Ken Riley Kenneth Jerome Riley ( born August 6 , 1947 ) is a former professional American Football defensive back who played his entire career for the Cincinnati Bengals , in the American Football League in 1969 and in the NFL from 1970 through 1983 . Riley recorded 65 interceptions in his career , which was the fourth most in Pro Football history at the time of his retirement behind three members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame ; Dick Lane , Emlen Tunnell and Paul Krause . But despite his accomplishments , Riley was never an exceptionally popular or well known player . In his 15 seasons , Riley was never once selected to play in the AFL All - Star Game or the AFC - NFC Pro Bowl , and to this date has not been voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame . College career . Before his professional career , Riley played quarterback for Florida A & M University . In addition to being a skilled athlete , Riley also excelled academically . He earned his team ' s scholastic award and a Rhodes Scholar Candidacy . In 1977 , Riley was enshrined in Florida A & M ' s Athletic Hall of Fame . After graduating from college , Riley was selected by the Bengals in the 6th round of the 1969 Common Draft . NFL career . When Riley reported to training camp , Cincinnati head coach Paul Brown decided to convert Riley to the cornerback position . Brown ' s decision turned out to be a very good one . Riley made an immediate impact for the Bengals as a defensive back , recording 4 interceptions and 66 return yards . He also recovered 2 fumbles , added another 334 yards on 14 kickoff returns , and even caught 2 passes for 15 yards on offense . For the rest of his career , Riley established himself as one of the top defensive backs in Pro Football , recording 3 or more interceptions in all but 3 of his 15 seasons . His best season was in 1976 when he recorded 9 interceptions , 141 return yards , 1 touchdown , and 2 fumble recoveries . His 9 interceptions set a franchise record for most interceptions in one season , and would remain the team record for 30 years until it was broken by Deltha O ' Neal in 2005 . He also set a record that year by intercepting 3 passes in the final game of the season ; a 42 - 3 win over New York Jets . Riley intercepted Richard Todd once and future hall of fame quarterback Joe Namath twice . It was Namath ' s final game as a New York Jet . Since then several Bengals players have tied the record ( including Riley , who did it again in a 1982 game , picking off 3 passes from Oakland Raiders quarterback Jim Plunkett ) . but nobody has broken it . But despite his success in the 1976 season , Riley was not selected to play in the pro bowl . Meanwhile , his defensive back teammate Lemar Parrish , who recorded just 2 interceptions and missed half the season with injuries , was a pro bowl selection . Riley continued to be an impact player for Cincinnati throughout the rest of his career . In 1981 he recorded 5 interceptions and 1 fumble recovery , assisting his team to their first ever Super Bowl appearance against the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XVI . In his final NFL season ( 1983 ) , the 36 - year old Riley recorded 8 interceptions , 89 return yards , 2 touchdowns , and 2 fumble recoveries . In his 15 Pro Football seasons , Riley recorded a total of 65 interceptions , 596 return yards , 5 touchdowns , 18 fumble recoveries , 96 fumble return yards , 334 kickoff return yards , and 15 receiving yards . His interceptions , interception return yards , and interceptions returned for touchdowns are all Bengals records . Legacy . After his Pro Football playing career ended , Riley spent two years as an assistant coach for the Green Bay Packers . Then in 1986 , he took over as the head coach of his alma mater , Florida A & M . Riley coached Florida A & M from 1986 – 1993 , compiling a 48 - 39 - 2 record , with two Mid - Eastern Athletic conference titles and 2 MEAC coach of the year awards . Riley then served as Florida A & M ' s athletic director from 1994 - 2003 . He is now retired and living in his hometown of Bartow , Florida . Commenting about not yet being enshrined in the Hall of Fame , Riley said " I think my numbers are deserving of the Hall of Fame . I ' ve always been a modest and low - key type guy . I ' ve always thought your work would speak for you . It ' s like it ' s working against me now because the older you get and the longer you stay out of it , people forget who you are . " ( 1 ) Riley is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity . In 2007 he was named to the Florida High School Association All - Century Team which selected the Top 33 players in the 100 year history of high school football in the state of Florida ' s history .