Tom Bailey (American football)

George Thomas Bailey (February 7, 1949 – September 2, 2005) was an American football running back in the National Football League (NFL).^[1] He was a 10th round selection (256th overall pick) in the 1971 NFL draft out of Florida State University. He played four seasons for the Philadelphia Eagles from 1971 to 1974.

Bailey was born in Gainesville, Florida, on February 7, 1949. He attended Coral Gables Senior High School in Coral Gables, Florida.

He attended Florida State University, where he played collegiate football for the Florida State Seminoles and set several all-time statistical records, including the first touchdown in the inaugural Peach Bowl. An endowment scholarship in his name was created by Florida State University athletic alumni in 2010.

Following his graduation from Florida State, Bailey entered the National Football League, where he was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the 1971 NFL draft. He played four seasons for the Eagles from 1971 to 1974.

Following his professional football career, Bailey earned an MBA from the University of South Florida and then worked as an executive in consumer products and wholesale pharmaceuticals and launched an IPO for his own consulting firm corporation.

Bailey was married to Susan O'Shea Bailey with whom he raised two children, Erin and Thomas. He resided in Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex area for the majority of his life.

On September 2, 2005, he died in Jacksonville, Florida, from a heart attack and complications from atherosclerosis.