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- Mar 18, 2019
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ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Champ Bailey has already received pro football's highest honor.
He’s now set to join the most-exclusive group of Broncos, as well.
Bailey, who became a first-ballot Pro Football Hall of Famer in February, was elected as the 33rd member of the Denver Broncos Ring of Fame on Monday.
“It comes as no surprise that Champ has been voted into the Broncos’ Ring of Fame in his first year of eligibility,” Broncos President & CEO Joe Ellis said. “Not only did he make so many incredible plays as a Bronco, but the consistency and leadership he brought to this organization for 10 seasons as a perennial All-Pro was second-to-none.
“To see the way Champ’s career has been appreciated over the last four months — first by the Pro Football Hall of Fame and now as our newest Ring of Famer — is very special for us. We congratulate Champ on this well-deserved honor and look forward to celebrating everything he’s meant to the Broncos in October.”
Bailey is the first Bronco to be elected to the Ring of Fame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in the same season.
The former cornerback will be enshrined into the Ring of Fame during the Broncos’ Week 6 game against the Tennessee Titans on Oct. 13. Bailey and Owner Pat Bowlen will also receive their Pro Football Hall of Fame Rings of Excellence that day from Pro Football Hall of Fame President and CEO David Baker.
Bailey will be inducted into the Hall of Fame on Aug. 3 in Canton, Ohio.
Bailey is the first person to be elected to the Broncos’ Ring of Fame since former head coach Red Miller was inducted in 2017. He will be the 13th defensive player and second cornerback in the Ring of Fame.
Traded to the Broncos before the start of the 2004 season, Bailey earned three first-team All-Pro selections and eight Pro Bowl berths while in Denver.
His 12 total Pro Bowl nods are the most in NFL history for a cornerback, and he is a member of the 2000s NFL All-Decade Team.
In 2005, one of Bailey’s first-team All-Pro seasons, he helped lead the Broncos to an AFC Championship appearance. His 100-yard interception of Patriots quarterback Tom Brady remains the longest interception return in Broncos postseason history and spurred the team to a divisional round win.
His 10 interceptions that season rank second in Broncos history in a single season. He finished second in NFL Defensive Player of the Year voting in 2005.
The Broncos made the postseason five times during Bailey’s tenure, including an appearance in Super Bowl XLVIII.
Bailey recorded 34 interceptions, three pick-sixes, 122 passes defensed, five forced fumbles and 596 tackles during his 10 years in Denver.
Bailey will be honored with an eight-foot bronze and steel pillar in the Ring of Fame Plaza at Broncos Stadium at Mile High. His name will also be unveiled on the façade that circles the upper level of the stadium.