Guest Columnist: Why Ken Riley's Selection to Canton is 'Bittersweet'

(EDITOR’S NOTE: Each week we ask a guest columnist to contribute. Today, it’s Hall-of-Fame voter Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com on the importance of Ken Riley’s election to Canton as part of its Class of 2023).

PHOENIX, Ariz.-- The late Ken Riley, the quintessential Paul Brown player, has joined his old coach in Canton.

Riley finally picked off a spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Thursday night as a senior candidate months shy of the 40^th anniversary of his last NFL interception. At the time, that put him fourth on the all-time list with 65.

Only one man, Hall-of-Famer Rod Woodson has passed him since.

It’s a number that held up so well that it caught the eyes of two modern era cornerbacks joining him in the Hall’s 2023 class.

“I don’t know if we had those combined," Ronde Barber said to Darrelle Revis at the NFL Honors news conference. "That’s close to it.”

Unbelievably close.

Those two combined for 76 interceptions in careers that ended in the decade of the teens of the 21^st century. When Barber retired in 2012, 18 quarterbacks threw at least 500 passes. When Riley retired three decades before that, five did it.

Those 65 picks are still the most ever by a pure cornerback for one team.

“It’s bittersweet,” said Ken Riley II, his relentless journey to get his father recognized complete. “Just relief. And disbelief because it’s been over 30 years for this to finally happen. It’s like, ‘Wow.’

Riley died suddenly at 72 nearly three years ago. But the number 65, now tied for fifth with Hall-of-Famer Charles Woodson, lives.

“He was one of those guys that I think we all can say, ‘He should have made the Hall of Fame many, many years ago,’ ” Barber said. “His numbers speak for themselves. You don’t get 65 interceptions very easily. He was what the embodiment of the corner in that era was, and it’s nice for his family to see him get his space.”

Bengals’ president Mike Brown saw his father draft Riley in the sixth round at the dawn of a new era in 1969. It was the second year of the franchise, the year before the merger and a year removed from Paul Brown’s Baby Bengals’ miracle AFC Central title. It’s also when Brown asked the Florida A&M rookie quarterback to move to a foreign land.

Cornerback.

“He had never played the position, and he took to it so quickly. It was quite remarkable,” Brown said. “He would have a feel by the pattern when the ball was going to come. He would think like a quarterback. He would just sense what was going on in the quarterback’s mind as he covered.”

Riley retired 15 years and 65 picks later. It was a time when Paul Brown urged his players to succeed at their “life’s work” after their careers were over. Riley did. A Rhodes Scholarship finalist, he used those brains to come through as the head coach at his alma mater and later athletic director.

Brown liked his players smart and reliable, with an eye to their “life’s work” after football. Riley was all three, a no-frills, all-around mistake-free player who could play the run and the pass on the field and was a wildly successful person off it in the Paul Brown tradition.

“Ken was a top cover corner,” Mike Brown said. “He could play the ball at the point of reception so well that he became one of the top interceptors of all time. And he would tackle. Only 185 pounds, he hit hard. Receivers knew they would pay a price if they caught a ball in front of him.

"Most of all, Ken was a smart player. He didn’t miss assignments. Ever. He was a wonderful person. He looked out for others. Everyone with all levels of the team respected him. He was a man that could be counted on.”

Ken Riley II, 50, has been pushing his father for the Hall for pretty much half of his life. After he played for him at A&M, he realized that making 65 interceptions is no easy feat.

“You’ve got, what? Two (Hall-of-Famers) with a combined 70-something?” Riley asked. “So look at it, and 65 is quite an accomplishment for one player.”

Riley’s election comes on the 25^th anniversary of Bengals’ left tackle Anthony Munoz’s first-ballot induction and sent a wave of good feeling through the Bengals' fan base two weeks after a last second-loss to the Chiefs narrowly missed putting them in a second straight Super Bowl.

“Well-deserved, well-earned and way overdue,” said Bengals’ radio analyst Dave Lapham, the former guard who played 10 seasons with Riley, including 1981 when the team made its first trip to a Super Bowl.

Even fellow Bengals’ Ring of Honor member and Class of 2023 finalist Willie Anderson went on social media to welcome Riley to Canton, despite learning that his own Hall bid fell short in his second straight trip to the finals.

“I’m in a good mood because Kenny Riley is in,” Anderson said. “Because I know what it meant for him. He mentioned it to me before he passed away. The only sad part about it is he’s not here to see it, but I talk to his son. We text. They’re excited.

“They’ve been pushing for me, pulling for me and we’ve all been pulling for them. (Thursday was) a great feeling. I know what that man meant. I love when the greats who came before me get honored.”

Another thing Paul Brown urged his players to do: When you win, say nothing. When you lose, say even less.

On the biggest win of his Dad’s life, Ken Riley II found himself recalling his parents’ 50^th anniversary that he set up in Mexico with the entire family. It was a year before his father died, and his Dad told him it would be hard to top.

Now there’s the Aug. 5 trip to Canton for induction.

“We’ll never forget that trip,” Ken Riley II said. “That’s the best trip I ever had. This will be kind of closure.”