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The Cincinnati Bengals announced that Corey Dillon and Tim Krumrie will be honored this fall as the newest members of the team’s Ring of Honor, established in 2021. The former players will be formally inducted at halftime of the Bengals’ Monday Night Football game vs. the Washington Commanders on Sept. 23, airing on ESPN. Bengals season-ticket members selected Dillon and Krumrie from a ballot of 11 candidates as this year’s inductees
Dillon is the Bengals’ all-time leading rusher with 8,061 yards. A four-time Pro Bowl running back, Dillon spent his first seven NFL seasons (1997-03) in Cincinnati, and started his career with six consecutive 1,000-yard seasons. He was a Pro Bowler each year from 1999-01, breaking Walter Payton’s 23-year-old single-game rushing record by rumbling for 278 yards in a win over the Broncos in Week 8 of the 2000 season. Dillon finished his final three seasons with the New England Patriots, winning a Super Bowl ring with the Patriots in 2004. His 11,241 career rushing yards rank No. 20 on the all-time list.
Dillon said in a statement: “When I first heard the news from [Bengals owner] Mike Brown, it brought more joy to that day instantly. We had a great conversation. It means a lot. It’s my legacy. I’m happy and fortunate that this is happening at this time. I’m ecstatic about it. I have to thank the fans for the love and support. It’s been an awesome year getting to know everybody. I can’t thank them enough.”
Bengals owners Mike Brown said of Dillon: “Corey not only was strong and fast with great balance — he was durable. He could take a lot of snaps. He was the one who carried the ball for us. That’s what we could do best then — run the ball. Teams recognized that and would play a heavy front against us. It didn’t matter. He would just run through them as though they were in a passing setup.”
Krumrie, a nose tackle, joins Boomer Esiason and Anthony Munoz as members of the Bengals’ 1988 team in the Ring of Honor. Krumrie joined the Bengals as a 10th-round pick in the 1983 NFL Draft, spending his entire 12-year career with the Bengals before retiring in 1994. Krumrie earned consecutive Pro Bowl nods in the late ’80s and performed at an All-Pro level during the 1988 season to help the Bengals reach Super Bowl XXIII. He suffered a broken leg in the Super Bowl, however, which sidelined Krumrie for the majority of Cincinnati’s 20-16 loss to San Francisco. Despite the injury, Krumrie did not miss a single game during his final six seasons. He is sixth in Bengals franchise history in games played (188) and first in career solo tackles (1,008). His 188 appearances are the most ever for a Bengals defensive or offensive lineman.
Krumrie shared in a statement: “I’d like to thank the Cincinnati Bengals fans for their votes and for recognizing my play on the field and the effort I put into every game. I’m proud to have my name alongside my 1988 teammates who helped make my dream of playing in a Super Bowl come true, as well as the other deserving Ring of Honor members. I’d especially like to thank Mike Brown for giving this farm boy from Wisconsin a chance to succeed in the NFL. This is an honor beyond anything I could imagine.”
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