Hall of Fame: Bengals' Ken Riley, 2 others advance as Senior finalists, Art Modell considered next

CANTON - Anthony Munoz might not be the lonely Bengal any more.

Defensive back Ken Riley, who spent his 15-year career (1969-83) with the Cincinnati Bengals, is one of three Seniors finalists being considered for the Pro Football Hall of Fame's Class of 2023.

Munoz, who was Cincinnati's offensive left tackle from 1980-92, is the only Bengal in the Hall of Fame. Riley and Munoz were teammates on the Bengals' 1981 AFC championship team.

In a Seniors Committee meeting at the Hall on Tuesday, Riley, Chuck Howley and Joe Klecko emerged from a group of 12 players as Class of 2023 finalists.

The Hall’s full Selection Committee will consider those three, along with 15 modern-era players and one coach/contributor finalist when it meets in January. All three Seniors finalists can make the Class of 2023 if they receive at least 80% "yes" votes from the full committee.

To be a Seniors candidate, the player's career had to end before 1997. Clay Matthews, a big favorite among Browns fans, was eligible, but his name was not on the table Tuesday. Matthews played for the Browns from 1978-93 and for the Falcons from 1994-96.

Riley, Howley and Klecko were among 12 Seniors players presented Tuesday. The nine who did not advance were Ken Anderson (Cincinnati's primary quarterback during Riley's career), Maxie Baughan, Randy Gradishar, Cecil Isbell, Bob Kuechenberg, Eddie Meador, Tommy Nobis, Sterling Sharpe and Everson Walls.

Gradishar, Kuechenberg and Sharpe advanced through an initial cutdown from 12 to six, and then a final vote was taken to get to three.

Riley was 72 when he died in 2020. The Bengals were in their early stages as an expansion team when Paul Brown drafted him at No. 135 overall out of Florida A&M in 1969.

Postseason honors tended to elude him even though he ranks fifth all-time in interceptions, trailing Hall of Famers Paul Krause, Emlen Tunnell, Rod Woodon and Dick "Night Train" Lane.

Riley is tied for fifth with Hall of Famer Charles Woodson. Both made 65 interceptions.

Six of Riley's picks came when he was 36 years old and in his last season.

Howley was a speedy linebacker remembered by Browns fans for running down Hall of Fame running back Leroy Kelly from behind. He was a No. 7 overall draft pick out of West Virginia in 1958. After two seasons with the Bears, he became a fixture with the Cowboys from 1961-73. He was MVP of Super Bowl V.

Klecko was a defensive lineman for the Jets from 1977-87. He changed defensive positions from end to tackle in 1983. He made 20.5 of his 78 career sacks in 1981. Like Riley, Klecko entered the NFL as sixth-round draft pick. Klecko played college ball for Temple.

The Coach/Contributor Committee will select its one Class of 2023 nominee next week. Mike Holmgren, who coached the Packers and Seahawks before a brief run as president of the Browns, is under consideration. So is former Browns lineman John Wooten, based partly on his work with the Fritz Pollard Alliance. So is former Browns owner Art Modell.

Other names on the table will be Roone Arledge, Don Coryell, Bucko Kilroy, Robert Kraft, Buddy Parker, Dan Reeves, Art Rooney Jr., Mike Shanahan and Clark Shaughnessy.

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Ken Riley, Chuck Howley, Joe Klecko Hall of Fame Senior finalists