Cortez Kennedy (August 23, 1968 May 23, 2017) was an American professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly ...

player who was a

defensive tackle A defensive tackle (DT) is a position in American football that will typically line up on the line of scrimmage, opposite one of the offensive guards, however he may also line up opposite one of the tackles. Defensive tackles are typically the l ...

for his entire 11-season career with the

Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) West, which they rejoined in 2002 a ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the majo ...

(NFL). He was inducted into the

Pro Football Hall of Fame The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame for professional American football, located in Canton, Ohio. Opened on September 7, , the Hall of Fame enshrines exceptional figures in the sport of professional football, including players, coa ...

in 2012. He redefined and expanded the possibilities of how a large-bodied interior lineman could be used. In

1992 File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment building in Amsterdam after two of its engin ...

, he won the

Defensive Player of the Year Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY or DPOTY) is the name of an award given in sports for outstanding Defense (sports), defensive play by a single player over the course of a season. Many sports leagues award this type of award. League awards for D ...

award despite his team finishing 2–14. Kennedy played collegiate football for the

Miami Hurricanes The Miami Hurricanes (known informally as The U, UM, or The 'Canes) are the intercollegiate sports teams that represent the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida. The Hurricanes compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic A ...

at the

University of Miami The University of Miami (UM, UMiami, Miami, U of M, and The U) is a private research university in Coral Gables, Florida. , the university enrolled 19,096 students in 12 colleges and schools across nearly 350 academic majors and programs, i ...

High school and college career

Kennedy was born in Osceola, Arkansas, but grew up in the nearby town of

Wilson Wilson may refer to: People *Wilson (name) ** List of people with given name Wilson ** List of people with surname Wilson * Wilson (footballer, 1927–1998), Brazilian manager and defender * Wilson (footballer, born 1984), full name Wilson R ...

. He graduated from Rivercrest High School in Wilson, and attended

Northwest Mississippi Community College Northwest Mississippi Community College is a public community college in Senatobia, Mississippi. It was founded in 1928. As of August 2008, Northwest's enrollment exceeds 7,100 students. There are approximately 3,000 students on the Senatobia ca ...

before being awarded a football scholarship to the

, where he was named an

All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...

n in 1989. Kennedy was inducted into the University of Miami Sports Hall of Fame in 2004.

Professional career

He was the third overall selection in the 1990 draft by the Seahawks, and was unsigned until two days before the beginning of the season. Kennedy was named to the

Pro Bowl The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (starting in 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's star players. The format has changed thro ...

in 1991. In 1992, having recorded 14 quarterback sacks, he received the

NFL Defensive Player of the Year Several organizations give out NFL Defensive Player of the Year awards that are listed in the ''NFL Record and Fact Book'' and ''Total Football II: The Official Encyclopedia of the National Football League''. The Associated Press (AP) has been givi ...

by the

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despite the Seahawks' 2–14 record. He switched his jersey number to 99 that season in honor of close friend

Jerome Brown Willie Jerome Brown III (February 4, 1965 – June 25, 1992) was an American football defensive tackle for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). He played his entire five-year NFL career with the Eagles from 1987 to 1 ...

, and was named First- or Second-team All-Pro five times. Kennedy retired after the 2000 season. In 167 games with Seattle, he recorded 668 tackles, 58 sacks, and three interceptions. He announced his retirement in August 2002 after sitting out the 2001 season. He was given several offers by other teams, but wanted to finish his career in Seattle. He is generally considered one of the best defensive tackles to ever play the position in the NFL. He was a semi-finalist for the

in 2008, as well as a finalist in 2009 and 2011, eventually being elected to the Hall as a member of the 2012 induction class. He was the second Hall of Famer to earn his credentials primarily as a Seahawk. After retiring, Kennedy worked as an advisor for the

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...

, whose general manager, Mickey Loomis, had previously worked for the Seahawks. Kennedy later moved to Arkansas and

Orlando, Florida Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures re ...

, where he raised his daughter Courtney and focused on her education. In 2006, Kennedy was inducted into the Seahawks' Ring of Honor. His jersey number, 96, was retired by the Seahawks during a game against the New England Patriots on October 14, 2012. In 2007, Kennedy was named the best athlete ever to wear the number 96 by SI.com.

NFL career statistics

Source:

Death

Kennedy died on May 23, 2017, in

. He was 48 years old. According to police, Kennedy was alone when he died. In the days leading up to his death, Kennedy had experienced symptoms of heart failure, including swollen legs and dizziness, which led to his hospitalization. Following his death,

Wilson, Arkansas Wilson is a city in Mississippi County, Arkansas, United States. The community is located in the Arkansas Delta and is surrounded by fertile cropland historically used to produce cotton. Wilson started as a company town in 1886 by Robert E. Lee ...

named a stretch of

U.S. Highway 61 U.S. Route 61 or U.S. Highway 61 (U.S. 61) is a major United States highway that extends between New Orleans, Louisiana and the city of Wyoming, Minnesota. The highway generally follows the course of the Mississippi River and is designated ...

in his honor.

References

External links

Marshall Faulk, Deion Sanders, Shannon Sharpe headline 2011 Hall of Fame class – ESPNPro Football Hall Of Fame 2009 Finalist Bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kennedy, Cortez 1968 births 2017 deaths American football defensive tackles National Football League players with retired numbers Northwest Mississippi Rangers football players Miami Hurricanes football players People from Osceola, Arkansas Players of American football from Arkansas Pro Football Hall of Fame inductees Seattle Seahawks players American Conference Pro Bowl players African-American players of American football 20th-century African-American sportspeople 21st-century African-American people National Football League Defensive Player of the Year Award winners Ed Block Courage Award recipients