Dillon, the Bengals’ all-time rushing leader, had been back to the Queen City since then — for the organization’s 50th anniversary in 2017 — but his Ring of Honor induction was a “long time coming,” he said.
The Bengals on Thursday announced Dillon, who played for Cincinnati from 1997 through 2003, and nose tackle Tim Krumrie (1983-94) as the 2024 class of inductees to the organization’s Ring of Honor. They were voted in by season-ticket holders. The ballot included 11 individuals who played a significant role in the franchise’s history.
The two inductees will be honored in a ceremony during halftime of the Sept. 23 game against the Washington Commanders.
“At some point you got to understand it’s business, right?” Dillon said in a Zoom press conference Thursday. “And once you start understanding the business aspect of it, you’ll get it. I think time heals everything, and we had our due process of healing in our different ways, and it’s been long enough. I don’t think the antics outweigh the production on the field, you know what I mean? So, I think what I presented to the organization outweighs the little antics that went on. We’ve got smart people that understand that, and we figured it out. I’m just happy we’re on the same page of moving forward and enjoying these young Bengals hunting down a Super Bowl.”
Dillon, a second-round draft pick in 1997, stood out as a bright spot during a difficult period for the Bengals. He put together one of the team’s most prolific careers by a running back, while Cincinnati finished with losing records his first six seasons and went 8-8 in 2003. He remains the franchise’s all-time leader in rushing attempts (1,865), rushing yards (8,061) and 100-yard rushing games (28). He earned three consecutive Pro Bowl selections from 1999-2001.
However, as much as he did on the field, Dillon also was remembered by many for how he left. While dealing with a groin injury in Marvin Lewis’ first season as head coach in 2003, Dillon took a backseat to the emerging Rudi Johnson. Following a regular-season finale home loss to Cleveland, he tossed his gear into the stands and announced he was looking for a new home, which he found the next April.
Dillon didn’t feel appreciated at the time. He does now.
“I can’t describe it,” Dillon said. “For the longest time, my thing is respect and appreciation. And I feel that. That’s all I was asking for, and my day finally came. I’m going to enjoy it. I’m just going to ride this process and take in every bit of it.”
Dillon said he and the Bengals have a “clean slab,” and he had a great conversation with owner Mike Brown when he was informed of his Ring of Honor selection.
The phone call from Brown was “unexpected.” Dillon was about to hit the golf range when he realized he had a message from an unknown 513 number.
”I know a lot of people from the ‘Nati, but on this one, no name popped up,” he said, “so I was just like, ‘Listen to the message, man.’ I don’t know who this is,” Dillon said. “And it was Mike Brown. ... I called him back, and we had a beautiful conversation, man. It was a long time coming. I’ll say that much.”
Dillon said he hopes the Ring of Honor acknowledgment helps his case for a Pro Football Hall of Fame induction. Since the Ring of Honor was started, former Bengals players “are becoming more relevant, as they should have been a long time ago,” he said.
The former running back said now more of the older generation of Bengals need recognized, like Krumrie.
Krumrie entered the NFL as a 10th-round pick of the Bengals in 1983 and was among the most notable draft picks in team history in terms of value. He spent his entire 12-year career in Cincinnati, playing in 188 regular-season games, which was the most ever by a Bengals lineman on either side of the ball. Known for his tough and physical playing style, Krumrie was a two-time Pro Bowler (1987-88), and in 1988, he was voted a first-team All-Pro while helping lead Cincinnati to an appearance in Super Bowl XXIII.
“Tim had heart,” Brown said of Krumrie in a press release. “He just didn’t stop. He was that way in practice as well. He actually liked practicing. For him, it was fun. He looked forward to it. He never stopped trying. He just thought that’s the way you did it, and it really is. Not everyone can match that.”
Krumrie was not available Thursday but will speak Monday during the annual pre-training camp media luncheon. He and Dillon will join past inductees Ken Anderson, Willie Anderson, Paul Brown, Isaac Curtis, Boomer Esiason, Chad Johnson, Anthony Muñoz and Ken Riley in the Bengals Ring of Honor.
Credit: Nick Graham
Credit: Nick Graham
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