Looking to Shine in Shrine : Jeff Bailey Never Met a Challenge He Didn’t Like

As a freshman at Fullerton High School, Jeff Bailey was looking for a new challenge. He was a pretty good soccer player and had experienced some early success as a swimmer. But once his father took him to a football game at Fullerton, Bailey knew where he wanted to channel his competitive spirit.

“I was just sick of soccer,” said Bailey, who is training with the South team at Azusa Pacific University in preparation for Saturday’s Shrine football game at the Rose Bowl. “And after watching football, I decided that’s what I wanted to do in high school.”

Bailey, who is 6-feet 3-inches tall and weighs 265 pounds, is a versatile athlete who earned All-Freeway League honors as a senior offensive lineman last season at Fullerton. He is expected to start at tackle Saturday and will attend UCLA on a football scholarship in the fall.

“He’s a quick, big guy who moves well and is a great pass protector,” said Marty Spalding, the South line coach.

Said Bob Johnson, head coach of the South team: “He’s a hard worker who is dedicated to the things that make a good football player. Jeff is not your basic all-star who says, ‘I’m this guy and I play this position.’ He’s very adaptable.”

Bailey also may have some playing time at center Saturday and at UCLA.

Bailey began competing in sports when he was 5, and from the start it was apparent that he had the right attitude.

His father, Jerry, said that as a child, Jeff showed a great sense of competitiveness.

“Even as a little kid,” the elder Bailey said, “I could see him stand back and watch somebody very good at a sport and he would imitate that.”

Bailey says he has always wanted to jump into the action. He recalls that when his mother first took him to go swimming, he was ready to jump off the board before anyone else his age.

By the time he was 6, he held the Stop swim team of Placentia record for his age group in the 50-yard butterfly.

“I’ve always tried to be first or No. 1 at everything,” Bailey said. “Right now, it takes a lot of hard work to do that, and I have to keep a good state of mind, but I think I can do it.

“I just hate to lose. I’ve always hated losing.”

At 7, he took up soccer and played in junior leagues until he was 13.

At Fullerton, Bailey was as successful in baseball as he was in football and played both sports at the varsity level for three years. He was an all-league first baseman who hit .451 and had 10 home runs his senior season.

Oklahoma State, Cal State Long Beach and Stanford were some of the schools that showed interest in his baseball talents, but Bailey plans to become bigger and stronger, which he says will prevent him from playing baseball.

“I’m just too big for baseball now,” Bailey said.

Recruited for football by such schools as Arizona State, USC, Washington and Nebraska, Bailey chose UCLA because, “I’ve always wanted to play there. It’s close to home, and the team is great.”

Bailey’s main goal now is to extend his football career as long as possible. His first priority is to get a lot of playing time at UCLA.

“What I hope to accomplish there is to start three years,” he said. “Then I wouldn’t mind a pro career.”