WRAL Sports Fan

NFL

Former Duke player winds up with Super Bowl ring

By Tim Hall

Feb 13, 2009

Who would have thought Gary Russell getting waived by the Steelers could be a good thing?  It gave former Duke football player Patrick Bailey the opportunity to follow his dream of playing in the NFL. 

Bailey unfortunately finished his career at Duke with a season ending knee injury against Wake Forest.  He was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Steelers, and was waived and re-signed twice before making it to the active roster for good, where he stayed the final 10 weeks of the regular season and throughout the playoffs.

The second time he was sent back to the practice squad was because of a hamstring injury, not his play.  Bailey told Mike Maniscalco on 99.9 The Fan ESPN Radio the reason he had such a successful rookie season.

"I believe I was just stubborn enough," said Bailey.  "I believed I was at least going to make it on the practice squad, I mean I got cut after the pre-season but I didn't hang my head, it just made me work harder."

Success can be defined in a number of ways, but Bailey did earn the team's rookie of the year award for his play on special teams.  Not bad for an undrafted player.

On February 1, Bailey suited up in the Super Bowl win against Arizona, and even recorded a solo tackle.  A Duke football player who won four games in his collegiate career will wear a Super Bowl ring after his rookie season.  The guy who got cut early on to make room for Bailey, Gary Russell, he will wear one too.