TicketsWhen the Cincinnati Bengals take the field Sunday in the AFC Championship, they'll continue the city's incredible 2021-22 football run started by the Bearcats in September and make Cincinnati the first city to ever place a team in the College Football Playoff and the NFL's championship weekend in the same season.
However, the two teams share connections that run a lot deeper than the city's recent football success. The Bearcats and Bengals have been tied together since the NFL franchise's earliest days. THE (RE)BIRTH OF THE BENGALS In 1967, Cincinnati re-joined the professional football world. Founder Paul Brown chose the name "Bengals" as an homage to professional football teams of the city's past. (The Cincinnati Bengals first existed in the late '30s and early '40s in earlier leagues.)
A lot about the Bengals' birth was unique. Not only did the team share a founder with the state's other professional team (Brown first founded his namesake Cleveland Browns in the 1940s), but the franchise knew its early years would be temporary. The Bengals agreed to join the American Football League for the 1968 season after the league reached a merger agreement with the superior National Football League. The franchise also needed a stadium. Conveniently, so did the Cincinnati Reds, who had reached the end of the road at Crosley Field. Hamilton County and the city of Cincinnati agreed to build a multi-purpose facility for both teams on the Ohio River: Riverfront Stadium. It would be open in time for the Bengals' first year in the NFL after the merger in 1970.
So, to recap, the Bengals would join a league they knew would be changing and play in a stadium they knew they'd be leaving. Here's where the University of Cincinnati and the Cincinnati Bengals begin to intersect.
Cincinnati Enquirer NIPPERT STADIUM The Bengals briefly toyed with playing games at Crosley Field. However, the cons proved to outweigh the pros. Crosley had a comparable capacity, but it wasn't built for football, parking was a challenge, and the stadium's press box wasn't designed for cold weather events. Nippert Stadium––already more than a half-century old––had ample parking and a press box heated for football season.
The franchise announced a two-year partnership with UC in February 1968. Paul Brown, a former player at rival Miami University in the 1920s, recalled his history with the stadium at the day's press conference: "You know, I can remember way back when I played at Miami, and during my career, we played three games here. Since that time, I may have scouted four or five or six games here. And yet, the only thing I remembered about the campus today was the stadium. When I drove up here today, I couldn't get over how much the buildings impressed me or how big the campus is."
(Little-known fact: Brown coached the Cleveland Browns in a preseason game against the Baltimore Colts at Nippert Stadium in 1950. His team won 34-7 in front of 21,500 fans.)
Cincinnati Enquirer
To accommodate the larger crowds expected at Nippert Stadium for the inaugural season, the Bengals contracted a local company to erect temporary bleachers behind the north end zone and above the southeast corner of the bowl (between the upper deck and Dieterle). While this successfully increased capacity to 31,000 seats, fans in the bleachers reported a "swaying sensation" by mid-season.
Otherwise, the team's first season was typical. Like many expansion teams before them, the Bengals struggled to win games in 1968—starting 2-1 with victories in their first two home games before finishing just 3-11.
The 1969 NFL Draft brought another UC connection, and what the team hoped was a more long-lasting one. GREG COOK The Bengals selected Cincinnati Bearcats great Greg Cook with the 5th overall pick in the 1969 AFL/NFL Draft. Cook was already a legend in the city, having captained some otherwise middle-of-the-road Bearcats teams with great success in the late '60s. As a senior, Cook passed for 300 yards on six occasions, still a Cincinnati record. He reeled off 554 passing yards against Ohio (a program record until 2015 when Hayden Moore narrowly surpassed it against Memphis). Cook was the greatest Bearcats quarterback of the 20th century.
The game that cemented his legacy came on Senior Day against Paul Brown's Miami Redskins (pictured above). Brown was in attendance at Nippert Stadium that day to watch his alma mater in the final game of Cook's career—and what would be Bo Schembechler's last game with Miami before taking the job at Michigan. With the Redskins leading 21-6, Brown left the stadium. Cook took over, leading a miraculous 23-21 comeback for the Bearcats. "That quarterback. That's our draft choice," said Brown after watching tape of Cincinnati's miracle.
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As a rookie, Cook—now playing as a professional at Nippert Stadium—hit the ground running. Through three weeks, the Bengals had matched their previous season's win total. Cook appeared to be the team's first franchise quarterback.
Disaster struck late in a game against the Chiefs. Cook felt a pop in his throwing shoulder after being tackled. He missed the next three games but returned to the field, playing through pain as the Bengals slipped from 3-0 to a 4-9-1 finish. Despite the dismal end to the season, Cook finished with more than 1,800 passing yards and 15 touchdowns, winning the league's Rookie of the Year award.
His shoulder began to deteriorate in the offseason. An operation revealed a torn rotator cuff and partially detached biceps muscle. Three surgeries couldn't save his shoulder, and Cook retired at 23 years old. (He staged a short-lived comeback in 1973 but saw action in just one game before hanging his cleats up for good.)
Current Bengals owner Mike Brown has called Cook "the single greatest talent we ever had here." Cook died in 2012 at the age of 65.
There's dramatic irony in the fact that the UC product's Bengals career didn't outlast the Bengals' short tenure at Nippert Stadium. The franchise finished their stay in Nippert with a 7-20-1 record. When the team moved to downtown Riverfront Stadium in 1970, the Bearcats joined them for a one-game stint, opening the home slate with a 13-7 victory over Dayton while crews installed AstroTurf at Nippert Stadium. THE EARLY YEARS A score of Bearcats have made appearances with the Bengals over the years, though most in the early years were brief. Clem Turner, a UC star at running back in the mid-'60s, returned home from the CFL to join the team for Cook's rookie year in 1969. Evan Jolitz was selected in the third round in 1974 but played just one season in the NFL. Jeff West led the nation in punting for the Bearcats in 1974 before being drafted by the Bengals, but the team quickly placed him on waivers. He enjoyed a 10-year career in St. Louis, San Diego, and Seattle. Howie Kurnick, a three-year captain on the defensive line and a 1996 UC Athletics Hall of Fame inductee, was drafted in 1979 and played one season with the Bengals. Kari Yli-Renko, a two-sport athlete in college and a 1993 UC Athletics Hall of Fame inductee, was chosen by the team in 1981 before a short pro career in leagues outside the NFL.
Columbus Dispatch A RESURGENT CONNECTION As the Bearcats began to turn a corner in the 1990s under Tim Murphy and Rick Minter, so did the program's presence in the NFL. Linebacker Alex Gordon was a 2nd round pick of the New York Jets. He returned to Cincinnati with the Bengals in 1991—appearing in nearly every game over the next three seasons before taking his career to the CFL.
Defensive end Vaughn Booker came to Cincinnati from Green Bay in 2000 and started 27 games over three years. Antonio Chatman made a living in the league as a return specialist, signing with the Bengals in 2006 and appearing in 26 games during his three-year stint back in Cincinnati. Andre Frazier spent most of his 61-game NFL career with the Pittsburgh Steelers—where he won a Super Bowl ring twice—but he appeared in 13 games for the Bengals across the 2006 and 2007 seasons, recording 14 tackles.
Artrell Hawkins was the standout of this era. The Pennsylvania native was chosen in the 2nd round and immediately carved out a spot in the Bengals secondary, playing six good years in Cincinnati and recording 348 tackles and nine interceptions before rounding out his career in Carolina and New England.
Getty Images THE MODERN TIES A handful of modern Bearcats have appeared in orange and black. Armon Binns, a 2011 graduate and current offensive coach for the Bearcats, signed with the Bengals in 2011 before appearing in eight games the following season, notably recording a 48-yard touchdown catch in a victory at Washington. Many more have passed through the halls of Paul Brown Stadium, including Jeff Luc, Dino Boyd, Justin Murray, and JK Schaffer.
Bengals head coach Zac Taylor served as offensive coordinator for the Bearcats in 2016 before quickly scaling the coaching ranks and accepting the Bengals gig two years later. Doug Rosfeld was a captain during his playing career at UC and later returned as director of player development before his current role on Taylor's staff as director of coaching operations.
Yet you can't talk about the modern Bearcats-Bengals connection without talking about Kevin Huber. The Bengals chose the two-time All-American punter in the 5th round of the 2009 NFL Draft. While UC's Bengals impacts were always brief in the early years, Huber's career has been anything but. The 2014 Pro Bowler tied the franchise record for games played this month and holds nearly every Bengals punting record, including total punts, punting yards, and inside-20s.
When the veteran takes the field Sunday, he'll do it for the 245th time as a representative of Cincinnati—the latest and perhaps greatest connection between the city's two football teams.
However, the two teams share connections that run a lot deeper than the city's recent football success. The Bearcats and Bengals have been tied together since the NFL franchise's earliest days. THE (RE)BIRTH OF THE BENGALS In 1967, Cincinnati re-joined the professional football world. Founder Paul Brown chose the name "Bengals" as an homage to professional football teams of the city's past. (The Cincinnati Bengals first existed in the late '30s and early '40s in earlier leagues.)
A lot about the Bengals' birth was unique. Not only did the team share a founder with the state's other professional team (Brown first founded his namesake Cleveland Browns in the 1940s), but the franchise knew its early years would be temporary. The Bengals agreed to join the American Football League for the 1968 season after the league reached a merger agreement with the superior National Football League. The franchise also needed a stadium. Conveniently, so did the Cincinnati Reds, who had reached the end of the road at Crosley Field. Hamilton County and the city of Cincinnati agreed to build a multi-purpose facility for both teams on the Ohio River: Riverfront Stadium. It would be open in time for the Bengals' first year in the NFL after the merger in 1970.
So, to recap, the Bengals would join a league they knew would be changing and play in a stadium they knew they'd be leaving. Here's where the University of Cincinnati and the Cincinnati Bengals begin to intersect.
Cincinnati Enquirer NIPPERT STADIUM The Bengals briefly toyed with playing games at Crosley Field. However, the cons proved to outweigh the pros. Crosley had a comparable capacity, but it wasn't built for football, parking was a challenge, and the stadium's press box wasn't designed for cold weather events. Nippert Stadium––already more than a half-century old––had ample parking and a press box heated for football season.
The franchise announced a two-year partnership with UC in February 1968. Paul Brown, a former player at rival Miami University in the 1920s, recalled his history with the stadium at the day's press conference: "You know, I can remember way back when I played at Miami, and during my career, we played three games here. Since that time, I may have scouted four or five or six games here. And yet, the only thing I remembered about the campus today was the stadium. When I drove up here today, I couldn't get over how much the buildings impressed me or how big the campus is."
(Little-known fact: Brown coached the Cleveland Browns in a preseason game against the Baltimore Colts at Nippert Stadium in 1950. His team won 34-7 in front of 21,500 fans.)
Cincinnati Enquirer
To accommodate the larger crowds expected at Nippert Stadium for the inaugural season, the Bengals contracted a local company to erect temporary bleachers behind the north end zone and above the southeast corner of the bowl (between the upper deck and Dieterle). While this successfully increased capacity to 31,000 seats, fans in the bleachers reported a "swaying sensation" by mid-season.
Otherwise, the team's first season was typical. Like many expansion teams before them, the Bengals struggled to win games in 1968—starting 2-1 with victories in their first two home games before finishing just 3-11.
The 1969 NFL Draft brought another UC connection, and what the team hoped was a more long-lasting one. GREG COOK The Bengals selected Cincinnati Bearcats great Greg Cook with the 5th overall pick in the 1969 AFL/NFL Draft. Cook was already a legend in the city, having captained some otherwise middle-of-the-road Bearcats teams with great success in the late '60s. As a senior, Cook passed for 300 yards on six occasions, still a Cincinnati record. He reeled off 554 passing yards against Ohio (a program record until 2015 when Hayden Moore narrowly surpassed it against Memphis). Cook was the greatest Bearcats quarterback of the 20th century.
The game that cemented his legacy came on Senior Day against Paul Brown's Miami Redskins (pictured above). Brown was in attendance at Nippert Stadium that day to watch his alma mater in the final game of Cook's career—and what would be Bo Schembechler's last game with Miami before taking the job at Michigan. With the Redskins leading 21-6, Brown left the stadium. Cook took over, leading a miraculous 23-21 comeback for the Bearcats. "That quarterback. That's our draft choice," said Brown after watching tape of Cincinnati's miracle.
Getty Images
As a rookie, Cook—now playing as a professional at Nippert Stadium—hit the ground running. Through three weeks, the Bengals had matched their previous season's win total. Cook appeared to be the team's first franchise quarterback.
Disaster struck late in a game against the Chiefs. Cook felt a pop in his throwing shoulder after being tackled. He missed the next three games but returned to the field, playing through pain as the Bengals slipped from 3-0 to a 4-9-1 finish. Despite the dismal end to the season, Cook finished with more than 1,800 passing yards and 15 touchdowns, winning the league's Rookie of the Year award.
His shoulder began to deteriorate in the offseason. An operation revealed a torn rotator cuff and partially detached biceps muscle. Three surgeries couldn't save his shoulder, and Cook retired at 23 years old. (He staged a short-lived comeback in 1973 but saw action in just one game before hanging his cleats up for good.)
Current Bengals owner Mike Brown has called Cook "the single greatest talent we ever had here." Cook died in 2012 at the age of 65.
There's dramatic irony in the fact that the UC product's Bengals career didn't outlast the Bengals' short tenure at Nippert Stadium. The franchise finished their stay in Nippert with a 7-20-1 record. When the team moved to downtown Riverfront Stadium in 1970, the Bearcats joined them for a one-game stint, opening the home slate with a 13-7 victory over Dayton while crews installed AstroTurf at Nippert Stadium. THE EARLY YEARS A score of Bearcats have made appearances with the Bengals over the years, though most in the early years were brief. Clem Turner, a UC star at running back in the mid-'60s, returned home from the CFL to join the team for Cook's rookie year in 1969. Evan Jolitz was selected in the third round in 1974 but played just one season in the NFL. Jeff West led the nation in punting for the Bearcats in 1974 before being drafted by the Bengals, but the team quickly placed him on waivers. He enjoyed a 10-year career in St. Louis, San Diego, and Seattle. Howie Kurnick, a three-year captain on the defensive line and a 1996 UC Athletics Hall of Fame inductee, was drafted in 1979 and played one season with the Bengals. Kari Yli-Renko, a two-sport athlete in college and a 1993 UC Athletics Hall of Fame inductee, was chosen by the team in 1981 before a short pro career in leagues outside the NFL.
Columbus Dispatch A RESURGENT CONNECTION As the Bearcats began to turn a corner in the 1990s under Tim Murphy and Rick Minter, so did the program's presence in the NFL. Linebacker Alex Gordon was a 2nd round pick of the New York Jets. He returned to Cincinnati with the Bengals in 1991—appearing in nearly every game over the next three seasons before taking his career to the CFL.
Defensive end Vaughn Booker came to Cincinnati from Green Bay in 2000 and started 27 games over three years. Antonio Chatman made a living in the league as a return specialist, signing with the Bengals in 2006 and appearing in 26 games during his three-year stint back in Cincinnati. Andre Frazier spent most of his 61-game NFL career with the Pittsburgh Steelers—where he won a Super Bowl ring twice—but he appeared in 13 games for the Bengals across the 2006 and 2007 seasons, recording 14 tackles.
Artrell Hawkins was the standout of this era. The Pennsylvania native was chosen in the 2nd round and immediately carved out a spot in the Bengals secondary, playing six good years in Cincinnati and recording 348 tackles and nine interceptions before rounding out his career in Carolina and New England.
Getty Images THE MODERN TIES A handful of modern Bearcats have appeared in orange and black. Armon Binns, a 2011 graduate and current offensive coach for the Bearcats, signed with the Bengals in 2011 before appearing in eight games the following season, notably recording a 48-yard touchdown catch in a victory at Washington. Many more have passed through the halls of Paul Brown Stadium, including Jeff Luc, Dino Boyd, Justin Murray, and JK Schaffer.
Bengals head coach Zac Taylor served as offensive coordinator for the Bearcats in 2016 before quickly scaling the coaching ranks and accepting the Bengals gig two years later. Doug Rosfeld was a captain during his playing career at UC and later returned as director of player development before his current role on Taylor's staff as director of coaching operations.
Yet you can't talk about the modern Bearcats-Bengals connection without talking about Kevin Huber. The Bengals chose the two-time All-American punter in the 5th round of the 2009 NFL Draft. While UC's Bengals impacts were always brief in the early years, Huber's career has been anything but. The 2014 Pro Bowler tied the franchise record for games played this month and holds nearly every Bengals punting record, including total punts, punting yards, and inside-20s.
When the veteran takes the field Sunday, he'll do it for the 245th time as a representative of Cincinnati—the latest and perhaps greatest connection between the city's two football teams.