Former Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Ken Riley will finally be inducted into the Hall of Fame this August. However, for Riley's widow Barbara and the rest of their family, his induction will be a bittersweet occasion.
Ken Riley, who played exclusively for the Bengals during a 14-year career from 1969-1983 and went on to coach Florida A&M, unfortunately died in 2020 of a heart attack and did not live to see himself make it into the Hall of Fame. He made First Team All-Pro in 1983 and was a Second Team All-Pro two times in 1975 and 1976. Most notably, he is tied for the fifth most interceptions of all time with fellow Hall of Famer Charles Woodson. Riley is the last player in the top-7 all-time of interceptions to make the Hall of Fame.
The 40 years for Ken Riley to make the Hall of Fame was long for both him and his wife. After being passed on for years, he was especially hopeful he'd make the Hall in 2019 for the NFL's 100th anniversary class, but was looked over once again. His trajectory finally turned around when he was inducted into the Bengals' inaugural Ring of Honor in 2021 and ultimately announced for the Class of 2023 in February.
Barbara reflected on the long wait saying, “In 2019 he was done with this. I didn’t question him and I let him vent. He felt the dream of fulfilling that circle had past him by. He felt that probably he had played so long ago that there weren’t enough that remembered him to make it in. One day he was very down about it and said this would not happen in his lifetime. He didn’t speak about it much at all after 2019,” per Vaughn Wilson of HBCU Gameday.
Barbara Riley will get to unveil her late husband's bust and their son Ken II will give the acceptance speech on behalf of his father. The induction ceremony will take place on August 5th.
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