Bigman, big impact
Coaches, players remember ex-UM football star Cortez Kennedy.
“Those are the friends you cherish, the ones who helped you become the person you became.” Cortez Kennedy
When told Cortez Kennedywas found dead Tuesday in Orlando, Leo Armbrust picked up the phone and started down the roster. He called Warren Sapp, who broke down in tears at the news. He called Randal Hill, whowas stunned into silence. The chaplain for thoseUniversity of Miami football teams called RussellMaryland, who played defensive tackle beside Kennedy on the ’89 national champions, a pairing that caused theHurricane sideline to break into laughter when opposing offenses tried to run up the middle.
Armbrust calledMelvin Bratton and Gino Torretta and Alonzo Highsmith and called but didn’t reach Randy Shannon, who one summer slept in front of the refrigerator in the apartment he shared with Kennedy in a story that goes down in ’Canes lore.
Thiswas beforeKennedy’s junior year in 1988, before hewas a known talent, before he became theNo. 3 pick in the 1990 NFL draft, the NFL defensive player of the year for Seattle in 1992 and a Pro FootballHall of Famer in 2012.
Back when Shannon slept in front of the refrigerator, Kennedywas a little-known wide body froma Mississippi junior college whowas threatening to eat himself right off the team. Or at least off the defense.
Coach Jimmy Johnsonwarned that if Kennedy didn’t lose someweight and
regain some quickness, he would bemoved to the offensive line. We’ll never knowif thatwas a real threat or a motivational prod. Jimmy knew what kind of a player he had. They all did. That’s why Shannon became guardian of the fridge, assuringKennedy indeed lostweight to become that player.
“Those are the friends you cherish, the ones who helped you become the person you became,” Kennedy said years later, after footballwas done for him and Shannonwas coaching Miami.
They’re dying too young, of course. So many of them, so young. Kennedy was just 48, still early in the second half of life, if youwant to keep the football metaphor. But death has been part of their story for a while, as KennedyworeNo. 99 instead of his regularNo. 96 one year with the Seattle Seahawks to honor a Miami mentor, Jerome Brown, who died in a car accident.
Nowthere will be remembrances ofKennedy. Hewas a bigman with a big personality befitting those ’Canes teams. He threatened to knock out the Florida State horse, Renegade, when it galloped across the field before their game. He didn’t, of course.
Mostly, his crazy stuff was reserved for doing what few defensive tackles could. Hewas so good by his final college season that theywould have to get him off the practice field so the offense couldwork on its plays. “Go get somewater,” coacheswould say toKennedy.
He knew whatwas up. Everyone did. His football work speaks for itself. AllAmerica at Miami? Fourteen sacks as a defensive tackle one season in Seattle? Eight Pro Bowl selections? Canton?
He played on only one winning team, in Seattle, but that franchise knew what it had in a player and a person. That’swhy his No. 96was retired in 2000. It’swhy the man he played for with the Seahawks, general manager Mickey Loomis, later took him to NewOrleans as an adviser.
Kennedywas as sensible as hewas talented, as much as those who navigate new riches and fame can be. He bought six cars upon being drafted. Onewent to his mother. Another to his girlfriend. He kept four himself. Then the insurance bill came. He sold three of them.
“Iwas good withmy money after that,” he said.
He’d lostweight in recent years, kept in touch with teammates. One of those he kept in touch with was Armbrust, who on Tuesday eveningwas still calling down the roster.
He talked with defensive end BillHawkins, who remembered Kennedy arriving at Miami with one goal in life: to be a state trooper in his home state of Arkansas. Hawkins repeated the story through laughter.
“Who knows where Tez got that idea?” he said.
Then his voice dropped and he said what they all said Tuesday up and down that great team’s roster.
“It’s hard to believe he’s gone.”