Ken Anderson, Ken Riley not among 38 finalists for Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2020

Dave Clark | Cincinnati Enquirer

Former Cincinnati Bengals Ken Anderson and Ken Riley are not among 38 finalists for the Centennial Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2020 - much to the chagrin of Bengals fans - per an announcement Thursday afternoon.

Anderson and Riley both spent their entire NFL playing careers with the Bengals.

On Thursday, 20 seniors, 10 contributors and 8 coaches were named as finalists:

JUST ANNOUNCED: The Class of 2020 Centennial Slate Finalists. #PFHOF20



More on the Centennial Slate Finalist: https://t.co/yEF4HFiLKI pic.twitter.com/i3tFqOo6Cv — Pro Football Hall of Fame (@ProFootballHOF) December 19, 2019

The Pro Football Hall of Fame's Class of 2020 will be introduced during a two-hour awards special to air nationally on the eve of Super Bowl LIV at 9 p.m. Eastern on Fox. A class of 15 people consisting of 10 seniors, 3 contributors and 2 coaches will be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in August of 2020.

The Enquirer's Tyler Dragon wrote about Anderson's Hall of Fame candidacy earlier this year:

“I don’t know. I know there’s been discussions about me in the past,” Anderson said. “I know there’s been discussions about me in the senior category. As far as what those discussions are? I don’t know what the feelings of the voters are. There are so many guys out there that are probably very deserving to be in. “I don’t know if (increasing the class to 20) helps my chances or not.” The now 70-year-old Anderson has been a Hall of Fame finalist twice. Anderson finished his career with 32,838 passing yards, 197 touchdowns, 160 interceptions and an 81.9 passer rating in 192 games. In his 16-year career, he led the NFL in passer rating four times, passing yards twice, won an MVP and was a four-time Pro Bowler.

The 72-year-old Riley played for the Bengals from 1969 to 1983. His 65 career interceptions ranked fourth in NFL history at the time of his retirement, behind Pro Football Hall of Famers Dick Lane, Emlen Tunnell and Paul Krause. (And only Rod Woodson, also a Pro Football Hall of Famer, has since passed Riley on the list.)

Offensive tackle Anthony Muñoz is the only former player to have spent his NFL career with the Cincinnati Bengals in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He has publicly lobbied for Anderson and Riley to join him in Canton.

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