Cortez Kennedy, 1968-2017

Sir Roger Moore died today, the 1st James Bond I ever saw. But he was 89, so that's not particularly surprising.

But Cortez Kennedy? Wow.

Cortez C. Kennedy (I don't have a record of what the C. stood for) was born on August 23, 1968 in Osceola, Arkansas, and grew up in Wilson, both communities near the Mississippi River, north of Memphis.

A defensive tackle, he went to a junior college in Mississippi before winning a football scholarship to the University of Miami. He was a member of coach Jimmy Johnson's National Championship team in 1987, and an All-American on Dennis Erickson's National Championship team in 1989. His Hurricanes teammates included Steve Walsh, Michael Irvin, Daniel Stubbs, Russell Maryland, Jeff Feagles, and brothers Brian and Bennie Blades.

The Seattle Seahawks chose him with the 3rd overall pick in the 1990 NFL Draft, so he went as far as a player could go geographically in American football. In 1991, only his 2nd season, he was named to the Pro Bowl, and would be so honored 8 times in 11 seasons. In 1992, he was so dominant, he was named NFL Defensive Player of the Year, even though the 'Hawks went only 2-14. (Their only wins were 10-6 away to a terrible New England Patriots team, and a home overtime win over the Denver Broncos -- so they could very easily have gone 0-16.)

The Seahawks had been good for most of the 1980s, and have been good the last few years. But in the 1990s, with the Mariners getting good for the 1st time in their history and the SuperSonics in their last strong period (including a trip to the NBA Finals), the Seahawks became an afterthought in the Pacific Northwest sports scene. The only Playoff game Kennedy played in came after the 1999 season, and it was the last event at the Kingdome.

He sat out the 2001 season due to injury, and retired just before the 2002 season, so, after the 2-year hiatus at the University of Washington's Husky Stadium, he didn't get the chance to play in what's now named CenturyLink Field.

He was, as they say in that other football, a one-club man. He could have gone elsewhere, but he wanted to stay in Seattle. He loved the city and its people, although he lived in Orlando during the off-season.

A former Seahawk teammate, Mickey Loomis, became general manager of the New Orleans Saints, and hired him as an advisor to the team. He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and to the NFL's 1990s All-Decade Team. The Seahawks retired his Number 96 (although, in his best season, he wore 99 in tribute to his University of Miami idol, Jerome Brown), and elected him to their Ring of Honor. UM elected him to their Sports Hall of Fame.

Honored at CenturyLink Field, 2012

In 2007, Sports Illustrated named him the best athlete ever to wear Number 96. In 2015, I agreed, putting him a little bit ahead of his contemporary, Philadelphia Eagles defensive end Clyde Simmons.

Cortez Kennedy was found dead today, alone in his Orlando home, at the age of 48. No cause has yet been released, but police have said, "Nothing suspicious to report" -- suggesting that there was no foul play, and that it was not a suicide. No source I've yet seen suggests that he was sick.

Given his size -- 6-foot-6, and a playing weight listed as 292 pounds -- it's possible that this middle-aged man, only 16 months older than myself, had a heart attack.

It's also possible that this is another case of football itself, particularly the constant hard contact, down after down, game after game, year after year, causing an early breakdown of the body, or of the brain, leading to death.

It looks like it's not a crime. But it is a tragedy.

Jimmy Johnson tweeted: "Shocked at Cortez Kennedy passing..1 of the most talented players I ever recruited or coached...a fun loving person a sad day."

Kennedy had no connection to me, or to any team near me. But now that I'm getting to the point where "dying young" is no longer the same as "being young," I find non-violent deaths at around my age even more shocking than violent ones.

If this was the result of a long-term condition that the public doesn't yet know about, I hope he has found peace.

UPDATE: It was later publicly revealed that he had been experiencing some of the symptoms of heart failure, and that this was the most likely cause of death. He was buried at Herman Cemetery in Jonesboro, Arkansas.

Living Members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame as of February 4, 2012

Today, Super Bowl Eve, is the day the Pro Football Hall of Fame announces its newly-elected members.

Honored today were, in chronological order of their careers:

Jack Butler, cornerback, 1950s Pittsburgh Steelers.

Chris Doleman, defensive end, 1980s Minnesota Vikings.

Cortez Kennedy, defensive tackle, 1990s Seattle Seahawks.

Dermontti Dawson, center, 1990s Steelers.

Curtis Martin, running back, 1990s New England Patriots and 2000s New York Jets.

Willie Roaf, offensive tackle, 1990s New Orleans Saints and 2000s Kansas City Chiefs.

All are still alive (Butler is 84), and all were deserving. As to who is deserving but is not yet in, that's a post for another time.

*

Here is a list of the living members of the Hall, located in Canton, Ohio, supposedly on the site of the Hupmobile showroom where the founding team owners met to start the league on September 17, 1920.

Inductees are listed with a team if they played, or coached, or were an executive, with them for at least 4 seasons.

I have divided moved teams accordingly (i.e., Johnny Unitas never took a snap for the Indianapolis Colts). “Sure future Hall-of-Famers” are not included, because, as we have seen in baseball, there is no such thing anymore. Coaching/executive tenure not counted unless they were elected as such.

Ties in the rankings are broken by more players (as opposed to other categories), and then by time in the league (a team with 3 players in 50 years is ahead of one with 3 players in 80 years).

1. Pittsburgh Steelers, 14: Jack Butler, Joe Greene, Terry Bradshaw, Franco Harris, Jack Lambert, Jack Ham, Lynn Swann, John Stallworth, Mel Blount, Jack Ham, Rod Woodson, Dermontti Dawson, Dan Rooney (owner) and Chuck Noll (coach).

2. Washington Redskins, 13: Chris Hanburger, Bobby Mitchell, Sonny Jurgensen, Sam Huff (Sonny & Sam have also been broadcasters for the team), Charley Taylor, Paul Krause, Ken Houston, John Riggins, Russ Grimm, Art Monk, Darrell Green, Bruce Smith and Joe Gibbs (coach).

3. Oakland Raiders, 11: Jim Otto, Willie Brown, Fred Biletnikoff, Dave Casper, Ted Hendricks, Art Shell, Mike Haynes, Marcus Allen, Howie Long, Jerry Rice and John Madden (coach). Note that owner Al Davis died a few months ago and is no longer on tihs list, and also that I’m making an exception to my one-city-only rule for the Raiders, treating them as a continuous Oakland franchise, since they did return, even though their Los Angeles edition became a cultural icon (and not for good reasons). Madden has also been elected as a broadcaster.

4. Dallas Cowboys, 11: Bob Lilly, Mel Renfro, Rayfield Wright, Mike Ditka, Roger Staubach, Randy White, Tony Dorsett, Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith, Michael Irvin and Deion Sanders.

5. Buffalo Bills, 10: Billy Shaw, O.J. Simpson (had to list him), Joe DeLamiellure, James Lofton, Jim Kelly, Bruce Smith, Thurman Thomas, Marv Levy (coach), Ralph Wilson (owner) and Van Miller (broadcaster).

6. San Francisco 49ers, 10: Hugh McElhenny, Bob St. Clair, Y.A. Tittle, Dave Wilcox, Jimmy Johnson (the cornerback, not the coach), Joe Montana, Fred Dean, Ronnie Lott, Jerry Rice and Steve Young.

7. Minnesota Vikings, 10: Carl Eller, Paul Krause, Randall McDaniel, Alan Page, Fran Tarkenton, Ron Yary, Gary Zimmerman, Chris Doleman, John Randle and Bud Grant (coach).

8. Miami Dolphins, 9: Nick Buoniconti, Larry Csonka, Bob Griese, Jim Langer, Larry Little, Paul Warfield, Dan Marino, Dwight Stephenson and Don Shula (coach).

9. Green Bay Packers, 9: Herb Adderley, Willie Davis, Forrest Gregg, Paul Hornung, Bart Starr, Jim Taylor, Willie Wood, Jan Stenerud and James Lofton.

10. Kansas City Chiefs, 8: Bobby Bell, Len Dawson, Willie Lanier, Emmitt Thomas, Marv Levy (coach), Jan Stenerud, Marcus Allen and Willie Roaf.

11. Cleveland Browns, 7: Jim Brown, Bobby Mitchell, Leroy Kelly, Mike McCormack, Paul Warfield, Joe DeLamiellure and Ozzie Newsome.

12. Chicago Bears, 7: Doug Atkins, Mike Ditka (player & coach), Dick Butkus, Gary Sayers, Richard Dent, Dan Hampton and Mike Singletary.

13. Denver Broncos, 6: Willie Brown, Floyd Little, John Elway, Shannon Sharpe, Gary Zimmerman and Charlie Jones (broadcaster).

14. San Diego Chargers, 6: Lance Alworth, Fred Dean, Dan Fouts, Charlie Joiner, Ron Mix, Kellen Winslow.

15. Detroit Lions, 6: Yale Lary, Joe Schmidt, Lem Barney, Dick LeBeau, Charlie Sanders and Barry Sanders (no relation).

16. New York Giants, 6: Frank Gifford, Sam Huff, Y.A. Tittle, Fran Tarkenton, Harry Carson and Lawrence Taylor.

Gifford has also been elected as a broadcaster. So has Pat Summerall, but as a CBS & Fox broadcaster, not as a Giants player or broadcaster.

17. New England Patriots, 6: Nick Buoniconti, John Hannah, Mike Haynes, Andre Tippett, Curtis Martin and Don Criqui (broadcaster). This counts players from their AFL days, when they were officially the Boston Patriots.

18. Philadelphia Eagles, 5: Steve Van Buren, Chuck Bednarik, Sonny Jurgensen, Tommy McDonald and Bob Brown.

19. New York Jets, 4: Don Maynard, Joe Namath, John Riggins and Curtis Martin.

20. Indianapolis Colts, 2: Eric Dickerson and Marshall Faulk. From their Baltimore days, count Raymond Berry, Art Donovan, Ted Hendricks, John Mackey, Gino Marchetti, Lenny Moore and Don Shula.

21. Seattle Seahawks, 2: Steve Largent and Cortez Kennedy.

22. New Orleans Saints, 2: Rickey Jackson and Willie Roaf.

23. Cincinnati Bengals, 2: Charlie Joiner and Anthony Munoz.

24. Tennessee Titans, 1: Bruce Matthews (3 years as a “Tennessee Titan,” but counting 2 as a “Tennessee Oiler,” he qualifies for the Titans). His brother, Clay Matthews Jr. of the Browns and Falcons, should join him in Canton; his nephew, Clay Matthews III of the Packers, might. (Clay Sr. played for the 49ers in the 1950s, but wasn't HOF quality.) From their days as the Houston Oilers, count Elvin Bethea, Earl Campbell, Dave Casper, Ken Houston, Charlie Joiner, Matthews, Warren Moon and Mike Munchak.

25. Baltimore Ravens, 1: Rod Woodson.

26. St. Louis Rams, 1: Marshall Faulk. From their Los Angeles days, count Deacon Jones, Tom Mack, Jackie Slater (who did play their first season in St. Louis), Jack Youngblood, Eric Dickerson and broadcaster Dick Enberg.

27. Atlanta Falcons, 1: Deion Sanders.

From the defunct NFL version of the Brooklyn Dodgers (played 1930 to 1948), 1: Clarence “Ace” Parker. If he makes it to May 17 of this year, he will be 100 years old. He is the oldest living professional football player, and the oldest living Hall-of-Famer in any of the four major sports. He also played Major League Baseball, and is their 2nd-oldest living player, behind 100-year-old Connie Marrero, a pitcher for the 1950-54 Washington Senators (debuted late because of the color barrier). Parker, a native of Portsmouth, Virginia and a Duke graduate, is also the oldest living member of the College Football Hall of Fame. (The oldest living NHL player is Al Suomi, 98, of the 1936-37 Chicago Blackhawks; 94-year-old Elmer Lach is the oldest living Hockey HOFer; and while the NBA has only been around for 65 years, its oldest living player is HOF Bill Sharman, 85.)

28. Houston Texans, none. Not surprising, as they are the newest franchise.

29. Carolina Panthers, none: Not surprising, as they are one of the 4 newest franchises -- 3 if you count the Browns as an established team (and you should, even if they have looked like an expansion team). Mike McCormack was an executive with them, but that’s as close as they come. Reggie White, who played for them in 2000 and died in 2004, is their only former player thus far inducted.

30. Jacksonville Jaguars, none: Also one of the 4 newest franchises.

31. Arizona Cardinals, none: Emmitt Smith wasn’t with them long enough. From their Chicago days, count Charley Trippi. From their St. Louis days, count Larry Wilson, Dan Dierdorf, Jackie Smith and Roger Wehrli.

32. Tampa Bay Buccaneers, none: Their only inductee to date, Lee Roy Selmon, died last year.