Rodney Dwayne Bailey (born October 7, 1979) is a former

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...

defensive end Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football. This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations over the years have substantially changed how the position is ...

who most recently played for the Arizona Cardinals of the NFL. He is a graduate of

Ohio State University The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best publ ...

and completed his degree in only 3.5 years.

Early years

A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Bailey attended St. Edward High School in nearby Lakewood, Ohio and was a letterman in football. He trucked Marty Mordarski in a memorable game against Padua. In football, he was named the Cleveland Division I Player of the Year by ''

The Plain Dealer ''The Plain Dealer'' is the major newspaper of Cleveland, Ohio, United States. In fall 2019, it ranked 23rd in U.S. newspaper circulation, a significant drop since March 2013, when its circulation ranked 17th daily and 15th on Sunday. As of Ma ...

'', and was a first-team Division I Associated All-State pick. In addition, he was named the Cleveland Touchdown Club player of the year and was named to numerous

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

All-American teams. He graduated from St. Edward in 1997.

College career

Entering Ohio State, Bailey was listed as one of the top 40 high school recruits in United States. Bailey started as a true freshman and started 34 games in total. His senior year, Bailey was named a co-captain, named an all-

Big Ten The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference) is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representati ...

selection and was honored as team defensive player of the year.

Professional career

2001

• Drafted in the 6th round by the Pittsburgh Steelers.
• Played all 16 games with one start.
• Recorded 12 tackles (11 solo) and 2 sacks.

2002

• Played all 16 games and 2 postseason games for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
• Recorded 18 tackles (15 solo), 5.5 sacks, and a fumble recovery.

2003

• Played all 16 games for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
• Recorded 9 tackles (6 solo) and 2 sacks.

2004

• Signed to the New England Patriots.
• Spent season on injured reserve.
• Earned a

championship ring A championship ring or premiership ring is a ring presented to members of winning teams in North American professional sports leagues, and college tournaments. Championship rings are mostly confined to North American sports. Since only one ...

as a member of the winning team for Super Bowl XXXVIII.

2005

• Signed September 14 to the Seattle Seahawks and played 8 games.
• Recorded 13 tackles (8 solos) and 2 forced fumbles.

2006

• Played in 12 games for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
• Played in 50th game as a member of the Steelers.

2007

• Signed with the Arizona Cardinals.
• Listed on depth chart as defensive tackle, a change from his usual position of

After football

In 2009, St. Edward announced that Bailey would be inducted into the school's Athletic Hall of Fame.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bailey, Rodney 1979 births Living people American football defensive ends American football defensive tackles Arizona Cardinals players New England Patriots players Players of American football from Cleveland St. Edward High School (Lakewood, Ohio) alumni Pittsburgh Steelers players Seattle Seahawks players Ohio State Buckeyes football players