On Thursday night, the number of Hall of Fame players who spent most of their NFL careers with the Cincinnati Bengals could double or triple.
Former Bengals cornerback Ken Riley and former Bengals right tackle Willie Anderson are both finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame 2023 class. On Thursday night at the NFL Honors awards show in Arizona, this year’s Hall of Fame class will be announced.
Ken Riley:Bengals great named a senior committee nominee for 2023 Pro Football HOF class
The announcement:Bengals legend Willie Anderson named a Pro Football Hall of Fame finalist
Riley is one of three finalists on the Seniors Committee ballot. To gain induction, Riley will need to receive at least 80% approval in the Seniors Committee’s vote.
Riley, who died in 2020 at age 72, was one of the best cornerbacks of his era. After playing from 1969 to 1983, Riley recorded 65 interceptions, which still ranks fifth-most in NFL history. He spent his entire career as a cornerback on the Bengals, and Riley was one of the most important players on the Bengals’ AFC championship team in 1981.
Riley's career timeline:A look at NFL Hall of Fame hopeful, Cincinnati Bengals great Ken Riley's career milestones
More on 'The Rattler':5 things to know about Cincinnati Bengals great Ken Riley
Riley missed out on Hall of Fame recognition for a few decades after his career ended. Bengals owner Mike Brown has called Riley’s Hall of Fame bid “long deserved.”
“It is unfortunate Kenny is gone because we know how much he would have appreciated this,” Brown said in a statement in August. “His family is surely pleased at this news. Kenny was a splendid player and still holds the Bengals' record for most interceptions over a career. It would be a wonderful thing if he were selected for the Hall of Fame.”
This year, the Seniors Committee named Riley as one of three finalists from a list of 127 former players whose careers ended before 1998. The list of semifinalists included former Bengals quarterback Ken Anderson, who did not advance to the finalist stage.
On Thursday, Riley could finally become a Hall of Famer.
Willie Anderson, who played his final NFL season in 2008, could also gain that honor. Anderson was named one of 15 finalists on the Modern Era ballot. Anderson is in his 10th year of eligibility for the Hall of Fame, and this is his second time as a finalist.
Anderson's career timeline:A look at Willie Anderson's career milestones as Hall of Fame announcement nears
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“When I made the semifinalist list two years ago and the finalist list last year, I never thought those people would evaluate my career because there wasn’t a lot of limelight to it,” Willie Anderson said in July. “If you break down my career and look at when Pro Football Focus and Pro Football Reference started ranking guys, late in my career, my numbers from 2006 to 2008 were some of the best ever. And I’d like to think my fourth through sixth years, when I gave up no sacks and like two pressures, if they were evaluating analytics back then for linemen, I think it would be one of the all-time best, if not the best.”
Anderson, a three-time All-Pro, played 15 games against Hall of Fame pass rushers and allowed one sack in those games. He played in 181 games with the Bengals between 1996 and 2007 before finishing his career with the Baltimore Ravens in 2008.
“I love to think that I brought a lot of attention toward the right tackle position,” Anderson said. “I think I set the standard for right tackles… Football changed, and I would like to say that I evolved with football and became a dominant pass protector.”
Bengals Ring of Honro:Ken Riley and Ken Anderson added to inaugural class
Riley and Anderson have both been inducted into the Bengals’ Ring of Honor, which the franchise started in 2021 to give more recognition to the best players in the team’s history. Since then, Riley and Anderson have both picked up momentum as Hall of Fame candidates.
So far, former Bengals left tackle Anthony Muñoz is the only player in the Hall of Fame who spent the majority of his career with the Bengals. After making 11 All-Pro teams, Muñoz was named a Hall of Famer in 1998, his first year of eligibility.
“I hope and pray for all of our guys (to get in the Hall of Fame),” Anderson said. “The two Kennys (Anderson and Riley). A guy like Corey Dillon deserves to be in the Hall of Fame. Chad Johnson deserves to be in the Hall of Fame as well. (Those) guys were the best at their positions.”
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