NFL
By Jalen Willingham
The Cincinnati Bengals honored their franchise great by enshrining Ken Anderson in their ring of honor last year but that’s not enough. Ken Anderson needs to be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Ken Anderson played 16 seasons in the NFL all spent playing for the Cincinnati Bengals. Anderson was drafted in the third round of the 1971 draft out of Augustana College.
Anderson was one of the top quarterbacks in the league during his time. He’s one of five players to win at least four passing titles in the NFL. His third passing title got him Offensive Player of the Year and his only MVP award Andersons MVP season in 1981 allowed him to also be the first Bengal player to win MVP. Only one other Bengal player has won NFL MVP since Ken Anderson did.
When Anderson was at his best, so were the Bengals. He got Cincinnati to the playoffs four times. He also led the Cincinnati Bengals to their first Super Bowl appearance in franchise history the same year he won MVP in 1981. In Super Bowl 16, Anderson threw for 300 yards and had three total touchdowns with two interceptions as well in a 26-21 loss to Joe Montana and the San Francisco 49ers.
Anderson held the record for the highest completion percentage in a season with 70.6% for 25 years before Drew Brees broke it in 2009. He led the league in passer rating four times and completion percentage three times Ken Anderson also led the NFL in passing yards, yards per attempt, and completions twice. Even though he last retired in 1986, he still holds the Bengals franchise record for most wins by a quarterback with 91 wins. He’s also the franchise leader for quarterbacks passing yards, attempts, games played, and longest touchdown thrown.
Even though he’s been a finalist for the Hall of Fame multiple times, he hasn’t been able to get in yet, unfortunately. He’s widely known as one of the best players in NFL History that isn’t in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. There’s absolutely no reason why Ken Anderson shouldn’t be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and it would be extremely disappointing if he passes away before his enshrinement like Ken Riley did.
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