Champ Bailey will be forever locked into football history Saturday night after his enshrinement into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. A 15 year veteran of the Washington Redskins and Denver Broncos, Bailey has gotten love from one organization for his efforts, while the other waited a while to congratulate him.
“Nobody from Washington had called me until three days ago. Nobody.”
On the other end, the Broncos have given Bailey congratulations, as Denver is where he feels he truly started his Hall of Fame career. He'll go alongside late, great owner Pat Bowlen on Saturday as Hall of Famers, an honor to him.
“I’m traded and I get to Denver, great organization. I think my Hall of Fame career really started with the Bowlens. To have Pat go in with me is unbelievable.”
Bailey was traded from Washington to Denver five years after selecting him at No. 7 overall in the 1999 NFL Draft. In all but one season in the nation's capital, he was named to the Pro Bowl. But, amid contract disputes, he threatened a trade and got it in exchange for running back Clinton Portis.
It's hard to argue that Bailey's best years didn't come in Denver. As a Bronco, he made eight Pro Bowls, three first-team All-Pro teams, two second-time All-Pro teams, led the NFL in interceptions in 2006 (10), and made their 50th Anniversary Team. He finished his career with 53 interceptions and 203 pass deflections and is widely considered an all-time great.
Without the Redskins drafting Bailey his career might've gone in a different path. Still, it appears he has more fond memories for his second home than his first.
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