Bengals Booth Podcast: Remembering The Rattler

Coming up, I'll speak to another Bengals legend who is Riley's teammate for nine seasons in Cincinnati, Bob Trumpy, and then I'll play an interview that Dave Lapham and I did with The Rattler back in twenty seventeen after he was voted the eleventh best retired player in franchise history. The Bengals Booth Podcast is presented by Prime Sport, the official fan, travel and hospitality partner of the Cincinnati Bengals.

And here's a quick reminder that you can add the latest edition of this podcast delivered right to your phone, tablet, or computer by subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. In nineteen sixty nine, in the Bengals second season, they selected Ken Riley in the sixth round of the NFL draft. Riley was a four year starting quarterback for the Florida and M Rattlers, where he was a Rhodes Scholar candidate

and his senior class president. When he got to Cincinnati, Bengals coach Tom Bass nicknamed him the Ratler in honor of Florida A and M's mascot, and in his first training camp, Paul Brown switched Riley from offense to defense. For the next fifteen years, he was one of the best cornerbacks in football. Riley played in two hundred seven games of Bengals record, and was a team captain for

his final eight seasons. His sixty five career interceptions is nearly double the next best total in team history and tied for fifth best in NFL history. All four players with more interceptions are in the Pro foot Ball Hall of Fame, and in his final season, at the age of thirty six, Ken Riley was voted First team All Pro as he tied for the AFC lead in interceptions with eight and returned two of them for touchdowns. His

success didn't end there after his playing career. Riley spent two years on Forrest Greg's coaching staff with the Green Bay Packers before becoming the head coach at his alma mater, Florida A and M. After eight years as head coach, he spent a decade as the school's athletic director. Bob Trumpy was Riley's teammate from nineteen sixty nine to nineteen seventy seven, and he joined me to share memories of

the rattler, quiet, wonderful teammate, appreciative of your effort. I never heard him say a bad word about anybody, always laughing. In fact, Dan, when I first found out that Ken Riley had been a quarterback in college, I was astonished because he was so quiet. He was a hard guy to get to know. Not because of any personality flaw. He was a hard guy to get to know because he was so studious about what he was doing and so serious about it. And this is even before your time.

Lamar Parrish was the other cornerback, and Lamar Parrish was the noisy quarterback, and Ken Riley was the quiet quarterback, not only in talk but in the way they dressed. I mean, he was a great guy to be around. And thank god we had that big reunion a couple of years ago and we all got to see each other, and it was wonderful to see him and his family. And I'm just so broken up about it. You know, Jim McClair died the year, Sam Whist died this year

or in the last twelve months. Time is getting to us, Dan Horden, Yes, it is. Unfortunately we are visiting with Bob Trump Trump. Your second season was Ken Riley's first, and as you mentioned, he was a college quarterback. Paul Brown made that switch from quarterback to cornerback that first training camp. Could you tell pretty quickly that it was going to work? No? No, Dan, You got to understand, in those early years of that football team, we all had our own business to take care of. I did

not notice Ken Riley. A lot of people have said that he had an immediate impact that I noticed during the football games. But it seems to me that our previous season, Fletcher Smith was one corner and I think a guy named Charlie King was the other corner, and we played an awful lot of zone back then. And when Riley game and Lamar Parris came, we played a lot more man to man and Riley was extraordinary at it. And again I didn't run plays against him, I ran

plays against the safety. But the thing that I remembered most about him, and we had two practices a day, an hour and fifteen minutes each, seven days a week for two months in preparation for the season, and other than getting his ankles taped, I never saw Ken Riley in the training room. So then we sat down to tables for breakfast, lunch, and dinner with anybody and everybody. We didn't care what color they were or where they lived.

And every time I sat down with Ken Riley, You're not going to believe this, but I kind of dominated the conversation. Maybe I didn't give Ken Riley a chance, but I was friendly with all of them. But every time somebody started it, I'm on the sideline with the offense the defenses out there. There seemed a period of time where every time there was a big cheer from the Stanza Rubert Front Stadium, it was something that Ken

Riley had done. He'd either low balls a Lance Alworth or a Notice Taylor of the Kansas City Chiefs, flipped them over or had an interception. But again, personally, he was just great to be around, the wonderful guy, and there was so much about him. I didn't know about him until later on in our careers, and then after he retired. I wish I'd have known it more. I should have shut up and listened to him. We're chatting

with Bob Trumpy. I mentioned at the beginning of the show Trump that the two most obvious Bengals who belong in the Hall of Fame that aren't are both named Ken. Ken Anderson and Ken Riley. Sixty five career in receptions tied for fifth best in NFL history. Why, in your opinion isn't he in I don't have a clue. And Frankly, when you called me this morning to give me the news about Ken's death, don't ever call me with that information again. You understand me. Take your phone call. I

don't want that information. But I'm sitting here in my office and helped me here. He's got the fifth most interceptions. But the people on the list there, Paul cross Leeds, I think he was a safety, and Tonnell he was a safety, and then night Train Lane was a corner. Riley was a corner, and Rod Woodson was a corner and a safety. So of the true corners, Riley is number two behind Nightrain Lane. That makes makes it even

more absurd that he's not in the NFL. And I've talked to a lot of people in and around the NFL and also the Hall of Fame, and I can't get anybody's answered for you. One of those Kim's not being in the Hall of Fame. But it makes no sense to me. It doesn't now, it didn't fifteen years ago. I don't understand it. I mean, you do have to certain you do have to do a certain amount of lobbying, and I can't explain why, neither of him. And it just the thing that makes me most upset about this

situation for Ken Rally and his family. He will he'll never get his just do when he's alive, and he certainly deserved to be in the Hall of Fame. The thing that I've heard the most when this has been discussed in the past is the fact that he never went to a Pro Bowl, and that in and of itself is probably even more staggering to me than that he's not in the Hall of Fame. He was All Pro three times, which is really more prestigious than the Pro Bowl because there are a few fewer members of

the All Pro team each year. But I guess he had the misfortune of being on the team as at the same time as Lamar. They were both great players, and Lamar had the added boost of being a great return man. And maybe that's why he got to go to six Pro Bowls when Ken was not selected for any. Yeah, and I think it's fair to say that on an expansion team like the Cincinnati Bengals, how can you have two cornerbacks from the same team make the Pro Bowls squad.

That's the most logical thing that I've ever come across. I agree with you, Dan, And again there's no criticism of Lamar Parish, but he was the noisy one and Ken Riley wore thirteen on the other side of the field. And you're right, Lamar, I will admit this. When Lamar showed up and started returning punts, I'm on the sideline with the offense, But when he went on the field to return a punt, I got up to watch. Generally speaking,

I was sitting on the beach catching my breath. I watched Lamar Parish returned punts, and for the life of me, I can't understand why there's not more consideration for Ken Riley and the three All pros should tell somebody something. But it's overset and done with and that's the damn shame about it. He won't be alive if he ever does get the reward. Paul Brown sought smart football players, and so many of the guys from your era, yourself included,

went on to have tremendous careers after football. Tommy Casanova, doctor Mike Read, musician, yourself broadcasting, in Ken Riley's case, highly successful college head coach, athletic director after that. So he lived up to that that Paul Brown mantra that your life does not end when you take your final snap in the NFL. Yeah, you're right. And he used to constantly preach to us that professional football is a springboard.

We're going to give you a good start. It's up to you to do something with it when you're done. And Riley, I mean, he didn't live here in the offseason. He went back to Florida and then he would come back to Cincinnati. And that was true for an awful lot of awful lot of players. That not only did players return to where they came from in college, most of them went back to their hometown. And I know he went back to Bartow, Florida, a very small town

there in Florida. But man, when he showed up every year, he was in superb shape. He was quiet, let's get the job done. And again, I spent a lot of time in the training room. I was breakable, he was not. I never saw that guy in the in the training room unless we break after the morning meetings, preparing for lunch. He came in the training room to get Essex Johnson to go to lunch, and Essex was sitting there watching All My Family or whatever his favorite soap opera was.

It was he's trying to sneak a pet. But a wonderful guy, and I know he was the captain of the last eight years of his career, well deserved. It's just it's heartbreaking. These guys are all dropping all around us, and and I'm seventy five, one of the oldest guys in the group. I hope you here for a lot longer. Trump. Well, I saw him two years ago. He still looked in magnifficent shape, still had that mustache that he always had, and certainly appeared to be Christine else So darn curse

my heart. As Bob Trumpy mentioned in that interview, ken Riley was not a guy that spent much time in the training room. Think about this, It's hard for cornerbacks to avoid injuries. They sprint up and down the field on nearly every snap and often have to tackle much bigger players coming at them at full speed. Ken Riley did not miss a single game in eleven of his fifteen NFL seasons and never missed more than three in

a single year. Before we get to our next conversation, here's a quick reminder that you can take your Bengals pride to the next level in twenty twenty with an official Bengals fan package from Prime Sport. In twenty seventeen, when the Bengals celebrated their fiftieth season, fans and media voted to select the top fifty retired players in team history. Ken Riley came in at number eleven, third among defensive players,

behind Tim Crumry and David Culture. The players on that list were honored throughout the season at Paul Brown Stadium, and before he returned to Cincinnati, ken Riley joined Dave Lapham and me I'm the Bengals Game Plan Show. Here's lap you know what Paul Brown always said, you win football games with good smart people. Ken Riley is the epitome just a great person, unbelievably intelligent, great football IQ and a successful guy. I mean, he'd be proud of you, Ratler.

Everything you've accomplished, not just as a football player and here in Cincinnati, but coaching athletic director, everything you've done after football. That's what Peebe was all about, wasn't he. Yeah, that was one of the thing he stressed a part us, not only the football part of that, what you did after you couldn't play anymore. He wanted to be the citizen in your community. And you know the people he selected. That was Paul Brown's mold. I mean, he selected people

that were intelligent. You know. You know you're back in the DA camp had to pass that six. Yeah. Yeah, So he started so he very wise and had that way rightly. You know the thing that you were, you were one of the cornerstones that the franchise was built on. You were here in the early days and you know, survived all of that craziness and then the payoff was Super Bowl sixteen in nineteen eighty one, eighty two. You're still performing at a high level. You know, three decades.

You played here, three decades at a high level for the in three different decades, and a high level for the Cincinnati Bengals. And to go through that the early stages of the franchise all the way to the Super Bowl, the payoff towards the end of your career, what was that journey like? Well, you know it was it was good. You know, we were fourth and I did in the

second year. It was the nineteen seventy went to the playoffs at N seven three seventy six, and then you know we were gets played during an arrow where we had some We had a great conference, you know, you since Fanconati Cleveland having it was a strone that was black and blew with that particulars that man right. Unfortunately

pour sputing in the way. But you know it was great and it's telling the my career eighty two eighty three, I would thinks about the time and carst Grade came along and you were taught and convinced me to come back again. And I don't regret it. You know, I we had to conference my last two years eighty two and eighty three US in such and so I didn't say it on the bench. I played fifteen years, so after that, you know, side my first year, so it was it was great. They had a great teammates. I

think eighty eighty one two team. I thought it was a great football team. But you know again, San Francisco stated gob both every went through the bow, so that's where it goes. Bengals legend. Ken Riley is our guest. Ken, you are a great quarterback at Florida A and M, and then switched to cornerback when you got to the Bengals. We want to listen into a comment from Mike Brown on you making that switch as a rookie back in nineteen sixty nine. Kenny came up out of college as

a quarterback. Same year we drafted Greg Cook number one from you see, Greg Cook was the greatest talent we ever had here. His career ended tragically soon he was injured and that ended him as a player. But when Kenny showed up, Greg Cook was in full bloom and it didn't take Kenny long to figure out what that meant. Just in the second day of training camp, my father came over to the quarterbacks and said to Kenny, go over and practice with the defensive backs, and Kenny's feelings

wasn't hurt. He understood that it was going to be hard for him with Greg on hand, he went over with the cornerbacks. He was our starter for fifteen years. So here's the question, Ken, if Greg Cook was not on the roster, could you have succeeded quarterback in the NFL? I regin. I took anything in a voice from anybody. I was pretty much like I asked me. I was pretty hit as a quarterback, but more like Russell Wilson Bob a little bit faster. But I have no regrets

at all. I was just happy to get the opportunity back then. You know, been a quarterback at a small school and even traffic for Course Brown and even drafted, you have been an opportunity. I would thankful. I just wanted to get it Dan, to show that, you know, I could do it. A lot of people doubt it that I would make it, even some of my college teams, because I was pampered. It's like any quarterbacks. Nobody touched

me in prices and things like that. But uh, you know I had the skills and the Tom Bass came and showed me what I had to do. I didn't have any bad habit. So and when Paul Brown was got any camp foot, Brown said, you were cornerback, Sow. But Grig could was phenomenal. And you know he was a great, great friend of mine. And but you know, outside of Grid, I think I could have compute it. But Grig that was a quarterback during that tack. Yeah, Greg was. He was a freak. He had some some

unusual talent he did. He had it all he was. He was Joe Namas before Joe Namas exactly. You know, there's no doubt everybody like him. He had that personality. I mean we all loved because yeah, it was great. It was something so Ratler. You know, your your career after playing football, you're coached, you know at your Alma

Mata athletic director. How much of Paul Brown, Forrest Greg, those kind of influences as coaches in your playing days did you take with you, you know, to your career after playing a lot and you know, when you're playing, you're going through it as a player. You can't see some of the things that maybe a coach can see. But all those people that you mentioned, Coach Brown, uh, Forest or you know, I learned something from all of them.

I felt that the main thing is what you you know, you have to your player, that the one to play for you. And I think that was a thing as the coach Brown, you know you played, I played out of fear. You know you would tell you right then and there you wouldn't get the job now what your consequences were. So you usually had your two things either get better or you you go on. And it could Brig brought in that uh. He was just a disciplinarian.

I think that's what we needed that particular time. Coach all our life is a big coach and motivated, but we had a lot of young players and you know they needed a firm hand at that particular time. I could have played for either one of them, but coach Greg teaming with that uh discipline that we needed. And you know the next year we was in the super Bowl. But I landed something from both of them as a players are courch and you know both of them and known to me and made a bit difference in my

life on and off the field. I last something from final question, appreciate appreciate your carving the time force you have Rattler the first fifty team in the secondary huh, Lamar Parish, Kenny Riley, Tommy Cassanova, three of the four guys David Fulcher rounded it out. Three of the four players in the first fifty all time for the Cincinnati Bengals franchise were some of the original players selected by Paul Brown and company. That's that's a big statement to me.

That says a lot. How proud of you that three of you four guys are, you know, here in the year two thousand and seventeen being honored as one of the all as a group all time greats. Well, you know, I thought Lamar and asked. We made a good time though. We were. I mean, we were pretty good and Captain Lowe was reather than mow as well. Lewis Breeden came along. He was good too, but you know at the time

Lewis came after. Lewis sort of learned from us a little bit that right, But there was a great secondary we played with other that we were good at owning off and garn with chip chip chipping a wide receivers too, yep, but super good about pity raly. But we all were framed clothes and uh, we worked real hard in practice, and I think that's a major difference. You know, we were hard in practice. So we got in the game, it was like, you know, it was a lot easier,

but those three guys lamar myself and cashing out. But we made it. Uh. That was that was a great second area. And I think we could have played even to day. I mean we were just that good, no doubt, no doubt. Sixty five just got the job there. Done sixty five career interceptions, tied for fifth in NFL history, about twice as many as anybody else in the Bengals

first forty nine seasons. Congratulations on a remarkable career, and again we look forward to seeing you back on the field this Sunday and should be in the Hall of Fame, request Ratley, you should be in the Hall of Fame. Well, I think we are civil guys. You know that's uh. On our team, it's worth the other. But again, we don't make that decision. And I don't think you could do it good. I didn't be the best you can be.

Hopefully some kind of noticed that. A lot of the forts lighting it right, it's a good you're doing so I did you work, But I think that you know, I really thank you for saying it. But who knows. Maybe one day. Here's hoping that Ken Riley's passing raises awareness among the Hall of Fame Seniors committee that evaluates players whose careers have been completed for at least twenty

five years that the Rattler belongs in Canton. That's going to do it for This episode of The Bengals Booth Podcast brought to you by Prime Sport, the official fan, travel and hospitality partner of the Cincinnati Bengals. If you haven't done so already, please subscribe, and if you have a minute, give it a rating or share a comment that helps more Bengals fans find this podcast. I'm Dan Horde, and thanks for listening to The Bengals Booth Podcast