Dré Bly Donald André " Dré " Bly ( born May 22 , 1977 ) is a retired American college and professional football player who was a cornerback in the National Football League ( NFL ) for eleven seasons . He played college football for the University of North Carolina ( UNC ) , and earned All - American honors twice . Bly was drafted by the St . Louis Rams in the second round of the 1999 NFL Draft , and spent four seasons with the Rams , earning a Super Bowl ring with them from Super Bowl XXXIV . He was selected to two Pro Bowl s during his four - year tenure with the Detroit Lions , and also played for the Denver Broncos and San Francisco 49ers . Early years . Bly was born in Portsmouth , Virginia . He graduated from Western Branch High School in Chesapeake , where he was an all - state high school football player as well as a decorated baseball player for Western Branch Bruins . College career . Bly attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill , where he played for the North Carolina Tar Heels football team . In his redshirt freshman season at UNC , he led the nation with 11 interceptions . He received all - American honors , and is only one of five players in NCAA history to achieve this honor as a freshman ( Tony Dorsett , Herschel Walker , Bjorn Merten , and Marshall Faulk being the others ) . Bly was the only football player in UNC and Atlantic Coast Conference ( ACC ) history to receive consensus first - team All - America honors twice in his college career . In his sophomore year , he was one of three finalists for the Bronko Nagurski National Defensive Player of the Year Award . Bly set the ACC record for career interceptions ( 20 ) , which was later broken by Alphonso Smith of Wake Forest ( 21 ) . Professional career . Bly , at 186 pounds , ran a 4 . 51 second 40 - yard dash , 4 . 09 second 20 - yard shuttle , 7 . 10 3 - cone drill , and had a vertical jump of 35½ inches at the 1999 NFL Combine . St . Louis Rams . The St . Louis Rams selected Bly in the second round of the 1999 NFL Draft . Bly started his career in St . Louis , playing there for four years . While with the Rams , Bly received a Super Bowl ring for Super Bowl XXXIV , and appeared two years later in Super Bowl XXXVI , when the Rams lost to the New England Patriots . First stint with Lions . In 2003 , Bly left the St . Louis Rams and signed as a free agent with the Detroit Lions . He made the Pro Bowl in two of his seasons with the team . Bly was the 2003 recipient of the Detroit Lions / Detroit Sports Broadcasters Association / Pro Football Writers Association ' s Media - Friendly " Good Guy " Award . The Good Guy Award is given yearly to the Detroit Lions player who shows consideration to , and cooperation with the media at all times during the course of the season . On November 29 , 2005 , the day after Lions head coach Steve Mariucci was fired , Bly told the NFL Network that if their back - up quarterback , Jeff Garcia , had been healthy the entire season , the Lions would be in a better situation , and Mariucci would still be coaching the team . He has since apologized , albeit not to Joey Harrington , the Lions starting quarterback that season . Denver Broncos . On March 1 , 2007 , Bly was traded by the Detroit Lions to the Denver Broncos for running back Tatum Bell , offensive tackle George Foster , and a 5th round draft pick . On March 28 , 2007 , the Denver Broncos and Bly agreed to a 5 - year , $ 33 million contract . The contract includes $ 18 million in bonus money and $ 16 million guaranteed . Bly finished the 2007 season as the Broncos leader in interceptions with five . The Broncos restructured Bly ' s contract on February 18 , 2008 to free up salary cap space and keep Bly on the team . As of December 1 , 2008 , Dre Bly had a total of 98 Tackles and 7 Interceptions with the Broncos . The Broncos released Bly on February 17 , 2009 . San Francisco 49ers . On May 21 , 2009 , Bly signed a one - year , $ 845 , 000 contract with the San Francisco 49ers . Second stint with Lions . On July 2 , 2010 , Bly re - signed with the Detroit Lions . Bly was released on Sept . 4 , 2010 . Personal life . Bly and his wife Kristyn , have four sons : Trey , Jordan , AJ and Emanuel and a daughter , Peyton Bly also has an older sister Donna Bly , who is a high school teacher .