 Kennedy with theSeattle Seahawks in 1994 | |||||||||
| No. 96, 99 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Defensive tackle | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born | (1968-08-23)August 23, 1968 Osceola, Arkansas, U.S. | ||||||||
| Died | May 23, 2017(2017-05-23) (aged 48) Orlando, Florida, U.S. | ||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||||||
| Listed weight | 306 lb (139 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school | Rivercrest (Wilson, Arkansas) | ||||||||
| College |
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| NFL draft | 1990: 1st round, 3rd overall pick | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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Cortez C. Kennedy (August 23, 1968 – May 23, 2017) was an American professionalfootball player who was adefensive tackle for his entire 11-season career with theSeattle Seahawks of theNational Football League (NFL). He was inducted into thePro Football Hall of Fame in 2012.[1] He redefined and expanded the possibilities of how a large-bodied interior lineman could be used.[2] In1992, he won theDefensive Player of the Year award despite his team finishing 2–14.
Kennedy played collegiate football for theMiami Hurricanes at theUniversity of Miami.
Kennedy was born inOsceola, Arkansas, but grew up in the nearby town ofWilson. He graduated fromRivercrest High School in Wilson, and attendedNorthwest Mississippi Community College before being awarded a football scholarship to theUniversity of Miami, where he was named anAll-American in 1989.[3]
Kennedy was inducted into the University of Miami Sports Hall of Fame in 2004.[4]
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | Bench press | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft1+1⁄2 in (1.87 m) | 295 lb (134 kg) | 30+7⁄8 in (0.78 m) | 9+1⁄8 in (0.23 m) | 4.95 s | 1.75 s | 2.86 s | 23 reps | |||||
| All values fromNFL Combine[5] | ||||||||||||
He was the third overall selection in the first round of the1990 NFL draft by the Seahawks.[6] He was unsigned until two days before the beginning of the season. Kennedy was named to thePro Bowl in 1991. In 1992, having recorded 14 quarterback sacks, he received theNFL Defensive Player of the Year by theAssociated Press despite the Seahawks' 2–14 record. He switched his jersey number to 99 that season in honor of close friendJerome Brown, and was named First- or Second-team All-Pro five times.
Kennedy retired after the 2000 season. In 167 games with Seattle, he recorded 668 tackles, 58 sacks, and three interceptions. He announced his retirement in August 2002 after sitting out the 2001 season. He was given several offers by other teams, but wanted to finish his career in Seattle.[7] He is generally considered one of the best defensive tackles to ever play the position in the NFL. He was a semi-finalist for thePro Football Hall of Fame in 2008, as well as a finalist in 2009 and 2011,[8] eventually being elected to the Hall as a member of the 2012 induction class.[1] He was the second Hall of Famer to earn his credentials primarily as a Seahawk.
After retiring, Kennedy worked as an advisor for theNew Orleans Saints, whose general manager,Mickey Loomis, had previously worked for the Seahawks.[9][10] Kennedy later moved to Arkansas andOrlando, Florida, where he raised his daughter Courtney and focused on her education.[11]
In 2006, Kennedy was inducted into the Seahawks' Ring of Honor. His jersey number, 96, was retired by the Seahawks during a game against the New England Patriots on October 14, 2012.[12]
In 2007, Kennedy was named the best athlete ever to wear the number 96 by SI.com.[13]
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| NFL Defensive Player of the Year | |
| Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | Games | Tackles | Interceptions | Fumbles | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Comb | Solo | Ast | Sck | Int | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | PD | FF | FR | Yds | ||
| 1990 | SEA | 16 | 2 | 48 | 48 | 0 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1991 | SEA | 16 | 16 | 73 | 73 | 0 | 6.5 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1992 | SEA | 16 | 16 | 92 | 92 | 0 | 14.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 19 |
| 1993 | SEA | 16 | 16 | 77 | 77 | 0 | 6.5 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1994 | SEA | 16 | 16 | 70 | 54 | 16 | 4.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1995 | SEA | 16 | 16 | 53 | 40 | 13 | 6.5 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1996 | SEA | 16 | 16 | 67 | 48 | 19 | 8.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1997 | SEA | 8 | 8 | 18 | 10 | 8 | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1998 | SEA | 15 | 15 | 42 | 29 | 13 | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 39 |
| 1999 | SEA | 16 | 16 | 74 | 61 | 13 | 6.5 | 2 | 12 | 2.0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2000 | SEA | 16 | 16 | 50 | 32 | 18 | 1.0 | 1 | 14 | 14.0 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | 167 | 153 | 668 | 568 | 100 | 58.0 | 3 | 26 | 8.7 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 6 | 58 | |
Source:[14]
After retirement, he worked as a consultant for theNew Orleans Saints and as an ambassador for the Seahawks.[15][16] He has a daughter named Courtney.[17]
Kennedy died on May 23, 2017, inOrlando, Florida. He was 48 years old. According to police, Kennedy was alone when he died.[18] In the days leading up to his death, Kennedy had experienced symptoms of heart failure, including swollen legs and dizziness, which led to his hospitalization.[19] Following his death,Wilson, Arkansas named a stretch ofU.S. Highway 61 in his honor.[citation needed]
2017 Season - 10/1 game flag raiser
