The first day of practice for the defending AFC champions coincided with another big moment in Bengaldom Wednesday when the Pro Football Hall of Fame announced Bengals legends Ken Anderson and Ken Riley are among the final 12 candidates in the senior category.
The Seniors Committee meets virtually Aug. 16 to select up to three Seniors who automatically go into the finals for the Class of 2023 in a meeting that takes place early next year.
Riley and Anderson have been here before along with several of the 12. But it's the first time in the revised seniors voting format that now consists of an expanded committee of 12 that has publicly unveiled the finals list. Also for the first time, when the committee meets next month each member is assigned to present the case of one of the finalists before the vote.
Anderson, the only quarterback to win four NFL passing titles not in the Hall of Fame, and Riley, who still has the second most interceptions of all-time since he retired in 1983, have had two of the strongest cases for years in the finals deliberations
But so have some others on the finals list of 12 that includes All-Decade defensive players Tommy Nobis and Eddie Meador, nine-time Pro Bowl linebacker Maxie Baughan, six-time Pro Bowl offensive lineman Bob Kuchenberg and linebacker Chuck Howley, the only player on a losing team to be voted the Most Valuable Player in a Super Bowl.
The other ten finalists:
- Maxie Baughan: Linebacker for the Eagles (1960-65), the Rams (1966-1970) and Washington (1974) while going to nine Pro Bowls.
- Randy Gradishar: Linebacker who played all 10 seasons (1974-83) in Denver while going to seven Pro Bowls.
- Chuck Howley: Linebacker named to six Pro Bowls and five first-team All-Pros while playing for the Bears (1958-59) and Cowboys (1961-1973).
- Cecil Isbell: Tailback for five years with the pre-war Packers (1938-1942) and went to four Pro Bowls.
- Joe Klecko: Played up and down the defensive line for the Jets' "New York Sack Exchange," (1977-88) and went to four Pro Bowls and named to two first-team All-Pros.
- Bob Kuechenberg: Guard and tackle who played all 14 seasons (1970-84) with the Dolphins in a run that included the 1972 undefeateds.
- Eddie Meador: Cornerback and member of the NFL's All-Decade Team of the 1960s who finished his 12-year career (1959-70) with a Rams-record 46 interceptions.
- Tommy Nobis: Linebacker who was the first player in Falcons history and spent his entire career (1966-76) in Atlanta while named the NFL Rookie of the Year, a five-time Pro Bowler and an All-Decade player of the 1960s.
- Sterling Sharpe: Wide receiver who spent seven seasons (1988-94) with the Packers going to five Pro Bowls and three first-team All-Pro teams.
- Everson Walls: Cornerback who played 13 seasons (1981-93) with the Cowboys, Giants and Browns and led the NFL in interceptions three times while going to four Pro Bowls and being named to three All-Pro teams in amassing 57 interceptions.
View some of the best photos of the two newest inductees of the Bengals Ring of Honor, quarterback Ken Anderson and cornerback Ken Riley.
Ken Riley (left) and Ken Anderson (right) high five during the Bengals 50th celebration in 2017 at Paul Brown Stadium.
Ken Riley, Hall of Fame Class of 2023, holds the ball up and is congratulated by teammate Rick Razzano on Sunday, Jan. 3, 1981 in Cincinnati, OH. (AP Photo)
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Ken Anderson poses with the NFL's Most Valuable Player award, the Schick Trophy, in New York, Jan. 13, 1982, after being named the league's MVP for 1981. (AP Photo/Marty Lederhandler)
In this Jan. 10, 1982 file photo, Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Ken Anderson, left, prepares to throw during the AFC championship game against the San Diego Chargers in Cincinnati. Cincinnati Bengals coach Forrest Gregg called the Freezer Bowl -- a 27-7 win over the San Diego Chargers on Jan. 2, 1982 -- worse than the Ice Bowl on Dec. 31, 1967, when he was an offensive lineman for Vince Lombardi's Packers in the most famous cold-weather game in NFL history. (AP Photo/File)
Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Ken Riley loosens his legs at Pontiac, Mich., Jan. 21, 1982 as the team begins their daily workout in preparation for Super Bowl XVI. Riley will be on the prowl for passes by San Francisco's Joe Montana at the Pontiac Silverdome. (AP Photo)
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Ken Anderson releases a pass during Super Bowl XVI, on January 24, 1982, at the Pontiac Silverdome in Pontiac, Michigan. (AP Photo / Al Messerschmidt)
Cincinatti Bengals quarterback Ken Anderson (14) fades to pass during Super Bowl XVI in Pontiac on January 24, 1982. San Francisco won, 26-21. (AP Photo / Al Messerschmidt)
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Ken Anderson releases a pass during a practice session at the Bengals' Spinney Field training facility in Cincinnati on Dec. 29, 1981, where the team is preparing for a playoff game Sunday against the Buffalo Bills. (AP Photo/Ed Reinke)
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Ken Anderson gets ready to throw the ball down the field during a game.
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Ken Anderson (14) smiles as he congratulates Cleveland Browns' quarterback Brian Sipe (17) on his teams 17-7 victory over the Bengals in a game played in Cleveland on Sept. 15, 1983. (AP Photo)
1972: Quarterback Ken Anderson in action.
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Ken Anderson heads for the sidelines after picking up five yards on the ground during a game against the Houston Oilers in Cincinnati, Nov. 2, 1981. (AP Photo/Jeff Hinckley)
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Ken Anderson scrambles out of the pocket and out of the grasp of a Houston Oiler defender during the fourth quarter of the Bengals' 27-6 victory in Cincinnati, Sept. 13, 1982. Anderson passed for 354 yards during the game, including two touchdowns. He also ran for another touchdown. (AP Photo/Ed Reinke)
San Diego Chargers Hall of Fame wide receiver Charlie Joiner (18) of the AFC is congratulated by Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Ken Anderson (14) after a 12-yard scoring reception during an NFL 1977 Pro Bowl game against the NFC in Seattle, Jan. 17, 1977. The AFC defeated the NFC 24-14. (AP Photo/NFL Photos)
Bengals cornerback Ken Riley backpedals in coverage during a game at Riverfront Stadium in 1981.
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Ken Anderson listens to a reporter's question with his six-year-old son, Matt, in the Bengals locker room after AFC playoff win over the Buffalo Bills in Cincinnati on Jan. 3, 1982. Anderson connected with Bengals wide receiver Cris Collinsworth for a touchdown in the late minutes of the fourth quarter to give the Bengals a 28-21 win. (AP Photo)
A head shot of Bengals cornerback Ken Riley ahead of the 1983 season. Riley spent all of his 15 seasons (1969-83) with the Bengals and finished his career recording 65 interceptions and 18 fumble recoveries.
Ken Riley of the Cincinnati Bengals dives to bring down San Francisco 49ers fullback Earl Cooper (49) at the Pontiac Silverdome in Super Bowl XVI on January 24, 1982. (AP Photo / Al Messerschmidt)
Bengals cornerback Ken Riley poses for a photo ahead of the 1972 season.
Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Ken Riley waits for Miami Dolphins running back Larry Csonka in the Orange Bowl on Monday, Dec. 2, 1974 in Miami.
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Ken Anderson, left, and USC running back Marcus Allen holds their Bert Bell Awards they received from the Maxwell Club, Feb. 11, 1982, in Philadelphia. The Maxwell Club named Anderson the top pro football player and Allen the top player in college. (AP Photo/Rusty Kennedy)
Quarterback of the Cincinnati Bengals Ken Anderson (14) poses with coach Forrest Gregg in San Francisco, Jan. 19, 1982 as the Bengals get ready to meet the San Francisco 49ers in the Super Bowl on Jan. 24th. (AP Photo/Lacy Atkins)
Former Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Ken Riley waves to the crowd during a halftime 50th anniversary ceremony of an NFL football game against the Baltimore Ravens, Sunday, Sept. 10, 2017, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Gary Landers)
The cases for Riley and Anderson hold up well on that list. Riley's 65 career interceptions from 1969-83 are the most by anyone not in the Hall of Fame and fifth all time. When Anderson retired after a Bengals record 16 seasons (1971-86), he was the NFL's all-time completion percentage leader for a season, a postseason career and a game with more than 20 attempts.
The senior nominees advance to the Hall finals with the Modern Era candidates in a meeting that traditionally takes place the day before the Super Bowl. At that meeting, each player needs 80 percent of the vote of the full 49-member selection committee for induction. Bengals.com is a member of the selection committee.
Ring of Honor
The official source of Bengals Ring of Honor nominees, inductees, and more.
