Kenny Easley played college football for the UCLA Bruins and was a three-time consensus All-American.
39 Facts About Kenny Easley
2.
Kenny Easley has been considered to be among the best defensive backs during his era and one of the Seahawks' all-time greatest players.
3.
Kenny Easley was one of Seahawks' defensive unit leaders and one of the finest defensive players in the NFL during the 1980s.
4.
In 1984, Kenny Easley was named the NFL Defensive Player of the Year by the Associated Press.
5.
Kenny Easley's career ended after the 1987 season, when he was diagnosed with severe kidney disease.
6.
Kenny Easley was the first player in the history of Virginia high school football to rush and pass for over 1,000 yards in a single season, and was named as an all-state and All-American selection at quarterback.
7.
Allegedly recruited by 350 colleges, Kenny Easley selected University of California, Los Angeles and played for the Bruins football team.
8.
Kenny Easley started ten games as a true freshman in 1977, recording nine interceptions and was named to his first all Pac-10 squad.
9.
Kenny Easley was a three-time consensus All-American selection and finished ninth in the Heisman Trophy balloting in 1980.
10.
Kenny Easley played basketball at the junior varsity level for UCLA and was selected by the Chicago Bulls in the tenth round of the 1981 NBA Draft but did not play.
11.
Kenny Easley was the fourth overall pick of the 1981 NFL Draft, selected by the Seattle Seahawks.
12.
Kenny Easley became an immediate starter as a rookie in 1981, recording three interceptions for 155 yards and one touchdown, earning him AFC Defensive Rookie of the Year honors.
13.
In 1983, the Seahawks hired former Buffalo Bills coach Chuck Knox as their head coach and Kenny Easley immediately became the "backbone" of Knox's defense.
14.
In 1984, Kenny Easley led the NFL in interceptions with ten, which tied a club record.
15.
Kenny Easley took over the role of the team's main punt returner when Paul Johns got injured earlier in the season.
16.
In 1985, Kenny Easley was selected for his fourth consecutive Pro Bowl, a team record until defensive tackle Cortez Kennedy was selected for his fifth consecutive Pro Bowl in 1995.
17.
Kenny Easley was injured for most of the 1986 season; he hurt his knee against the San Diego Chargers on October 11, and the next month, missed the remainder of the season due to ankle surgery.
18.
In December, Kenny Easley was rumored to be in the trading block as the Seahawks were attempting to get the first overall pick in the 1987 NFL Draft from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, in order to draft quarterback Vinny Testaverde.
19.
In 1987, Kenny Easley was the Seahawks player representative and a leading figure in the 1987 NFL strike.
20.
Kenny Easley obviously is either desperate to play in the NFL or desperate for money.
21.
Kenny Easley warned his fellow players that he was against the idea of using violence against the replacement players in order to prove a point.
22.
Once the strike ended, Kenny Easley had an off-year as the Seahawks passing defense fell to 25th in the league.
23.
Kenny Easley had told Moyer that he thought his days with the Seahawks were numbered because of his involvement in the player's strike.
24.
Kenny Easley was not surprised when the trade happened but the kidney diagnosis had "shocked" him.
25.
The Seahawks offered several draft picks as compensation to the Cardinals to complete the trade and Kenny Easley announced his retirement a few months later.
26.
Kenny Easley filed a lawsuit against the Seahawks, their team trainer and the team doctors stating that an overdose of Advil for an ankle injury a few years before was the cause of his kidney failure.
27.
Kenny Easley knew as early as 1986 that there were issues with his kidney but finally realized the severity of it when he failed the Cardinals physical.
28.
Kenny Easley claimed that he took 15 to 20 Advils daily for three months to reduce the swelling in his ankle, before a doctor intervened and told him to stop.
29.
Kenny Easley's physicians claimed that they never told him to take the quantity of Advils Kenny Easley claimed he took.
30.
Kenny Easley's case made national headlines and formed discussion involving the safe use of over the counter medication like Advil.
31.
Kenny Easley received a new kidney two years later at the University of Washington Medical Center in Seattle.
32.
The dealership became successful and Kenny Easley was named president of the African American Dealers Association.
33.
Kenny Easley saw this, as well as the fact that the old ownership group was long gone, as an opportunity to reconcile and re-connect with the Seahawks organization.
34.
Kenny Easley accepted the honor and has had cordial relations with the organization since.
35.
Kenny Easley was named an honorary captain during Super Bowl XLIX.
36.
Kenny Easley flipped the coin while Vince Wilfork called the toss on behalf of the captains.
37.
In 2002, Kenny Easley was elected to the Seattle Seahawks Ring of Honor after several attempts by the Seahawks to nominate him, but he was not interested.
38.
Kenny Easley was named to the NFL 1980s All-Decade Team.
39.
In 2016, Kenny Easley was named the senior finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame's 2017 class, and in February 2017 he was elected, and his bust was sculpted by Scott Myers.