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Champ Bailey Elected To Broncos Ring Of Fame

DENVER (CBS4) - The Denver Broncos have elected Champ Bailey to the team's Ring of Fame in his first year of eligibility. He will be added to the Ring of Fame in the same year that he gets inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Champ Bailey
(credit: Mike Ehrmann/NFLPhotoLibrary)

Bailey is the second cornerback, after Louis Wright, to be added to the Ring of Fame.

"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," said Broncos President and CEO Joe Ellis in a prepared statement.

Bailey played 10 seasons for the Broncos after being acquired in a trade with Washington. He started in 132 of 135 regular-season games for Denver and had 34 interceptions. He also led the team to five postseason appearances.

"The first thing I thought about was I've got to stand in front of that crowd in the stadium, and the last time I actually did something like that and speak and be honored for what I'm doing was when I played," Bailey said. "It's going to be a little surreal. I think the Hall of Fame will get me warmed up for it, but I believe being in front of those fans means more than anything. To be able to do it where I played for 10 years, I'm looking forward to it, man. It's going to be surreal."

His 100-yard interception of Patriots quarterback Tom Brady in the AFC divisional playoff game on Jan. 14, 2006, ranks as the longest in Broncos playoff history.

Bailey's name will be added to the Ring of Fame at Broncos Stadium at Mile High in a ceremony during the Week 6 matchup on Oct. 13 against the Tennessee Titans.

Last month, Bailey spoke at the Boy Scouts of America Denver Area Council Sports Breakfast about his career, saying his election to the Hall of Fame didn't just happen randomly. He says he had "really big dreams" that began forming when he was 5 and all throughout his football life he devoted himself to work, details and consistency.

There are now 33 members of the Broncos Ring of Fame:

Champ Bailey
Red Miller
Jason Elam
Simon Fletcher
John Lynch
Pat Bowlen
Dan Reeves
Rick Upchurch
Gene Mingo
Tom Nalen
Rod Smith
Shannon Sharpe
Terrell Davis
Steve Atwater
Gary Zimmerman
Karl Mecklenburg
Dennis Smith
John Elway
Louis Wright
Tom Jackson
Randy Gradishar
Craig Morton
Haven Moses
Jim Turner
Billy Thompson
Charley Johnson
Paul Smith
Frank Tripucka
Gerald H. Phipps
Austin "Goose" Gonsoulin
Rich Jackson
Floyd Little
Lionel Taylor

(© Copyright 2019 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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