UA legend Hunley eager to move on after Memphis stint ends
Former UA football player Ricky Hunley, left, has coached at various levels, the last two years at Memphis, where he coached linebackers. The teams went 19-6 in those two seasons.
After coaching at USC, Florida, Missouri and with the Cincinnati Bengals, Washington Redskins and Oakland Raiders, Ricky Hunley relocated to Tennessee in 2014 and coached linebackers for the Memphis Tigers.
What came next was one of the most uplifting saga’s in Hunley’s long career: the Tigers went 10-3 last year and 9-3 this year. They spent time in the Top 25.
“We didn’t do this with 4-star and 5-star recruits,” Hunley said last week. “We were doing it with 1-star and 2-star players. It was such a great experience.”
And then head coach Justin Fuente took the coaching job at Virginia Tech and essentially was told to retain the defensive coaches from the staff of retiring Frank Beamer.
At 54, Hunley has seen it all in his playing and coaching career — he was executive vice president of the NFL Players Association for three years — until Memphis hired Mike Norvell as its head coach.
“He’s from Arizona State,” Hunley said with a laugh. “Arizona State. I won’t be staying at Memphis.”
Hunley will relocate after Memphis plays Auburn in the Birmingham Bowl.
In my opinion, Hunley is the best football player in UA history. He was a consensus All-America linebacker in 1982 and 1983, an NFL first-round draft pick who was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1997.
Ten days ago, he was selected to the Pac-12’s All-Century first team, which just about floored him. He knows the numbers: In the last 50 years, the Pac-12 has had 22 consensus All-America linebackers, from Junior Seau to Jack Del Rio. That’s the tallest cotton in college football.
“It’s not just that I made it; it’s about those who didn’t make it,” said Hunley. “It’s humbling. I’m proud as hell.”
After coaching in the Birmingham Bowl, Hunley will move to Los Angeles, where his wife, Camille, is an attorney.
“The West is home for me; that’s where we’ll live when I retire from coaching,” he said.
“This is a crazy business; I’m moving all over the country, but I love what I do, and I’m eager to get started again.”
