Pro Football Hall of Fame safety Kenny Easley died Friday evening, his family told the Hall. Easley, who starred for the Seattle Seahawks from 1981 to 1987 but battled health issues for years, was 66 years old.
Seattle drafted Easley out of UCLA with the No. 4 overall pick in 1981, the Seahawks’ sixth year in the NFL. The 6-foot-3 defensive back went on to earn five All-Pro honors in his seven-season career.
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While a kidney ailment forced him to retire before he reached his 30s, his impact on the league, and especially the Seahawks, was felt long before he was inducted into the Hall in 2017.
Earning the nickname of “The Enforcer,” Easley brought an intensity at the strong safety position in Seattle that foreshadowed the days of the “Legion of Boom.”
“Kenny Easley would have been a dominant safety in any era,” a statement from Hall of Fame president and CEO Jim Porter read Saturday.
“When he was enshrined in 2017, he took his rightful place in the Pro Football Hall of Fame and embraced his football immortality. Kenny possessed excellent ball skills, but make no mistake: His biggest strengths were his fearlessness and intensity. If you had the ball as an opposing offensive player, he was going to hit you hard — and you were going to feel it for a while.
“The Hall of Fame staff sends its condolences to Kenny’s wife, Gail, and the entire Easley family.”
Easley became the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year in 1984 while leading the league with 10 interceptions.
He started 87 of the 89 games he played in and finished with 32 picks — including a trio of pick 6s and 538 total interception return yards — and nine forced fumbles.
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The Seahawks welcomed Easley into their Ring of Honor in 2002. He was the fourth player in franchise history to have his jersey retired, as his No. 45 is synonymous with his name in Seattle lore.
