 tackles and eight interceptions, but his play on other parts of the field was simply electrifying. As a senior, a year that saw Bailey win the Bronco Nagurski Award as the nation’s top defensive player, he also had 744 receiving yards, 84 rushing yards and 261 kickoff return yards - helping him average more than 100 all-purpose yards per game.

Bailey, for the record, did get in a jab about who REALLY runs this state.

Go Dawgs!