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A memorable chapter in Cincinnati Bengals history came to a close last week. Charlie Ronnie King, the former cornerback who delivered the franchise’s first defensive touchdown in 1968, passed away on July 13 in Selma, Alabama, with his wife, Carolyn Doyle Tharp-King, at his side.
Before leaving his mark in Cincinnati, King was a standout from northeast Ohio. The Canton native grew up in Alliance and developed at Purdue University.
He and his brother Tony King were the NFL’s first African American brothers to play together on the same team.
Charles King shared a close, family-like relationship with Bengals founder Paul Brown after retiring in 1969. That bond became even more personal when King’s daughter, Rhonda, was delivered by a Bengals physician on Christmas Day.
“What my dad talked about was the coaching experience,” said Rhonda King, reflecting on her father’s memories of his playing days with the Bengals, per the Cincinnati Bengals website. “Paul was the last coach to coach him. Just about how much football he learned. When he got to Paul, he had been a pro for two years.”
Speaking about Charles’ experience in the Bengals’ locker room, Rhonda said he loved his time with the team because he felt he received all the respect he deserved while wearing the orange and black.
“He felt he knew football. He said, ‘I had all these good coaches at Alliance and Purdue.’ But playing under Coach Brown, he saw a different aspect of football he never thought he’d break off into,” said Rhonda.
Bengals founder Paul Brown saw something unique in him and brought him onto the team the very first time he watched him play.
Charles King’s time with the Bengals was filled with joy, records, and emotion
Charles King entered professional football after being selected by the Bills in the eighth round of the 1965 AFL redshirt draft. A year later, the Bills drafted his brother Tony as well.
The sibling duo made history in 1967 as the first African-American brothers to play together in an AFL or NFL game.
After his time with the Bills, King joined Paul Brown in Cincinnati for the Bengals’ inaugural season.
He remained with the team until rookie Ken Riley eventually claimed the starting cornerback role during the 1969 season.
Following his retirement from football, King prospered in corporate sales before later owning an airport transportation company.
However, his love for football never left him. He volunteered for three decades at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton.
Despite his retirement, Paul Brown never lost touch with him or his family. Rhonda King recalled the “beautiful” gold Rolex watch Brown gave her as a high school graduation gift, 18 years after that first pick-six.
“That’s what he passed on to my brother and son when they talked to them about football,” she said.
Celebrating his life and legacy, a memorial service is set for 2 p.m. Saturday at Aubrey Larkin’s Lewis Brothers Funeral Home Chapel, 1140 Minter Avenue, Selma, Ala., 36703.
