Ricky Hunley
Arizona Wildcats | |||||||
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Position: | Defensive tackles coach | ||||||
Personal information | |||||||
Born: | Petersburg, Virginia,U.S. | November 11, 1961||||||
Height: | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||
Weight: | 242 lb (110 kg) | ||||||
Career information | |||||||
High school: | Petersburg (VA) | ||||||
College: | Arizona | ||||||
NFL draft: | 1984/ Round: 1 / Pick: 7 | ||||||
Career history | |||||||
As a player: | |||||||
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||
As a coach: | |||||||
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Career highlights and awards | |||||||
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Career NFL statistics | |||||||
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Player stats atPFR | |||||||
Ricky Cardell Hunley(born November 11, 1961) is anAmerican footballcoach and former professional player who was alinebackerin theNational Football League(NFL) for seven seasons during the 1980s and early 1990s. Hunley playedcollege footballfor 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 CardinalsandLos Angeles Raidersof the NFL. He is currently the defensive line coach at the University of Arizona inTucson,his alma mater.
Early life
[edit]Hunley was born inPetersburg, Virginia,and graduated fromPetersburg High School.
College playing career
[edit]Hunley attended the University of Arizona, where he played for theArizona Wildcats footballteam 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.
Professional playing career
[edit]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 XXIandSuper Bowl XXIIfor the Broncos. He was elected executive vice president of theNFL Players Association(1990–92).
Coaching career
[edit]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 linecoach for theWashington RedskinsunderSteve Spurrier,following Spurrier to the pros after his final season with Florida. While with Washington, Hunley first met defensive coordinatorMarvin Lewis.Hunley becameLinebackerscoach under Lewis when Lewis became the head coach of theCincinnati Bengalsfrom 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.
Personal life
[edit]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]
References
[edit]- ^"1984 NFL Draft Listing".Pro-Football-Reference.com.RetrievedOctober 10,2023.
- ^"Invalid Access".Archived fromthe originalon April 2, 2015.RetrievedOctober 31,2006.
- ^Larry Smith: 1939–2008ArchivedMay 8, 2008, at theWayback Machine,Arizonaathletics.com, January 28, 2008.
- ^Ricky Hunleyat theCollege Football Hall of Fame
External links
[edit]- 1961 births
- Living people
- All-American college football players
- American football linebackers
- Arizona Wildcats football players
- Sacramento Mountain Lions coaches
- Cincinnati Bengals coaches
- College Football Hall of Fame inductees
- Denver Broncos players
- Florida Gators football coaches
- Los Angeles Raiders players
- Missouri Tigers football coaches
- Phoenix Cardinals players
- USC Trojans football coaches
- Washington Redskins coaches
- Sportspeople from Petersburg, Virginia
- Players of American football from Virginia
- Memphis Tigers football coaches
- 21st-century African-American sportspeople
- 20th-century African-American sportspeople