Pro Football Hall of Fame: Kenny Easley profile
Some people wait a long time to get into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. That’s the case for safety Kenny Easley. Any comparisons to another great?
It’s an amazing achievement for those who have been players, coaches, administrators and contributors to pro football. That honor belongs to a total of 310 men. And seven of those legends got their gold jackets on Friday night.
The Class of 2017is star-studded and that’s an understatement. From NFL MVPs to Super Bowl champions to both, they have made the game great. But we are making comparisons here to other members. Who does Kenny Easley stack up with in terms of Hall of Fame safeties?
Kenny Easley/Ken Houston
Like Denver Broncos running back and fellow 2017 Pro Football Hall of Fame classmate Terrell Davis, Seattle Seahawks’ safety Ken Easley’s NFL career lasted only seven seasons. But his impact on a relatively young franchise was evident. The club had played only five seasons in the league before making the former UCLA start the fourth overall pick in the 1981 NFL Draft.
The solid tackler and ball-hawk picked off 32 passes (3 returned for touchdowns) and totaled 11 fumble recoveries with the team. That’s a combined 43 takeaways in 89 regular-season contests. In his third season, the upstart Seahawks came within one win of reaching the Super Bowl. Easley’s final season was 1987. Now 30 years later, he’s entering the Hall in Canton, Ohio. It’s been quite a journey, as John Boyle of Seahawks.com wrote recently.
There are not a lot of “pure” safeties in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The likes of Ronnie Lott, Rod Woodson and Aeneas Williams began their careers at cornerbacks before changing positions in the secondary.
Ken Houston began his pro career with the AFL’s Houston Oilers before being dealt to the Washington Redskins. Like Easley, there was that nose for the football and what to do with it. In his first five seasons in league, he picked off 25 passes and returned nine for scores. The 12-time Pro Bowler finished his 14-year career with an impressive 70 takeaways. And like his contemporary from the Seahawks, he knew how to lay a lick at the most opportune of times.
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In seven NFL campaigns, Kenny Easley was a five-time Pro Bowler and a three-time All-Pro defender. It’s obviously been a long wait for the talented performer. But all’s well that ends well for this dynamic pro.