Georgia Bulldog Legend Champ Bailey elected to College Hall of Fame

ATHENS------Former University of Georgia football All-America defensive back/receiver Champ Bailey has been elected to the College Football Hall of Fame according to an announcement Monday by the National Football Foundation.

Bailey becomes the 14th former Georgia player and 17th overall elected to the College Hal of Fame.  He will be inducted at the annual NFF Annual Awards Dinner on Dec. 6, 2022.

Bailey earned a reputation as one of the best multiple threats in college football during his career at Georgia. He was considered the most versatile player at UGA since the era of two-platoon football.

Bailey was a consensus All-American playing offense, defense, and special teams. He played more than 1,000 plays during his junior season in 1998 including more than 100 plays in seven different games. Bailey finished the season with 52 tackles, three interceptions, 744 receiving yards, five touchdowns, 261 kickoff returns and 49 punt return yards. The All-Southeastern Conference selection was named winner of the 1998 Bronko Nagurski Award as the nation’s top defensive player and was a consensus All-America selection.

Bailey was also a member of the UGA Track and Field team and set a school indoor long jump record at the 1998 SEC Championships.

Bailey was drafted by the Washington Redskins in the first round of the 1999 NFL draft and was a 12-time Pro Bowl selection from 2000-2013 as a member of the Redskins and the Denver Broncos. He retired in 2014. He was named a member of the Football Writers Association of America 75th Anniversary All-America first team in 2015.  In 2018 he was inducted into the State of Georgia Sports Hall of Fame. In 2019, he was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year on the ballot. Also in 2019 he was named one of college football’s 150 greatest players in the ESPN film documentary “Football is Us: The College Player.”

Former Georgia players and coaches inducted into the College Hall of Fame:  Charley Trippi, 1959; Vernon “Catfish” Smith, 1979; Bill Hartman, 1984; Fran Tarkenton, 1987; Coach Vince Dooley, 1994; Coach Wally Butts, 1997; Bill Stanfill, 1998; Herschel Walker, 1999; Terry Hoage, 2000; Kevin Butler, 2001; John Rauch, 2003; Coach Jim Donnan, 2009; Jake Scott, 2011; Scott Woerner, 2016; Matt Stinchcomb, 2018; David Pollack, 2020. 

CAREER STATISTICS

Defensive Stats

Year      G/GS    Solo      Asst.      Total      Sacks        TL       CF       RF       Int.       PBU

1996        11/2       35          12          47            0            1/1         0          1          2            7

1997       11/11      39           9           48            0            4/8         0          0          3           10

1998       11/11      30          22          52            0            4/7         0          1          3           10

Totals    33/24     104         43         147           0           9/16        0          2          8           27

Rushing/Receiving Totals

Year      G/GS     Att.      Yards     Avg.    TD    LG           Rec.    Yards    Avg.    TD     LG

1997       11/11       5           15          3.0       0      11             12        234      19.5      0        47

1998       11/11      16          84          5.3       0      20             47        744      15.8      5        51

Totals    22/22      21          99          4.7       0      20             59        978      16.6      5        51

RETURN STATS

Kickoffs

Year                          No.         Yds.        Avg.         TD           LG.

1997                           11           250         22.7           0              46

1998                           12           261         21.8           0              41                    

Punts

Year                          No.         Yds.        Avg.         TD           LG.

1998                            4            49          12.3           0              21