Many eyes will be focused on the future on Thursday. In Denver however, some will be set on the past. Champ Bailey, arguably the greatest cornerback of all-time, will be inducted into the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame.
Current Denver Broncos cornerback Chris Harris Jr. was a teammate of Bailey’s. He feels this honor is just one of many still to come.
“I’m pretty sure that he’ll get every award that you can possibly have,” Harris said on Wednesday. “The Hall of Fame is probably next; [or] Ring of Fame is next.”
Harris spent his first three years in the Broncos secondary with Bailey. A wide-eyed undrafted rookie when he broke in, he was still able to bond with the perennial Pro Bowler.
“Champ, he was an unbelievable mentor for me, [and] just a good friend,” Harris said. “That’s one thing, you don’t see a lot of older guys like him become friends with younger cats. So, just to be able to have that relationship, it means a lot.”
The significance of playing with someone of Bailey’s caliber was not lost on Harris. In fact, he still incorporates things he saw in Champ’s game in how he plays today.
“Different techniques on the field-wise, fundamentals-wise, how he played square,” he said. “I’m like an old-school corner with techniques. I kind of play square, do my fundamentals. That’s something that I definitely kept from Champ, for sure.
“Just that mentality. I already had that mentality, but seeing Champ have that same mentality I had, if you get beat, line up again, that’s something that, even [in] year 15, he still had that. That’s a mentality I always want to keep.”
