It’s been a tough week for those who knew Ken Riley best. The former Bengals cornerback and HBCU legend was recently laid to rest after a sudden heart attack took his life at the age of 72, but his impact was felt by more than just his family and teammates.
21 years before he became the Bengals head coach, defensive mastermind and Hall of Fame cornerback Dick LeBeau was hired by Cincinnati to coach Forrest Gregg’s secondary and see Riley’s last four seasons in person. LeBeau told Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com that he managed to convince Riley to keep playing until he surpassed his 62 career interceptions, and the impressiveness of Riley’s 65 interceptions is not lost on the 82-year old LeBeau.