| No. 26, 33 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Safety | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born | (1959-05-29)May 29, 1959 Oakland, California, U.S. | ||||||||
| Died | February 7, 1998(1998-02-07) (aged 38) Los Angeles, California, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||||||||
| Weight | 189 lb (86 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school | North Miami Beach (North Miami Beach, Florida) | ||||||||
| College | Cal State Fullerton | ||||||||
| NFL draft | 1981: 8th round, 202nd overall pick | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
| |||||||||
Bobby Kemp (May 29, 1959 – February 7, 1998) was an American professionalfootball player who was asafety for seven seasons with theCincinnati Bengals andTampa Bay Buccaneers in theNational Football League (NFL). He playedcollege football for theCal State Fullerton Titans.
After attendingTaft College, a junior college inTaft, California, he playedcollege football atCalifornia State University, Fullerton for two seasons, with five interceptions his junior year (1979) and three his senior year (1980).[1] He was selected by the Bengals in the eighth round of the1981 NFL draft.[2]
During his rookie season (1981), Kemp was the starting strong safety as the Bengals defeated theSan Diego Chargers in the coldest game in NFL history, the AFC Championship Game dubbed the "Freezer Bowl" on January 10, 1982. With the Bengals holding a 17–7 lead and the Chargers offense driving late in the first half, Kemp intercepted aDan Fouts pass toKellen Winslow to thwart the drive. The Bengals went on to win, 27–7.[3] The win propelled the Bengals toSuper Bowl XVI, which they lost, 26–21, to theSan Francisco 49ers. Kemp was the Bengals starter at strong safety in that game.[4]
During his seven seasons as astrong safety andfree safety with the Bengals, he played in 83 games, starting 69 of those. In 1983, he had three interceptions, and a career-best four in 1984. His last year in the NFL was in 1987 for the Buccaneers, for whom he started and played in 12 games as a strong safety with one interception.[5]
Kemp later became a paramedic inGlendale, California, after retiring from football due to knee problems. He met his first wife, Christy, when they were students at Taft College. They were married for 13 years. On February 7, 1998, Kemp committed suicide in hisNorth Hollywood, California home.[6] He was 38. He was survived by his second wife, Inga, and their two-year-old daughter.[7]