Top 25 Players in AFL History: #13 Kenny McEntyre

Published on May 31, 2012 under Arena Football League (AFL) News Release

CHICAGO - Continuing its countdown of the 25 Greatest Players in AFL History, the Silver Anniversary Committee has announced its selection for the 13th Greatest Player in AFL History: Kenny McEntyre.

McEntyre came to Kansas State University on an athletic scholarship. However, the scholarship was to play basketball, not football. A naturally gifted athlete, it did not take the Wildcat football coaches long to recognize McEntyre's potential on the gridiron. After just a year on the court, McEntyre took his talents to the field, recording 118 tackles and four interceptions in two seasons of action in the defensive secondary. He capped off his collegiate career by being named co-MVP of the 1993 Copper Bowl.

Though McEntyre's ability was unquestioned, his limited experience was not enough to entice NFL teams to draft him in 1994. He bounced around training camps and practice squads, but seized the opportunity to star overseas in NFL Europe from 1995 to 1997. That exposure caught the eyes of the Orlando Predators.

In January 1998, McEntyre signed with the team, but due to his commitments in Europe, he was not activated until late July. He played in just one regular season game, recording a solo tackle. However, the Predators were set to make a playoff run and, despite the quiet start, the organization believed McEntyre fit into the team's postseason plans. In his second game - a quarterfinal playoff matchup with the Nashville Kats - McEntyre intercepted two passes in the end zone to preserve a 58-43 win for Orlando. Two games later, he grabbed another pick, this time in ArenaBowl XII, helping the Predators to the first championship victory in franchise history over the team's greatest rival, the Tampa Bay Storm.

He returned to the team in 1999 to lead the League with seven interceptions, three of which were returned for scores. The following season, he earned First-Team All-Arena honors and was named the League's Defensive Player of the Year, feats he repeated in 2001 and 2004.

McEntyre quickly became one of the more prolific players and personalities in the League. Because of his "bump-and-run" style of coverage, a member of the Orlando public relations staff dubbed him "The Glove". McEntyre also began to make a habit of scaling the Arena walls and leaping into the stands to celebrate with fans after interceptions and touchdowns, a tradition that only endeared him more to the passionate Predators fan base.

In June 2006, McEntyre elected to sign with the Kansas City Brigade. His nine interceptions with the squad in 2007 remains a single-season franchise record. Late in 2007, however, McEntyre was traded back to Orlando where he remained the rest of his career, playing his final game on July 30, 2011.

McEntyre finished his career with 13 postseason interceptions and 96 regular season interceptions, 18 of which were returned for touchdowns. All are AFL records. The second-highest regular season career interception total in AFL history is 50 and the NFL and CFL records for career picks are 81 and 87, respectively. "The Glove" retired as an eight-time All-Arena honoree, a First-Team selection on the AFL's 15th Anniversary Team and the only man in League history to be named Defensive Player of the Year three times. He was also honored with the AFL Pulse Award in 2011 in recognition of his charity work and service in the Orlando community.

The League's Silver Anniversary Committee will continue to countdown its list of the 25 Greatest Players in AFL History each week throughout the 2012 regular season, with the announcements of the Top 5 during the postseason.

25 Greatest Players in AFL History

13. Kenny McEntyre

14. John Corker

15. Dwayne Dixon

16. Kurt Warner

17. Bob McMillen

18. Mark Grieb

19. Darryl Hammond

20. Alvin Rettig

21. Durwood Roquemore

22. Chris Jackson

23. Ben Bennett

24. Clevan Thomas

25. Gary Mullen

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