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NFL Hall of Famer Cortez Kennedy, 48, is dead
1992 NFL Defensive Player of the Year was found in Orlando
3:47 PMFormer Seattle Seahawks defensive end and Miami Hurricanes standout Cortez Kennedy, 48, was found dead in Orlando, Florida, on Tuesday, according to TMZ. The Arkansas native was a two-time national champion, eight-time Pro Bowler, NFL Defensive Player of the Year and member of the NFL’s All-1990s team.
For me, Kennedy was a tad before my time in terms of people I really remember well, but I remember him through his media career later in life. He’s one of those guys whom everyone around him had a story about.
Great #Canes story about how teammate Randy Shannon helped Cortez Kennedy go from "two-play Tez" to the Hall of Fame. pic.twitter.com/DcSQ6mNFG9
— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) May 23, 2017
Cortez Kennedy won Defensive Player of the Year on a TWO-win Seahawks team. That's how great he was. RIP, way too young.
— Diehard Avs Fan Dan Lucero (@danluceroshow) May 23, 2017
“The entire Hall of Fame family is stunned and deeply saddened to learn the news of Cortez Kennedy’s passing,” Pro Football Hall of Fame president and CEO David Baker said in a statement Tuesday. “On behalf of the Hall of Fame Board of Trustees, Cortez’s fellow Hall of Famers, and our staff, we extend our heartfelt condolences to his family, friends and fans. Cortez will be remembered not only for all his great achievements on the football field but how he handled himself off the field. He epitomized the many great values this game teaches which serves as inspiration to millions of fans.”
RIP Cortez Kennedy, all I remember from your career at Miami was you being a brick wall in cleats pic.twitter.com/eynJEn20VE
— BUM CHILLUPS (@edsbs) May 23, 2017
A 1992 feature on him from Sports Illustrated is a fascinating read if you have some time on your hands. And here’s an interview with him from before he was inducted.
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