Champ Bailey one of four new inductees in the Georgia-Florida Hall of Fame class of 2022

The final stat line: 103 plays: 47 on offense, 44 on defense and 12 on special teams.

That was the workload for the University of Georgia’s Champ Bailey of Folkston, Ga., in the 1998 Georgia-Florida game at TIAA Bank Field. It was a 38-7 loss to the Gators but no one on either side had a time card like that.

“I’m still tired, Bailey said Friday before he and three other past stars of the game increased the membership of the Georgia-Florida Hall of Fame to 116 during a luncheon at the TIAA Bank Field East Club. “I played a lot but it was what I wanted. And I was fortunate enough to have a coach [Jim Donnan] who let me do a lot of the things I wanted to do.”

More Georgia-Florida coverage

• Gene Frenette: Georgia's 10-year investment in Kirby Smart for $112.5 million is money well spent

• Crossing party lines: Jacksonville mayor candidates united in support of keeping Georgia-Florida football game

• Hunker down: The story of a rallying cry for Georgia football and Florida hurricanes

Bailey, a cornerback, wide receiver and returner for the Dawgs from 1996-98 who went on to a 15-year NFL career and a spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, highlighted the 2022 Georgia-Florida Hall of Fame Class that included Georgia safety John Little, Florida wide receiver Andre Caldwell and UF QB/wide receiver Trey Burton.

A versatile group

Two of the four inductees, Caldwell and Burton, went on to NFL careers that included each getting a Super Bowl ring, Caldwell with Denver in 2015 and Burton with the Eagles in 2017.

Burton threw the TD pass to Nick Foles against the Patriots in that Super Bowl, “The Philly Special” trick play on fourth down called by now-Jaguars coach Doug Pederson.

Bailey had the longest and most distinguished NFL career, lasting 15 years with Washington, Denver and New Orleans. He holds the NFL record for passes defensed with 203 and had 52 interceptions and his 12 Pro Bowls is a record for defensive backs.

He made the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility but he said his induction into the Georgia-Florida Hall of Fame wasn’t an after-thought: the city actually wanted to induct him a long time ago but his NFL schedule kept him from coming to Georgia-Florida weekend.

“The schedules just didn’t match,” he said. “It’s just the way it worked out but I’m still very grateful.”

The 2002 Georgia-Florida class is a testament to versatility and work ethic. Bailey and Burton played multiple positions during their college careers. Caldwell made an impact both receiving and running. And Little occupied the key “Rover” position on the Georgia defense, which required the skills of a safety and linebacker.

Little said there was a reason the Georgia-Florida Hall of Fame includes former Bulldog defensive backs Little, Bailey, Terry Hoage, Jake Scott and Scott Woerner.

“A lot of defensive backs at Georgia back then had been quarterbacks in high school,” said Little, who played that position at Panama City Moseley. “I think it gave you an edge, You could anticipate what the quarterback was going to do a little better.”

Bailey, Smart combined to star in 1997

Bailey faced the Gators three times, from 1996-98, with the Bulldogs going 1-2 in those games. He had five solo tackles in a 47-7 loss in 1996 and in a 37-17 upset victory in 1997, he had two solo tackles, one of four interceptions the Dawgs would make that day (current coach Kirby Smart had two) and broke up two passes.

Bailey said Smart was “intense” at every practice and game.

“What you see of him on the sideline is a resemblance of how he was during the week of a game in practice and then in the game,” Bailey said. “He was a playmaker.”

But Bailey’s best individual game came in a 38-7 loss in 1998 when he contributed in all three phases of the game. He had four tackles and three assists on defense, caught eight passes for 99 yards on offense, returned one punt for 8 yards and returned two kickoffs for 29 yards.

Bailey, who lives in Atlanta and works for Peach State Health Plans, had seven games that season in which he played 100 or more snaps.

He told the audience at the luncheon that he was pulled in both directions growing up in Folkston, which he said was 50-50 between the Bulldogs and Gators.

“Steve Spurrier sat in my living room,” Bailey said. “But my mother raised me a Bulldog.”

Oddly enough, Bailey noted that Spurrier became his coach in Washington in 2002 and 2003, and brought in former Florida Gators Danny Wuerffel, Shane Matthews and Jacquez Green.

Bailey then went to Denver and played two seasons with Tim Tebow.

“I may be the only guy who’s [been in the NFL] with those Heisman Trophy winners,” he noted of Spurrier, Wuerffel and Tebow.

Caldwell champions the rivalry

Caldwell, who went on to play in the NFL from 2008-15, caught 15 passes for 288 yards and two touchdowns, and had one rushing touchdown in four appearances against Georgia. In the 2006 game, a 21-14 victory for the Gators, he caught eight passes for 88 yards and a TD and had five runs for 28 yards and another score.

In a fiery and emotional acceptance speech, Caldwell, who now runs DuWell TV, a production company in Atlanta, proclaimed Georgia-Florida, “the greatest rivalry in college football, between the two greatest states for college football.”

Burton’s best game against Georgia was his freshman season, and also was the only time he was on the winning side of the rivalry in the 34-31 overtime victory in 2010. Burton had 17 rushes for 110 yards, caught five passes for 35 yards and completed two pass attempts for 26 yards.

“The past two days I’ve’ watched all four games with my kids so they can understand,” Burton said. “What it's like and what it means. It’s competitive physical, super-chippy.”

The Georgia teams Little played on between 1983-86 went 2-2 against the Gators. In four career games in Jacksonville, he had 21 tackles, two for losses.

Little’s best game was in 1985 when the Dawgs stunned No. 1-ranked Florida 24-3. He had two solo tackles and seven assists.

“It shows you that the rankings never matter in this game,” Little said.

The year before, in a 27-0 loss to UF, Little had five solo tackles and two assists.

“When we lost one to Florida, it took you two months to get over it,” he said.

Contact Garry Smits at gsmits@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter @GSmitter

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Champ Bailey highlights Georgia-Florida Hall of Fame class of 2022