(cid:48)(cid:72)(cid:72)(cid:87)(cid:3)(cid:87)(cid:75)(cid:72)(cid:3)(cid:37)(cid:72)(cid:81)(cid:74)(cid:68)(cid:79)(cid:86) W hen football fans talk about the game’s most talented teams they usually focus on clubs that have one or two superstars who lead the way The Cincinnati Bengals have had amazing talent over the years yet they have never relied on a single star to lead them Football is a team game and that is how the Bengals have always played it Every player is expected to contribute to Cincinnati’s success When the Bengals take the field they play like tigers They follow their prey with great skill and wait for the right moment to strike When the Bengals see an opportunity they move quickly and attack with power This book tells the story of the Bengals The team was started by one of the most brilliant men in professional football The Bengals try to live up to his example every game That is when the tiger in every player comes out Jermaine Gresham gets a hug from a teammate after a touchdown The Bengals look for players who can score from anywhere on the field (cid:24)
(cid:42)(cid:79)(cid:82)(cid:85)(cid:92)(cid:3)(cid:39)(cid:68)(cid:92)(cid:86) I n the years after World War II Paul Brown did more to change professional football than anyone else He was the first coach to scout and sign African-American players hire a full-time staff of assistant coaches and make sure his team studied film of opposing teams Not surprisingly his Cleveland Browns won three National Football League NFL championships When Brown retired he thought he would enjoy himself but he soon became bored In 1967 the same year that Brown was elected to the Hall of Fame the American Football League AFL allowed him to start a new team in Cincinnati Ohio He named the team the Bengals and got busy finding players for the 1968 season Brown built his roster with unwanted players from other clubs He also made smart picks in the draft One of those selections was Paul Robinson In Cincinnati’s first season he (cid:25)
led the AFL in rushing with 1,023 yards and was named Rookie of the Year In 1970 the Bengals and the rest of the AFL teams became part of the NFL By then the Bengals had some of the best young players in the game including Bob Trumpy Bill Bergey Ken Riley Lemar Parrish Mike Reid and Horst Muhlmann Cincinnati won the Central Division of the American Football Conference AFC with an 8 6 record Brown was named Coach of the Year He retired four seasons later Cincinnati had to look for new leaders Quarterback Ken Anderson guided the team on the field for 12 seasons starting in 1972 He had a strong accurate arm and knew how to get the best out of his teammates His weapons included running backs Archie Griffin and Pete Johnson two college stars from nearby Ohio State University and receivers Isaac Curtis and Dan Ross In 1981 after three last-place finishes in a row the Bengals rose to the top of the AFC The team’s coach was Forrest Gregg He knew all about championship football Gregg had been an offensive LEFT Paul Robinson ABOVE Ken Anderson (cid:26)
