All-Pro CB Ken Riley dies at 72
Rory Sharrock
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Ken Riley, a former Bengals’ All-Pro cornerback and former Florida A&M quarterback and head football coach, died Sunday morning at his home in Bartow, Florida. He was 72.
Florida A&M University announced the death of one of the school’s most respected icons on Twitter. Riley spent 15 years in the NFL with the Bengals from 1969 to 1983. He had 65 interceptions, fifth in NFL history.
Riley played quarterback at FAMU in the 1960s. He later worked as the Rattlers’ head coach (1986-93) and athletic director (1994-02). Under his leadership as the AD, FAMU won 35 MEAC championships in 11 sports.
“He was a good man. He was one of our greatest athletes and person,” FAMU Sports Hall of Fame chairman Alvin Hollins said.
“Ken showed tremendous leadership as a student and a quarterback. The only regret is that he didn’t get in the Pro Football Hall of Fame before he passed. Several of the players he coached made it to the NFL. We had great success with him as a coach and athletics director.”
Riley enrolled at FAMU in 1965. He earned a starting position at quarterback the following season. Under the direction of legendary head coach Jake Gaither, Riley compiled a career record of 23-7 and led the Rattlers to Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) titles during each season.
At FAMU, Riley was an elusive scrambler. In his senior year, he completed 100 of 108 passes (92.5%) for 1,408 yards and 14 touchdowns. In addition to his success on the field, he was a Rhodes Scholar.
After college, he was selected in the sixth round of the 1969 NFL draft by the Bengals and converted to cornerback. He also played in Super Bowl XVI. Cincinnati lost 26-21 to San Francisco.
After retiring from the NFL, the three-time All-Pro (1975, 1976 and 1983) returned to FAMU to work as a head coach. He led his alma mater to a 48-39-2 record and captured MEAC crowns in 1988 and 1990. The Rattlers also recorded three top-20 finishes in the polls in 1988, 1990 and 1992.
Riley was inducted into the Black College Football Hall of Fame in 2015.