Dre' Bly is a former American football cornerback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons. He was born on May 22, 1977, in Chesapeake, Virginia, and attended Western Branch High School in Chesapeake. Bly played college football at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he was a two-time consensus All-American and won the Jim Thorpe Award as the nation's top defensive back in 1998.
Bly was selected by the St. Louis Rams in the second round of the 1999 NFL Draft. He played for the Rams for four seasons, from 1999 to 2002, and was a key member of the team's "Greatest Show on Turf" offense, which won Super Bowl XXXIV in 2000. Bly was named to the Pro Bowl in each of his first two seasons with the Rams and was a first-team All-Pro selection in 2001.
After the 2002 season, Bly was traded to the Detroit Lions, where he played for five seasons, from 2003 to 2006 and again in 2008. He was named to the Pro Bowl in 2003 and 2004 and was a second-team All-Pro selection in 2003. Bly was known for his ball-hawking skills, as he recorded 20 interceptions during his time with the Lions.
Bly played one season with the Denver Broncos in 2007, where he recorded five interceptions and was named a Pro Bowl alternate. He then returned to the Lions for the 2008 season before finishing his career with the San Francisco 49ers in 2009.
In total, Bly played in 175 NFL games, starting 168 of them. He recorded 43 interceptions, 20 forced fumbles, and 11 fumble recoveries during his career. Bly was known for his aggressive style of play and his ability to make big plays in key moments.
After retiring from the NFL, Bly went into coaching. He served as a defensive backs coach at his alma mater, the University of North Carolina, from 2013 to 2016. He then joined the coaching staff of the University of Alabama in 2018 as an analyst before being promoted to cornerbacks coach in 2019.
Overall, Dre' Bly had a successful career in the NFL, earning two Pro Bowl selections and one Super Bowl championship. He was known for his ball-hawking skills and his aggressive style of play, and he has continued to make an impact in the football world as a coach.
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