Ex-Husky Dillon Blasts Bengals for Not Putting Him in Ring of Honor

The former UW running back piled up a lot of yards, but rewards have been slow to come.

Corey Dillon hasn't played football in 17 seasons, but every once in a while he resurfaces and comes out stiff-arming, breaking tackles and trying to run over people if he feels the least bit slighted.

On Thursday, the former University of Washington running back turned NFL record-breaker, expressed his displeasure in an interview with The Athletic over being omitted so far from the Cincinnati Bengals' Ring of Honor, which was instituted just two years ago.

What's interesting about this squabble is Dillon, who played seven of his 10 NFL seasons with the Bengals, left the franchise in a contentious break-up.

There's no question the Seattle native was a great player at every level, high school, junior college the UW and the NFL. He set a pro football record for most rushing yards in a game by a rookie with 246 against Tennessee in 1997 and most yards in a game by anyone with 278 against Denver in 2000, since broken.

"I'm pretty sure they will put [bleeping] Jon Kitna in there before they put me," Dillon told The Athletic, referring to the former Bengals quarterback and long-time NFL player from Central Washington University and Tacoma, Washington.

Yet Dillon never once wanted to be popular anywhere he's gone — declaring he would "flip burgers" during a drawn-out Bengals contract dispute — but now he wants to win this popularity contest that's decided by votes from Cincinnati season-ticket holders and suite holders. 

"The Bengals are smart, I give it to them," he told The Athletic. "We will put it in the hands of the season-ticket holders, so they don't have to take that backlash over who the voters are picking. That's [bleep]. The [bleep] should come straight from the team. Half these season-ticket-holder people never seen half of us play."

Corey Dillon rushed for more than 11,000 yards in his 10-year NFL career / USA TODAY Sports

To be clear, those who missed out in catching a glimpse of Dillon's NFL or Husky football exploits were definitely short-changed.

He left the NFL after rushing for 11,241 yards and 82 touchdowns, and winning a Super Bowl with the New England Patriots. He'd like to be rewarded for it.

"When I'm done, I will take my kids to Canton, Ohio," Dillon told me in a book interview at the end of his pro football career. "I think that's everybody's dream, when they love the game, is to be the best if not be one of the best. I'd be lying if I didn't say it was a goal of mine. I want to be recognized as one of the best of my era."

So far, Dillon hasn't been recognized by the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but it should happen someday.

While he spent all of three months and a lone season at the UW in 1996, the former Franklin High School great rushed for 1,695 yards and 24 touchdowns for a Jim Lambright-coached team. Dillon left the football world in absolute amazement after he rushed for 222 yards and caught an 83-yard touchdown pass against San Jose State — all in the first quarter.

Curiously, 77 football coaches, players and others, plus entire teams, have been voted into the Husky Hall of Fame and Dillon is still not yet one of them.

Chances are, he'll be in all of them in due time.

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