Ex-FAMU coach Riley dies
ST. PETERSBURG — Ken Riley, the former Cincinnati Bengals standout who was head coach and athletic director at alma mater Florida A&M, died Sunday. He was 72.
The school announced the death, saying Riley died in his hometown of Bartow. A cause of death was not released.
Riley played 15 seasons for the Bengals as a defensive back, with 65 career interceptions — fifth in NFL history — for 596 yards and five touchdowns — all franchise records. He recovered 18 fumbles.
Before his NFL career, Riley was a four-year starter at quarterback for the Rattlers.
“FAMU athletics and the entire Rattler Nation is deeply saddened of the passing of former FAMU football player, head coach, athletics director and NFL great Ken Riley,” Vice President and Director of Athletics Kortne Gosha said in a statement. “We wish his family our deepest condolences.”
Riley, who was African American, was chosen in the sixth round of the 1969 NFL draft by the Bengals, who under coach Paul Brown decided to convert him to cornerback. At the time, black starting quarterbacks in the NFL were all but unheard of. Riley retired in 1983.
Riley spent two seasons as an assistant with the Green Bay Packers before taking over as coach at Florida A&M, where he went 48-39-2 from 1986-93.
He won two Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference titles and was a two-time MEAC coach of the year.
Harvick wins at Atlanta: Kevin Harvick turned in another dominating run at Atlanta Motor Speedway, cruising to victory over Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr. in the NASCAR Cup race Sunday.
Competing again in front of empty grandstands, Harvick won for the second time since NASCAR returned from the shutdown caused by the coronavirus pandemic, adding to his emotional victory at Darlington in the first race back. Harvick came into the day having led 1,138 laps on the 1.54-mile Atlanta trioval, far more than any other driver in the 40-car field.
This one was more of the same. Harvick now has three victories in Atlanta, following up his triumphs in 2001 and 2018.
“It's one of my favorite tracks, for sure,” Harvick said. “I love to win here.”
He now has 51 wins — breaking a tie with Ned Jarrett and Junior Johnson for the 12th spot on the career list.