Hall of Fame safety Kenny Easley dies at age 66

Kenny Easley (YouTube)

Former Seattle Seahawks safety Kenny Easley of Chesapeake, Virginia passed away at the age of 66 on Friday. The cause of death was not given, however, according to Amisha Pandey of the Times of India, he suffered from kidney disease.

Easley played seven seasons with the Seahawks from 1981 to 1987. In 89 games, he had 32 interceptions for 538 yards, three pick sixes, nine forced fumbles, 11 fumble recoveries for 52 yards and eight sacks.

A five-time Pro Bowler (1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, and 1987), Easley’s finest season came in 1984. That year he was the Associated Press Defensive Player of the Year. Easley led the NFL with 10 interceptions and two pick sixes. He had 126 yards from interceptions, three forced fumbles and one fumble recovery. The fumble recovery that year came in a 26-6 Seahawks win over the Cincinnati Bengals on November 18.

Easley was the first round pick in the 1981 NFL Draft out of UCLA. He was selected only behind running back George Rogers of Duluth, Georgia (first overall by the New Orleans Saints out of South Carolina), linebacker Lawrence Taylor of Williamsburg, Virginia (second overall by the New York Giants out of North Carolina), and running back Freeman McNeil of Jackson, Mississippi (third overall by the New York Jets out of UCLA). It is interesting that Easley and McNeil both played for the Bruins, and that Easley and Taylor both ended up in the Hall of Fame in the same class of 2017.

Easley’s nickname throughout his career was “the Enforcer”. At the end of his NFL career, he was traded to the Phoenix Cardinals for quarterback Kelly Stouffer of Scottsbluff, Nebraska. However, he never played for the Cardinals because the trade was voided. The reasoning is because Easley was diagnosed with idiopathic nephrotic syndrome (kidney disease).