FAMU Legend, Ken Riley Elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame
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Posted By: S. Moore on February 14, 2023 Tallahassee, Fla. –– Florida A&M University President Larry Robinson, Ph.D., and the University community welcomed the election of Rattler and Cincinnati Bengals legend Ken Riley to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Riley, who retired from the NFL 40 years ago, was elected as a member of the 2023 Hall of Fame Class unveiled during the NFL Honors broadcast from Phoenix, Arizona, Thursday night. Riley died in 2020 at the age of 72. He played for the Bengals from 1969 to 1983. During his career, he recorded 65 interceptions in 207 starts for the Bengals, a tally that ranks fifth in NFL history and first for the Bengals. “Ken Riley went about his life with dignity and humility. His results alone tell the story. He has not played in four decades, but he’s still the fifth all-time leader in interceptions in the NFL,” Robinson said. “This honor is long overdue, but so well deserved. Unfortunately, Ken is no longer here to celebrate with us, but we know his family and the FAMUly are overjoyed with this news. This will be recognized as a “Great Things Moment” for FAMU and Ken’s family. He has now received his due.” Riley made his mark as a FAMU student-athlete, championship-winning head coach, and long-time athletics director. As a four-year starting quarterback for FAMU, Riley guided the Rattlers to a 23-7 record and three Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference titles. During his eight-year tenure as FAMU head football coach, beginning in 1986, Riley led the team to two Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) championships and earned a pair of MEAC Coach of the Year honors. Riley also served as the Rattlers’ athletics director from 1993-2004. Riley was inducted into the FAMU Athletics Hall of Fame in 1982, the Black College Football Hall of Fame in 2015, and the Cincinnati Bengals inaugural Ring of Honor in 2021. “Congratulations to FAMU alumnus Ken Riley and the Riley family on his posthumous selection as a 2023 Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee,” said Vice President/Athletics Director Tiffani-Dawn Sykes. “It’s no surprise to members of the Rattlers community that he has earned this honor. Riley has shown that an HBCU can prepare you to excel anywhere, at anything, on any level.” FLORIDA A&M QUARTERBACK TURNED NFL DB Riley was a standout quarterback for legendary FAMU coach Jake Gaither. During that time, blacks were simply not allowed to play quarterback. Great black college quarterbacks were changed to running backs, wide receivers or defensive backs. It’s simply how the NFL operated at the time. There was a belief that black quarterbacks did not have the mentality to play that position at the highest level. Ironically, Riley was brilliant, earning a Rhodes Scholar nomination his senior year. “Paul Brown said ‘You are a defensive back’,” Riley said. After Riley graduated, NFL teams showed interest in him. The Bengals told Riley to begin training as a defensive back…a position he had never played. “When I was in high school and in college, as a quarterback we were somewhat pampered. All teams protected their quarterbacks,” Riley said in a 2019 interview. After being taken by the Bengals, Riley would spend his summer at Florida State training in hip rotation and drills to teach him to break on passes and drive to a receiver. In the end, Riley credits being a quarterback with understanding what was going on from the other side of the ball. RILEY HAD TO PROVE HIMSELF IN THE NFL Riley had a chip on his shoulder since he left FAMU as he faced the scrutiny being from Florida A&M. “I wanted to prove to everyone that even though I went to a small black college, I could play on a larger level,” Riley said. “Being a quarterback, I wasn’t a brash guy, I did my job. Every coach I had from high school to the NFL, I was always taught humility, let your work speak for you,” Riley said. ” “There were some times when I led the conference (three times) in interceptions. It went unnoticed. That’s something I can’t control. There are guys that are in there (Pro Football Hall of Fame) that don’t have the numbers I have. In Cincinnati we were not publicized or glorified so to speak. Paul Brown’s philosophy was that was what he was paying you to do.” During the Bengals’ Ring of Honor celebration, Riley’s widow Barbara was asked what she thought of the celebration. In tears she replied “It was wonderful. I just wish Ken was here to see it.” The Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2023 will be inducted during NFL Honors, which takes place at 9 p.m. ET on Thursday, Feb. 9, and airs on NBC, Peacock and NFL Network. SOURCE FAMU Newsletter https://www.famu.edu/about-famu/news/famu-... If you enjoyed this article, Join HBCU CONNECT today for similar content and opportunities via email! |
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