GGOATRANK
🇺🇸
American Football · Cornerback · United States

Ken Riley

1969–1983 · Retired with 65 interceptions, then fifth-most in NFL history.

Retired
Ranking model

100% titles, statistics, dominance, longevity and global competition depth.

Pure sporting data
86.7
Cultural & brand footprint 52/100 · total legacy 77.5
Career interceptions
65
Interception return touchdowns
5
Games played
207
Seasons played
15
Hall of Fame inductions
1

Category profile

Dominance
82
Peak
90
Longevity
92
Honours
80
Statistics
92

Career timeline · Touchdowns per season

SeasonTouchdowns per seasonShare of career
19694
19704
19715
19723
19734
19745
19753
19765
19774
19783
19795
19806
19815
19823
19838

Data sources

  • NFL.com
  • Pro Football Reference
  • Pro Football Hall of Fame

Figures come from public records and are normalised per sport. See the methodology for category weights. Method

Why Ken Riley ranks #62 in American Football

Ken Riley ranks 62nd among American Football athletes on GOAT Rank and 1165th of 2289 across every sport in the index. The published GOAT Score of 86.7 is the weighted result of five verified category scores: Dominance 82, Peak 90, Longevity 92, Honours 80, Statistics 92. Those categories are normalised against the full American Football reference universe of 381 records, not a shortlist, so the position reflects the whole sport rather than a handful of famous names.

The record covers 1969–1983 with 15 documented competitive seasons. The strongest single season in that series is 1983, which sets the Peak component at 90. Longevity is the defining strength of the profile at 92 out of 100, and it carries 20% of the final score. The underlying career record includes career interceptions 65, interception return touchdowns 5, games played 207, seasons played 15.

Immediately ahead sits Troy Polamalu on 86.7, a gap of 0.0 points. Directly behind is Ray Lewis on 86.6. The position moves whenever the verified record moves: new titles, new seasons or a corrected source all feed straight back into the same formula, and every change is dated on this profile.

Ken Riley GOAT Score explained

Dominance82/100 · weight 25%
Measures how far Riley stood above the field while competing. Scored 82/100 against the full American Football cohort.
Peak90/100 · weight 20%
Rates the best sustained stretch of the career, centred on 1983. Scored 90/100.
Longevity92/100 · weight 20%
Rewards staying at that level over time: 14 years of competition and 15 recorded seasons. Scored 92/100.
Honours80/100 · weight 20%
Counts documented titles, majors and awards in the verified record. Scored 80/100.
Statistics92/100 · weight 15%
Normalises the raw career numbers against everyone in the sport reporting the same metric. Scored 92/100.

Ken Riley — frequently asked

Is Ken Riley the GOAT?
Not on the current data. Ken Riley ranks 62nd in American Football with a GOAT Score of 86.7, behind Tom Brady on 97.2.
What is Ken Riley's GOAT Score?
86.7 out of 100. It is the weighted sum of Dominance 82 (25%), Peak 90 (20%), Longevity 92 (20%), Honours 80 (20%), Statistics 92 (15%), computed from the verified career record.
Where does Ken Riley rank all time?
1165th of 2289 eligible athletes in the cross-sport index, and 62nd within American Football.
Ken Riley vs Troy Polamalu: who ranks higher?
Ken Riley, on 86.7 against Troy Polamalu's 86.7 — a margin of 0.0 points.
Compare with Brady