TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Former Florida A&M University quarterback and head coach Ken Riley died Sunday at the age of 72.
"FAMU athletics and the entire Rattler nation is deeply saddened of the passing of former FAMU football player, head coach, athletics director and NFL great Ken Riley," FAMU athletic director Kortne Gosha said in a statement released by the school. "We wish his family our deepest condolences."
Riley was a four-year starting quarterback for the Rattlers and converted to a cornerback in the NFL, spending his entire 15-year career with the Cincinnati Bengals (1969-83).
In his 15 professional seasons, Riley recorded 65 career interceptions -- the fourth-most in NFL history at the time of his retirement and currently fifth all-time -- but has not been enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Riley coached the Rattlers from 1986–93, compiling a 48-39-2 record and winning two Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference championships. The two-time MEAC coach of the year then served as FAMU's athletic director from 1994-2003.
He was inducted into the Black College Football Hall of Fame in 2015.
