Saturday, February 28, 2015

Florida A&M's Ken Riley inducted into Black College Football Hall of Fame Today

  • FAMU football coach Ken Riley at a practice session - Tallahassee, Florida in 1986. Riley was a former professional American Football defensive back for the Cincinnati Bengals. In 1986 he took over as the head coach of his alma mater, Florida A&M. Riley coached Florida A&M from 1986-1993, compiling a 48-39-2 record, with two Mid-Eastern Athletic conference titles and 2 MEAC coach of the year awards. Riley then served as Florida A&M's athletic director from 1994-2003.
  • COURTESY: State Archives of Florida, Florida Memory, Mark T. Foley, Photographer
CINCINNATI, Ohio -- Former Bengals cornerback Ken Riley will be inducted into the Black College Football  Hall of Fame on Saturday in Atlanta.

Riley lives on as a legend in Bengals history after a 14-year career (1969-83) where he set the team record for interceptions with 65. The Rattler, as he would be known, ranks fifth on the all-time NFL list for picks and the most by a player with a single team. His nine interceptions in the 1976 season are only topped in Bengals history by the 10 picks by Deltha O'Neal in 2004.

He'll enter the Hall this weekend for his accomplishments at Florida A&M University.

The 2015 Class includes Roger Brown (University of Maryland Eastern Shore), Richard Dent (Tennessee State University), L.C. Greenwood (University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff) Ernie “Big Cat” Ladd (Grambling State University), Ken Riley (Florida A&M University), Donnie Shell (South Carolina State University) and Coach W.C. Gorden (Jackson State University).

This marks the latest Hall of Fame induction for Riley, who also is a member of Florida Sports Hall of Fame, the Florida A&M Hall of Fame, the Polk County Hall of Fame, the cities of Bartow and Tallahassee Halls of Fame and the public-school Hall of Fame.

Despite his myriad accomplishments in both the collegiate and then professional ranks with Cincinnati, he's still not a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Earlier this month, Hall of Fame voter Rick Gosselin made a pitch for his inclusion on the veteran's committee list.

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