| Arizona Wildcats | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Title | Defensive tackles coach | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born | (1961-11-11)November 11, 1961 (age 64) Petersburg, Virginia, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||||
| Weight | 242 lb (110 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school | Petersburg (VA) | ||||||||
| College | Arizona | ||||||||
| NFL draft | 1984: 1st round, 7th overall pick | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
Playing | |||||||||
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||
Coaching | |||||||||
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| Awards and highlights | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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Ricky Cardell Hunley (born November 11, 1961) is an Americanfootball coach and former professional player who was alinebacker in theNational Football League (NFL) for seven seasons during the 1980s and early 1990s. Hunley playedcollege football for theUniversity of Arizona, and was twice recognized as a consensusAll-American. He was selected in the first round of the1984 NFL draft,[1] and played professionally for theDenver Broncos,Arizona Cardinals andLos Angeles Raiders of the NFL. He is currently the defensive line coach at the University of Arizona inTucson, his alma mater.
Hunley was born inPetersburg, Virginia, and graduated fromPetersburg High School.
Hunley attended the University of Arizona, where he played for theArizona Wildcats football team from 1980 to 1983. As a junior in 1982 and again as a senior in 1983, he was recognized as a consensus first-team All-American—and became the first Arizona Wildcat football player to receive consensus All-American honors.[2]
In 1998, he was inducted into theCollege Football Hall of Fame–the first player from the University of Arizona to be enshrined.
Hunley went on to an NFL career with theDenver Broncos (1984–87),Phoenix Cardinals (1988), and theLos Angeles Raiders (1989–90). It is noted that Hunley was drafted by the Bengals but after failing to reach a contract agreement was traded to Denver. Hunley played in bothSuper Bowl XXI andSuper Bowl XXII for the Broncos. He was elected executive vice president of theNFL Players Association (1990–92).
Hunley coached on the collegiate level at theUniversity of Southern California (1992–93),University of Missouri (1994–2000),University of Florida (2001), and theUniversity of Memphis (2014-15). He helped the Florida Gators win the BCS FedEx2002 Orange Bowl. In his first two coaching gigs, he worked under head coachLarry Smith.
Hunley started his NFL coaching career through the NFL Minority Fellowship Coaching Program in 2002 as thedefensive line coach for theWashington Redskins underSteve Spurrier, following Spurrier to the pros after his final season with Florida. While with Washington, Hunley first met defensive coordinatorMarvin Lewis. Hunley becameLinebackers coach under Lewis when Lewis became the head coach of theCincinnati Bengals from 2003 to 2007.
In 2005, Hunley helped the Bengals ended 15 years of futility by notching their first winning season since 1990 and winning the AFC North division title with an 11–5 record. Two years later in 2007, he was fired after a disappointing season and a flurry of player injuries and suspensions. During his time in the NFL, he also served on the board of directors for theBlack Coaches Association.
Hunley eventually returned to college football, coaching for two seasons (2014–15) with the Memphis Tigers. In 2015, Hunley helped the Tigers post a 9-4 record, and an appearance in theBirmingham Bowl.
On December 30, 2020, Hunley joinedJedd Fisch's coaching staff as defensive line coach at theUniversity of Arizona, his alma mater.
Hunley and his wife Camille have two daughters. His younger brother, Lamonte, was also an All-American linebacker at Arizona.[3] He founded the Ricky Hunley Football Camp, a non-profit instruction center for high school boys.[4]