It’s Official: Dillon and Krumrie In Bengals’ Ring of Honor
Credit: Kareem Elgazzar / USA TODAY NETWORK
The Cincinnati Bengals established their Ring of Honor in 2021, and after an inaugural class of four, they have only inducted two members per season. That means some of the best players in history had to wait a bit to get the call, but the long-awaited day of acknowledgment is finally here for Corey Dillon and Tim Krumrie. The Bengals announced on Thursday that the two greats will be inducted into their Ring of Honor this season.
Tim Krumrie and Corey Dillon are this year’s Ring of Honor inductees!
On September 23rd at halftime vs the Commanders, they will be recognized with a special induction ceremony.
đź”—: https://t.co/BzcudyPsA2 pic.twitter.com/ABg5jI6jCh
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) July 18, 2024
Dillon, who was on the team most recently and played a skill position, is the headliner here. Drafted in the second round of the 1997 Draft, Dillon stepped right into the NFL and delivered 1,129 yards and 10 touchdowns for the Bengals as a rookie. It was the lowest yardage total of his first six seasons in Cincinnati, which included three straight trips to the Pro Bowl from 1999 to 2001.
For those six seasons, Dillon was one of the best running backs on the planet. Between 1997 and 2002, Dillon was third in the NFL (behind Curtis Martin and Eddie George) with 7,520 rushing yards, and was tied for fifth with 43 rushing touchdowns. Dillon got the fourth-most rushing attempts in the league, yet averaged 4.4 yards per carry, tying for 13th among the 44 players with 500 or more attempts over that time.
After an injury-hampered 2003 season, the Bengals and Dillon parted ways, and Dillon played three more seasons with the New England Patriots. He made his fourth Pro Bowl in 2004 with a 1,635-yard, 12-touchdown season, then won Super Bowl XXXIX in 2005. He scored an incredible 37 touchdowns in 45 games in New England.
But let’s get back to Dillon’s stats with the Bengals. His 8,061 yards are first in franchise history, 1,614 yards above second-place James Brooks. His 418 rushing first downs are first by a wide margin, and his 45 rushing touchdowns are fourth. Only Chad Johnson has more yards from scrimmage as a Bengal than Dillon’s 9,543.
While Dillon left the organization late in his career, Krumrie got to be a Bengal for life, playing from 1983 to 1994. He went from the tail end of the 10th round in the 1983 Draft to a two-time All-Pro, as a Second-Teamer in 1987 and First-Teamer in 1988. That 1988 season saw Krumrie partake in a whopping 152 tackles, notching 3.0 sacks, and recovering three fumbles. For that performance, he finished seventh-place in voting for the AP’s Defensive Player of the Year Award.
All told, Krumrie still holds the all-time franchise record for combined tackles (the NFL didn’t track solo tackles until 1994) of any defensive player with 1,017. That’s almost 300 more than Brian Simmons, who is second on the list. Krumrie was also a pass-rushing threat from the nose tackle position, with 34.5 sacks over his career. That’s seventh all-time for any Bengal, and behind only Geno Atkins among players listed at tackle.
Dillon and Krumrie got the nod in a still-loaded ballot that included Jim Breech, Brooks, Cris Collinsworth, David Fulcher, Dave Lapham, Max Montoya, Bob Trumpy, and Reggie Williams. As for the previously inducted members, they are as follows:
2021: Ken Anderson, Anthony Muñoz, Ken Riley, Paul Brown (owner)
2022: Willie Anderson, Isaac Curtis
2023: Boomer Esiason, Chad Johnson
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