Former NFL running back Johnny Bailey, who went from small-college stardom to the Pro Bowl, has died from pancreatic cancer. He was 43.
Bailey's death was announced Friday by Texas A&M-Kingsville, the NCAA Division II school for which he played when it was known as Texas A&I.
A ninth-round draft pick by the Chicago Bears in 1990, Bailey played in 81 games and scored nine touchdowns over six seasons in the NFL and was a Pro Bowl kick returner in 1992, when he averaged 13.2 yards on punt returns for the then-Phoenix Cardinals.
Bailey spent two seasons each with the Bears and Cardinals, then finished his pro career with the Rams, playing one season in Los Angeles and another in St. Louis. He holds the Chicago team record for the longest punt return, a 95-yarder for a touchdown against the Kansas City Chiefs during his rookie season.
The Houston native rushed for 832 career yards and six touchdowns on 132 carries, caught 161 passes for 1,355 yards and one score and averaged 9.6 yards per punt return and 21 yards per kickoff return. He had 58 receptions with the Los Angeles Rams in 1994.
Bailey starred at Texas A&I, rushing for 6,320 yards from 1986 to 1989 and becoming the second college player, following Pitt's Tony Dorsett, to gain more than 6,000. Bailey was a three-time Division II player of the year and runner-up for the award as a freshman, when he ran for 2,011 yards. His 7,803 all-purpose yards is an NCAA career record.
Bailey was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2000.
Funeral arrangements were pending.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
