NFL · Draftees

Kenny King

1979 · Round 3 · Pick 72 · RB · Houston Oilers

Kenny King starred at Clarendon High School in Texas and is in the Texas Panhandle Sports Hall of Fame. At Oklahoma he played tailback and fullback in the wishbone, leading the team in rushing in 1976 with 791 yards, and later sharing the backfield with Billy Sims. Houston drafted him in the third round, 72nd overall, in 1979. After one season the Oilers traded him to Oakland, where he made the Pro Bowl after the 1980 season and started in two Super Bowl wins (XV and XVIII). His 80-yard catch in Super Bowl XV was a Super Bowl record until 1997. He finished with 2,477 rushing yards. Pro Football Reference has a player page for him (linked below), but its stats weren't pulled for this bio. The Daily Oklahoman wrote on January 13, 1980 (NewsBank page 33): "King barely made the squad last September and the feeling is that he probably would have been cut had the health of Houston's running backs been better."

Sources

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenny_King_(running_back | https://soonersports.com/sports/2019/8/13/208798496 | https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/K/KingKe00.htm | The Daily Oklahoman, January 13, 1980, page 33 (via NewsBank Oklahoman Collection, scanned page)

The Daily

Sunday notes. Monday trenches. Every Sooner snap.

A daily letter covering former Oklahoma players in the NFL, NBA, MLB, AUSL, and USA Softball — box scores, injury notes, and the games that field them.

Subscribe

* indicates required

Subscribe sends the address to Mailchimp. Mailchimp asks you to confirm before the Daily is sent. Details are in the privacy policy and the terms.