Seahawk great Cortez Kennedy elected to Hall fo Fame
INDIANAPOLIS - Former Seattle Seahawks defensive tackle Cortez Kennedy was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday.
Kennedy, who spent his entire 11-season NFL career with the Seahawks, was elected along with three other linemen, a running back and a senior selection.
Kennedy was known as a force inside, both as a run stopper and in threatening quarterbacks. The 1992 Defensive Player of the Year made eight Pro Bowls and had 58 sacks - an unusually high total for a tackle.
He is only the second lifelong Seahawk to be elected to the Hall of Fame, after Steve Largent.
Kennedy was drafted by the Seahawks in 1990. Despite a rather lackluster rookie year, he improved in his second and was named to the Pro Bowl in 1991.
In 1992, he recorded 14 quarterback sacks and received the NFL Defensive Player of the Year by the Associated Press despite the Seahawks miserable 2-14 record. He was named All-Pro 4 times.
Kennedy retired after the 2000 season. In 167 games with Seattle, he recorded 668 tackles, 58 sacks, and three interceptions, according to Wikipedia.
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.
Kennedy was a semi-finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2008, as well as a finalist in 2009 and 2011.
Other electees to the Hall of Fame's 2012 class are running back Curtis Martin, the fourth-leading rusher in NFL history, along with linemen Chris Doleman, Willie Roaf and Dermontti Dawson, and senior selection Jack Butler.
Jerome Bettis, Cris Carter and Bill Parcells were among the finalists who didn't make it.
A panel of 44 media members voted. The inductions are in early August in Canton, Ohio.
