Welcome back to the 5 minute time killer series of players that you loved, supported, and thought maybe didn't get enough credit throughout or after their playing career.
Ok so Ken Riley. Have you heard of him? If you're under 30 and not a Bengals fan, chances are you haven't. When I say he is the greatest CB to not be in the Hall of Fame, it's true. Hell you could even say he is the greatest PLAYER to not be in the Hall. Let me break down for you:
Ken Riley came out of tiny HBCU, Florida A&M in 1969. Drafted in the 6th round and 135th overall to the Bengals.
Coming out of college, Riley was just under 6 foot, standing in at 5'11" and weighing 181 pounds. Typically in this era, I'm not sure why, but I always think of massive secondary players, huge shoulder pads, a two bar facemask, and stick'em. So when I saw his physicals, I thought undersized for the time he played in. Did that matter to Riley?
Short answer: Hell no.
Long answer: Dude was a baller. While at Florida A&M, Riley (a star QB) led the Rattlers to a 23-7 record and 3 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference titles. In addition to being a skilled athlete, Riley also excelled academically. He earned his team's scholastic award and a Rhodes Scholar candidacy. In 1977, Riley was enshrined in Florida A&M's Athletic Hall of Fame.
Paul Brown selected Riley in the 6th round of the 1969 Common Draft and converted him to CB in training camp. This was the 2nd to last year before the AFL-NFL merger.
At the time Riley was drafted, there were no black starting quarterbacks in the league, hence the position swap.
He made an immediate impact his rookie year. He made his first interception in his fifth game, doing so against the Broncos. He would have four interceptions in the final five games for the Bengals.In nine starts, Riley had four interceptions while returning 14 kicks for 334 yards with two receptions for 15 yards.
Ok not bad. But it gets oh so much better.
For 1970, Riley did not have an interception in his first 11 games. However, he broke the drought against San Diego and had four interceptions in the last three games of the year, including his first two-interception game in the season finale against the Patriots.
He kept improving during his tenure, gaining respect amongst his peers and teammates, but rarely on the national stage. That changed in 1975 when he picked off 6 ints, going on a 5 game int streak and recording his first pick-6 and an All-Pro nod.
This guy always got interceptions. Highest total being 9 in 1976 and 8 in his last year in 1983.
Career totals: 65 interceptions (4th All-Time at the time of retirement), 596 return yards, 5 touchdowns, 18 fumble recoveries, 96 fumble return yards, 334 kickoff return yards, and 15 receiving yards and a 3x All-Pro.
So why didn't he get more attention? First of all, he played for a franchise that wasn't the Steelers, Raiders, Cowboys, Packers, or 49ers during this era.
It seems like everyone from those teams got in and got more attention on the national stage.
Second of all, the competition he was going up against was stacked. Willie Brown, Mel Blount, Roger Wehrli, and Mike Haynes. (Probably more names I'm forgetting)
Oh and fellow teammate Lemar Parrish got to pro-bowls before Riley predominantly due to his flashy kick off and punt returns.
After retiring as a player, Riley spent two seasons as an assistant with the Green Bay Packers before taking over as coach at FAMU, where he went 48-39-2 from 1986-93. He won two Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference titles and was a two-time MEAC coach of the year. He took over as athletic director from 1994-2002. During those years, the Rattlers won 35 MEAC championships in 11 total sports.
For a man who had been elected to everything from the Black College Football Hall of Fame to his hometown Polk County Hall of Fame, Riley, like his supporters, had no answers.
"People ask why I'm not in and I say I don't know," Riley told Bengals.com last season. "I'm really embarrassed by it because I've got my high school petitioning. The county commissioners petitioning. I appreciate it, but it's embarrassing. I'm not like that. I guess I just didn't get the exposure."
I could go on and on, but if you're not convinced by now the name Ken Riley should be in the HoF, then nothing will.
Teammate Louis Breedan, a fellow Bengal Great, asked,, "How great is that? How great is it that he had 65 interceptions at a position he never played until he got to the NFL? That's how frickin' good Ken Riley was."
Tragically, Riley will not see himself enshrined as he passed away last year from cardiac arrest.
Full disclosure, I am not good at writing about skill positions. I played on the offensive/defensive line in my playing days, but I did my best to give Riley the credit he deserves. (Also on mobile, typing with a thumb, and holding my newborn so...shits hard at times.)
Thank you so much for reading this shit post in a unbearably boring off season. If you got a player you want me to write about, I have some time to kill at the moment. I take recommendations for players that have been retired at least a decade.
Walang komento:
Mag-post ng isang Komento