26 Facts About Ken Riley

Kenneth Jerome Riley was an American professional football cornerback who spent his entire career with the Cincinnati Bengals, first in the American Football League in 1969 and then the National Football League from 1970 through 1983.

Ken Riley was never once selected to play in the AFL All-Star Game or the Pro Bowl, but he was selected to three All-Pro teams.

Ken Riley earned his team's scholastic award and a Rhodes Scholar candidacy.

When Ken Riley reported to training camp, Cincinnati head coach Paul Brown decided to convert Ken Riley to the cornerback position, as the team had selected quarterback Greg Cook with the 5th pick of the draft and he was expected to be their quarterback of the future.

Ken Riley started his career with Cincinnati in its second and last year in the American Football League.

Ken Riley was used for kick returns as well as a defensive back.

Ken Riley made his first interception in his fifth game, doing so against the Denver Broncos off Pete Liske.

Ken Riley would have four interceptions in the closing five games for the Bengals.

In nine starts, Ken Riley had four interceptions while returning 14 kicks for 334 yards with two receptions for 15 yards.

For 1970, Ken Riley did not have an interception in his first 11 games.

The Bengals made the playoffs that year, but Ken Riley did not record a statistic in the loss.

In 1971, Ken Riley had five interceptions, which included two interceptions each against Houston and San Diego.

Ken Riley would follow this up with 25 combined in his next five seasons.

Ken Riley started by having five interceptions in 1974, which included his first three-game streak of interceptions since 1971, doing so against Baltimore, Pittsburgh, and Houston.

Ken Riley improved further in 1975, rising to six interceptions that included one each in five consecutive games.

Ken Riley did not garner a Pro Bowl selection, but he was given some press within All-Pro votes, as Associated Press and the Sporting News named him First-team All-Conference.

Ken Riley moved to three with 1980, but the 1981 season proved a rejuvenation.

Ken Riley recovered a fumble and had five interceptions that year, including four in a three-game span while Cincinnati made a playoff run that year.

Ken Riley had five interceptions that year, with the highlight being against the Los Angeles Raiders, where he recorded three interceptions off Jim Plunkett.

Ken Riley did so with eight interceptions in 14 games, and he led the league with returning two of them for touchdowns with two fumble recoveries and 89 return yards.

At the time of his retirement, Ken Riley was fourth all-time in interceptions with 65.

Ken Riley played in seven postseason games with Cincinnati, recording an interception in three of them.

Ken Riley is one of only 26 players in the cornerback position to have played 200 games in the NFL, with Ken Riley ranking 16th.

Ken Riley then retired and lived the rest of his life in his hometown of Bartow, Florida.

Ken Riley was posthumously inducted to the Bengals Ring of Honor as a part of their inaugural class.

Ken Riley died of a heart attack on June 7,2020, at the age of 72.