Five memorable Cincinnati Bengals players that played in a Super Bowl

Ken Anderson is one of the greatest NFL Quarterbacks not to be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Although he retired in 1986, fans still wonder why he doesn’t have a bust in Canton. This Examiner believes it’s because he retired without ever winning a Super Bowl. Even former teammates Anthony Munoz and Cris Collinsworth have spoken out about the injustice.Anderson’s statistics make a strong case for his induction. For instance, his statistics are comparable to Troy Aikman, George Blanda and Terry Bradshaw. In Super Bowl XVI, Anderson was 25 for 34 and passed for 300 yards and 2 touchdowns in a loss to the San Francisco 49ers.                                            Ken Riley is another player that fans think should be in the Hall of Fame. The Bengals drafted him in 1969 and spent his entire career in the Cincinnati secondary. From 1969-1983, Riley played in 207 games, intercepted 65 passes and scored 5 touchdowns.He was also durable and never suffered any major injuries throughout his career.In college, he played as a running back. After he was drafted by the Bengals, Paul Brown converted Riley into a cornerback. Riley once said that blacks were stereotyped in the 70s and didn’t play in positions that required any thought. In his final season as a Bengal, he intercepted 8 passes. Riley also appeared in Super Bowl XVI, losing 26-21 to the San Francisco 49ers.After retiring, Riley entered a coaching career. He coached for the Green Bay Packers for two years before taking over as the head coach of Florida A & M, his alma mater. Regarding his exclusion from Canton, Riley says he believes his numbers are deserving but as years pass, he gets older and people forget about him. Riley is now retired and lives in Florida.The Bengals acquired James Brooks from the San Diego Chargers in 1984. From what they saw of him as a Charger, they knew he could be an explosive player. For his career, he scored 49 touchdowns and rushed for nearly 8,000 yards. During his 8 seasons with the Bengals, he hit the 1,000 yard mark three times.As a child, Brooks was an excellent football player. His talents carried him to Auburn University, where he played college ball. After leaving the Bengals, he finished his career with the Cleveland Browns and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Brooks left the Bengals with the rushing record of 6,447 yards.Former Bengals RB Corey Dillon has since surpassed this record. Brooks played in Super Bowl XXIII. He had 6 carries for 24 yards.After retiring, Brooks found himself in trouble in 1999 for failure to pay child support on a son and a daughter. It was also discovered that Brooks couldn’t read or write. No one understood how he could be illiterate after attending college at Auburn. Brooks said he never went to class. He passed because of his performance on the football field. View the list »
The Bengals drafted NT Tim Krumrie in the 10th round from Wisconsin-Eu Claire. For several seasons, he stabilized the Bengals defensive line. He started 94 games and finished his career with 20.5 sacks. Fans named him to the Pro Bowl twice. Although Krumrie never made it into the NFL Hall of Fame, the University of Wisconsin enshrined him in their Hall of Fame in football and wrestling in 1999.Krumrie will always be remembered for his appearance in Super Bowl XXIII. In a freak play, he suffered a broken leg, which many consider to be the most gruesome injury in Super Bowl history. After Krumrie was taken off the field, he refused to go to the hospital. He watched the rest of the game from the locker room. Since retiring as a player, Krumrie has become a defensive line coach with stops in Cincinnati and Kansas City. 

Top News newsletter

Tomorrow is Super bowl XLVII. After 16 weeks of regular season action, a bounty scandal, a murder-suicide involving a player, the final two teams standing are the Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers. For the Harbaugh family, this should be one for the ages.

Related topics

Advertisement

For the first time in history, two brothers will oppose each other in a Super Bowl.

On the Raven’s sideline is their head coach, little brother John Harbaugh. And on the other sideline is older brother Jim Harbaugh, current 49ers head coach and a former NFL player.

Both teams came so close to making it to the Super Bowl last year.

In honor of the Super Bowl tradition, it’s best to remember past Super Bowls and NFL players that paved the way for today’s game.

Although the Bengals lost Superbowls XVI and XXIII to Joe Montana and the San Francisco 49ers, both games were competitive and close.

Although the Bengals won’t be in tomorrow’s Super Bowl, the 49ers have returned with their five Super Bowl championships. A win would give them six. Also, this is the Ravens second Super Bowl appearance.

After reviewing several former Bengals player performances, I have selected five memorable Bengals players that have appeared in at least one Super Bowl.

Feel free to share your comments or thoughts about this article or anything else. Send your email to augustlake@fuse.net or visit my website http://www.lettersbeyondheaven.com.

View the list
  • The Bengals drafted NT Tim Krumrie in the 10th round from Wisconsin-Eu Claire. For several seasons, he stabilized the Bengals defensive line. He started 94 games and finished his career with 20.5 sacks. Fans named him to the Pro Bowl twice. Although Krumrie never made it into the NFL Hall of Fame, the University of Wisconsin enshrined him in their Hall of Fame in football and wrestling in 1999.Krumrie will always be remembered for his appearance in Super Bowl XXIII. In a freak play, he suffered a broken leg, which many consider to be the most gruesome injury in Super Bowl history. After Krumrie was taken off the field, he refused to go to the hospital. He watched the rest of the game from the locker room. Since retiring as a player, Krumrie has become a defensive line coach with stops in Cincinnati and Kansas City. 
  • The Bengals acquired James Brooks from the San Diego Chargers in 1984. From what they saw of him as a Charger, they knew he could be an explosive player. For his career, he scored 49 touchdowns and rushed for nearly 8,000 yards. During his 8 seasons with the Bengals, he hit the 1,000 yard mark three times.As a child, Brooks was an excellent football player. His talents carried him to Auburn University, where he played college ball. After leaving the Bengals, he finished his career with the Cleveland Browns and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Brooks left the Bengals with the rushing record of 6,447 yards.Former Bengals RB Corey Dillon has since surpassed this record. Brooks played in Super Bowl XXIII. He had 6 carries for 24 yards.After retiring, Brooks found himself in trouble in 1999 for failure to pay child support on a son and a daughter. It was also discovered that Brooks couldn’t read or write. No one understood how he could be illiterate after attending college at Auburn. Brooks said he never went to class. He passed because of his performance on the football field. 
  • Ken Riley is another player that fans think should be in the Hall of Fame. The Bengals drafted him in 1969 and spent his entire career in the Cincinnati secondary. From 1969-1983, Riley played in 207 games, intercepted 65 passes and scored 5 touchdowns.He was also durable and never suffered any major injuries throughout his career.In college, he played as a running back. After he was drafted by the Bengals, Paul Brown converted Riley into a cornerback. Riley once said that blacks were stereotyped in the 70s and didn’t play in positions that required any thought. In his final season as a Bengal, he intercepted 8 passes. Riley also appeared in Super Bowl XVI, losing 26-21 to the San Francisco 49ers.After retiring, Riley entered a coaching career. He coached for the Green Bay Packers for two years before taking over as the head coach of Florida A & M, his alma mater. Regarding his exclusion from Canton, Riley says he believes his numbers are deserving but as years pass, he gets older and people forget about him. Riley is now retired and lives in Florida.
  • Ken Anderson is one of the greatest NFL Quarterbacks not to be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Although he retired in 1986, fans still wonder why he doesn’t have a bust in Canton. This Examiner believes it’s because he retired without ever winning a Super Bowl. Even former teammates Anthony Munoz and Cris Collinsworth have spoken out about the injustice.Anderson’s statistics make a strong case for his induction. For instance, his statistics are comparable to Troy Aikman, George Blanda and Terry Bradshaw. In Super Bowl XVI, Anderson was 25 for 34 and passed for 300 yards and 2 touchdowns in a loss to the San Francisco 49ers.                                            
  • Not only is Anthony Munoz the only Cincinnati Bengal in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, many consider him the greatest offensive lineman in history.Fortunately, the Bengals drafted him in the first round from USC after other teams shied away from Munoz after he had suffered from knee injuries. In 164 starts, Munoz spent his entire career in Cincinnati at left tackle. He also rarely missed any games and was named to the Pro bowl 11 times. At 6-6, 278 pounds, Munoz was fast, agile and strong.For many years, he kept Ken Anderson and Boomer Esiason safe from the NFL’s best pass rushers.Munoz played in both Bengal Super Bowls (XVI and XXIII). He also managed to avoid major injuries through a regimen of weight lifting and running. Even today, Munoz almost looks like he can still suit up and step onto the field. He is a prominent and beloved figure in the Cincinnati community and can often be heard giving radio interviews and appearing on Furniture Fair television commercials.                                                                                      
View the list

, Cincinnati Headlines Examiner

Marc Hoover wrote a comedy book titled You Need A Cellmate, Not A Soulmate and is now available on www.Ladybugbooks.com and Amazon.com. Marc also manages http://www.lettersbeyondheaven.com. If you want to contact Marc about profiling your local Cincinnati based business or anything else, send him...

Advertisement

Today's top buzz...