During his 13 seasons playing for the Cincinnati Bengals, Anthony Munoz defined his position. He played left tackle for the Bengals giving him the responsibility of protecting the blindside of a right handed Quarterback. Anthony was drafted in the 1^st round, third pick overall in the 1980 draft. Paul Brown took a bit of a gamble drafting Munoz so high in the draft. Munoz had missed most of his senior year at USC with a knee injury. But Paul had watched Munoz play in the Rose Bowl against Ohio State and decided to take that chance. That chance paid off. Munoz only missed one game his whole NFL career and that was his final season.

    In Munoz second year he lead a solid offensive line with the Bengals to the Super Bowl. He was responsible for taking on the best defensive ends in football to protect a veteran Quarterback whose career seemed to be at it’s end. His protection sparked Ken Anderson to revive his career and become league MVP in 1981. Munoz protected Anderson’s blindside for the first six years of his career. As Anderson was nearing retirement the Bengals drafted a left handed quarterback, Boomer Esiason. No longer was Munoz responsible for the quarterbacks blindside. Munoz took on a different role. Munoz became Esiason’s personal convoy for his roll outs to the left side. Munoz was awesome to watch he could defend against any defensive end attempting to rush the passer. And it didn’t seem that he had to use much effort to stop the hard rushing end. But as graceful as Munoz was against the pass he was brutal leading a running play. He was amazing to watch as he would crushs any defender in his way.

    Much of Anthony’s good fortune with staying in good physical and mental health was because of his work ethic. He installed a complete set of weigh equipment in the basement of his home so he could workout year round. Until age caught up with Munoz he alway seemed to get better. Anthony was named to 11 consecutive Pro Bowls. And lead two Bengal teams to the Super Bowl. Anthony was rewarded for his commitment and effort in 1998 when he was elected to Pro Footballs Hall of Fame on the first ballot.

“There has never been a linemen as great as Anthony Munoz, and I doubt whether we will see his eqaul again.” said Bengals and Munoz line coach Jim McNally. Anthony Munoz’s career lasted from 1980 to 1992. Anthony as a linemen had 7 receptions for 18 yards and 4 touchdowns for 24 points.
 

From Pro Football

Hall of Fame

 Instant Impact

                                                                                  Anthony Muñoz's rise to stardom in the NFL

                      Seventy-two hours after reporting to his first NFL training camp, rookie tackle Anthony
                      Muñoz earned a starting job with the Cincinnati Bengals. Projected by many as a "can't
                      miss" pro, the 6-6, 278-pound offensive tackle was the first lineman and third player
                      selected overall in the 1980 National Football League draft.

                                                   Still, some NFL scouts considered the University of
                                                   Southern California two-time All-America lineman a
                                                   risky pick. After all, the only full season Muñoz
                                                   played at USC was in 1978, his sophomore year.

                                                   As a freshman Anthony tore ligaments in his right
                                                   knee in the ninth game of the season. As a junior he
                                                   tore ligaments in the same knee in the seventh
                                                   game. Then, as a senior he tore ligaments in his left
                                                   knee in the season opener.

                                                   "He's potentially the most outstanding offensive
                                                   lineman I ever saw anywhere," USC coach John
                                                   Robinson remarked. "He's one of the greatest
                                                   players at any position I ever saw." Yet three knee
                                                   surgeries in four years was a lot for a-then
                                                   22-year-old athlete to have already incurred.

                                                   Before giving their final evaluation, pro scouts
                                                   examined and reexamined Muñoz's surgically-scarred
                                                   knees. As one New York writer put it, he was
                                                   "patted, prodded, poked, weighed, and measured as
                      if he was a prize steer at a State Fair." The soft-spoken Muñoz, however, took it all in
                      stride. "Considering my situation, they had the right to check me out," he said.

                      Muñoz's first two injuries kept him from fulfilling his long-time dream of playing in the
                      Rose Bowl. But the third knee injury was different. "Each time I was hurt, I felt bad
                      because I couldn't play in the Rose Bowl," he recalled. "The last time, however, I knew
                      I had the time to come back. No one believed me when I said I would be back for the
                      bowl, but I knew I would be."

                      Someone who never doubted him was his wife Dede. "Anthony came home from the
                      hospital and started jumping rope on one leg with the cast still on the other leg," she
                      remembers. "He started lifting weights before the cast came off, and was running as
                      soon as it came off." To the amazement of even his coaches, when USC met Ohio
                      State on New Year's Day 1980 in the Rose Bowl, Muñoz -- as promised -- was in
                      uniform and ready to play.

                      Determined to make his last college game a memorable one, Muñoz absolutely
                      dominated the left side of Ohio State's defensive line. USC fans still recall how Muñoz
                      cut down an Ohio State defender with a devastating block that allowed running back
                      Charles White to score the winning touchdown in USC's 17-16 come-from-behind
                      victory.

                      Watching the game with more than a passing interest was Bengals founder and general
                      manager Paul Brown and his sons Mike, the assistant general manager, and Pete, the
                      player personnel director. Their question as to whether or not they should use their
                      first-round draft pick on a player with a history of knee trouble was answered.

                      "The three of us sat there and laughed out loud," said Mike Brown. "The guy was so
                      big and so good it was a joke."

                      Soon thereafter, Paul Brown dispatched his new head coach Forrest Gregg to USC.
                      Gregg, himself a Hall of Fame tackle, gave Muñoz a one-on-one workout. After rushing
                      him a few times, Gregg decided to try a quick move to get past the young lineman.

                      "I rushed like I was going inside and then went outside on him. He reacted like a
                      football player would. He jammed me on the chest with both hands and knocked me on
                      my rear. He was very apologetic and I said, 'No, no, no, you did what you were
                      supposed to do,'" Gregg recalled. "I thought, 'We've got to have this guy.'" On April 29,
                      1980, the Bengals made him "their guy," by selecting him in the first round of the draft.
 

                      Born on August 19, 1958, Muñoz grew up in Ontario California, just northeast of Los
                      Angeles. His father left home when he was very young, leaving his mother Esther on
                      her own to raise Anthony and his two brothers and two sisters.

                      "She did it all," Muñoz reflected. "We didn't have a lot, but we had each other; and we
                      were close to each other and happy enough."

                      As a youngster, Anthony was so big that he wasn't permitted to play Pop Warner
                      Football. Instead, he turned to baseball. His size helped him to become a
                      power-pitcher and a power-hitter and a much-in-demand player in the playgrounds
                      near his home.

                      "He was on so many teams that when they had to play each other, they would fight
                      over him," said Jim Semon, the director of the summer recreation program in Ontario
                      and later Anthony's baseball coach at Chaffey High School.

                      An all-around athlete in high school, Muñoz played baseball, basketball, and football. It
                      was in football, however, as an offensive and defensive tackle and punter that he
                      gained national attention.

                      A scholastic All-American, Muñoz was heavily
                      recruited by several colleges. He chose USC
                      only after the school agreed that he could skip
                      spring football practice to play for the Trojans'
                      baseball team. Unfortunately, the need to
                      rehabilitate his injured knees kept him from
                      playing baseball except in his sophomore year.

                      Although injuries prevented Muñoz from having
                      an extensive career at USC, that was not to
                      be the case in the pros. Always in top physical
                      condition, the Bengals' lineman missed only
                      three games due to injury during his 13-year
                      pro career. His rigorous conditioning routine
                      included working out in the weight room he had
                      installed in his home and running from two to
                      four miles every day.

                      From his first day in Bengals' training camp, the physically fit "man mountain" from USC
                      impressed not only his teammates, but his coaches.

                      "I'd just been hired, so he didn't know me and I didn't know him," former Bengals'
                      offensive line coach Jim McNally said. "He started out on the second team, but after a
                      while, it was apparent to everyone he was so dominant we had to move him up."

                      He reinforced his coach's confidence during his first preseason game when he faced
                      Denver Broncos veteran defensive end Brison Manor. On one particular play Muñoz not
                      only blocked Manor, he blocked him all the way over to the sidelines and off the field.
                      "I had never seen a guy block anybody that far -- he put him on a subway," McNally
                      recalled.

                      Muñoz, who was a consensus All-Rookie choice, wasn't without his problems that first
                      year. Like most rookies he had his share of bad games. However, McNally admits that
                      some of those problems were his fault. "That first year, I had him messed up," he said.
                      "I had him in a right-handed stance."

                      Before the start of his second season, McNally switched Muñoz to a more natural and
                      efficient left-handed stance. From there he quickly developed better balance and
                      explosiveness off the line. A diligent student of the game, Muñoz also began to master
                      the pass-protection techniques a lineman must learn.

                      "They'll talk about Anthony Muñoz one day just like they talk about John Hannah now,"
                      McNally said in reference to the New England Patriots guard who at the time was
                      generally regarded as the best offensive lineman of his day.
                      In 1981, the 12-4 Bengals experienced a huge turnaround from their 6-10 record of a
                      year prior. The team had or shared the AFC Central lead the entire season and went
                      on to represent the AFC in Super Bowl XVI.

                      One of the Bengals' main strengths that year was the play of quarterback Ken
                      Anderson who led the league with a 98.5 passer rating. Key to Anderson's success was
                      the pass protection he received from the Bengals' offensive line anchored by Muñoz.
                      Anderson was sacked 63 times in 1979, compared to just 37 in 1980, Muñoz's rookie
                      year, and 35 in 1981.

                      Following the 1981 season, nine NFL assistant coaches combined to select the NFL
                      Lineman of the Year Award. All of the coaches listed Muñoz on their ballots, and six of
                      them gave their first-place vote to the second-year lineman. "I can't believe how good
                      this kid is at this stage," one coach wrote on his ballot.

                                                   Anderson wasn't the only Bengals quarterback to
                                                   benefit from Muñoz's superb pass blocking. Boomer
                                                   Esiason, who took over as the Cincinnati signal
                                                   caller in 1985 also benefited. For Esiason, a
                                                   southpaw, it was a perfect fit. The Bengals were a
                                                   left-handed team. Not because Boomer was
                                                   left-handed, but because Muñoz was the left
                                                   tackle.

                                                   "We are protecting our quarterback from the most
                                                   dangerous rush in the game with one of the best
                                                   players in the game," former Bengals coach Sam
                                                   Wyche remarked. Wyche, who replaced Gregg
                                                   following the 1983 season went further: "Anthony is
                                                   the greatest offensive tackle the game has ever
                                                   known."

                                                   While Muñoz excelled at pass blocking, he was also
                                                   an outstanding run blocker. Bengals running backs
                                                   have rushed for 1,000 yards only eight times. That
                                                   milestone was reached six times during Muñoz's
                                                   tenure. He was also the offensive line's anchor in
                                                   1988 and 1989 when the Bengals led the NFL in
                      rushing.

                      According to former teammates, the-near-perfect Muñoz practiced and played like a
                      man who had something to prove. "That's the way he played for 13 years, like he was
                      trying to work his way into a starting slot," said former guard Max Montoya, himself an
                      outstanding Bengal from 1979 through 1989.

                      A superb athlete, Muñoz was even utilized occasionally as a receiver. The agile lineman
                      caught seven passes on tackle-eligible plays during his career. Four of his catches
                      resulted in touchdowns. One writer referred to Muñoz as a "modern-day Marion
                      Motley," referring to the former Cleveland Browns fullback who along with quarterback
                      Otto Graham perfected the trap play.

                      Muñoz's consistently fine play didn't go unnoticed. During his career, he was the
                      recipient of virtually every possible honor. He was named NFL Offensive Lineman of the
                      Year again in 1987 and 1988, and was awarded the NFL Players Association Lineman of
                      the Year honors in 1981, 1985, 1988, and 1989. He was a Pro Bowl selection 11
                      consecutive years (1982-1992) and was named All-Pro eleven straight times
                      (1981-1991).

                      The NFL Alumni Association voted Muñoz the Offensive Lineman of the Year four times
                      (1987, 1989-1991). His 1989 citation reads: "The NFL has three levels of offensive
                      linemen. The bottom rung is for players aspiring to make the Pro Bowl. The next step is
                      for those who have earned all-star status. Then there's Anthony Muñoz. He's alone at
                      the top."

                      Muñoz's vast array of awards includes many commendations for his off-the-field
                      charitable activities as well. A very visible part of his community, Muñoz was active in
                      a variety of charitable causes, mostly helping children, ranging from Cystic Fibrosis to
                      the Salvation Army.

                      "I think it's important to give back," he once said. "Youth is my heartbeat. Making
                      someone smile off the field feels as good as making a perfect block on the field."
                      Although he is still active in charitable efforts yet today, chronic shoulder problems
                      and another torn knee ligament forced the likable lineman to retire at the end of the
                      1992 season.

                      "Anthony Muñoz is one of those rare athletes you wish could go on playing forever,"
                      wrote Ritter Collett of the Dayton Daily News. "Not just because he may be as fine a
                      tackle as ever played in the NFL. Tackles come and go. Quality human beings who put
                      more back into society than they take out are something else."

                      On December 27, 1992, Muñoz played his final NFL game. A special halftime ceremony
                      was held to recognize his 13 years of outstanding play for the Bengals. Fans' banners
                      that hung throughout Riverfront Stadium thanked and paid tribute to the popular
                      lineman. One banner near the Bengals' locker room prophesied, "Muñoz: Next Stop
                      Canton."

                      Anthony Muñoz was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton on August 1,
                      1998.