Rodney Dwayne Bailey (born October 7, 1979) is an American former professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

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 formation (American football), formations over the years have substantially ...

who played in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). He is a graduate of

Ohio State University The Ohio State University (Ohio State or OSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. A member of the University System of Ohio, it was founded in 1870. It is one ...

and completed his degree in only 3.5 years.

Early life

A native of

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–United States border, Canada–U.S. maritime border ...

, Bailey attended St. Edward High School in nearby

Lakewood, Ohio Lakewood is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States, on the southern shore of Lake Erie. Established in 1889, it is one of Cleveland's historical streetcar suburbs and part of the Greater Cleveland, Cleveland metropolitan area. The popula ...

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; it is a major national newspaper. In the fall of 2019, it ranked 23rd in U.S. newspaper circulation, a significant drop since March 2013, when its circulation ranked 17th daily an ...

'', 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, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., ...

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

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, among others) is a collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representatives in 1 ...

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

Professional career

2001

• Drafted in the 6th round by the

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. Founded in 1933 P ...

.
• 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

.
• Recorded 18 tackles (15 solo), 5.5 sacks, and a fumble recovery.

2003

• Played all 16 games for the

.
• Recorded 9 tackles (6 solo) and 2 sacks.

2004

• Signed to the

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The Pa ...

.
• Spent season on injured reserve.
• Earned a championship ring as a member of the winning team for

Super Bowl XXXVIII Super Bowl XXXVIII was an American football game between the National Football Conference (NFC) champion 2003 Carolina Panthers season, Carolina Panthers and the American Football Conference (AFC) champion 2003 New England Patriots season, New E ...

2005

• Signed September 14 to the

Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The club entered the NFL a ...

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 defensive tackle (DT) is a position in American football that typically lines up on the line of scrimmage, opposite one of the Guard (American football), offensive guards; however, he may also line up opposite one of the offensive Tackle (gridir ...

, a change from his usual position of

NFL career statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

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