Cortez Kennedy, NFL Hall of Fame defensive tackle, dies at 48
Cortez Kennedy, a 300-pound but nimble defensive tackle for the Seattle Seahawks in the 1990s who was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2012, was found dead Tuesday at his home in Orlando, Fla. He was 48.
A spokeswoman for the Orlando Police Department said that there was nothing suspicious about Kennedy’s death but that it was being investigated. He had been experiencing headaches in the past week, his stepfather, Joe Harris, said in a telephone interview.
Kennedy was unexpectedly quick for his size, which enabled him to explode off the line of scrimmage when the ball was snapped. He became the prototype for the strong, 300-pound-plus defensive linemen of the 1990s. “I like being big because it gives me confidence,” he told
Sports Illustrated in 1992, the year he had a career-high 14 sacks. “Nobody wants to mess with me, and it helps me play my position.”
Kennedy, the third player chosen in the 1990 NFL draft out of the University of Miami, played his entire 11-year career with the Seahawks. He was named by The Associated Press as the league’s defensive player of the year for the 1992 season, despite Seattle’s 2-14 record that year, and was selected for eight Pro Bowls.
Kennedy had 58 sacks and three interceptions in his career. He also returned a fumble 39 yards for a touchdown.