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It was just announced that former East Islip football star and 1988 NFL MVP Boomer Esiason has joined the likes of Ken Anderson, Isaac Curtis and six others in the organization’s Ring of Honor.
Esiason will get to wear the Suit of Honor, a gray jacket lined with tiger stripes, at a special ceremony planned for halftime at Paycor Stadium against the Rams on Monday Night Football Sept. 25.
He’s being inducted alongside Bengals’ great Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson.
“They were both exceptional players,” said Bengals president Mike Brown. “If you look at the statistics, Boomer has a long list of quarterback firsts here. And Chad was a superb athlete who was probably the quickest receiver we have had here.
“They had moments when they just carried the team by themselves.”
“That’s dope,” said Johnson of going in with Esiason. “Obviously Boomer being a staple in not only the community and the Bengals organization, but what he’s done for that team as well. It’s pretty dope.”
“Is it Chad Ocho Cinco? Is it Chad Johnson? Is it Superfly? What are we calling him now?” asked Esiason, joking about The Ocho’s name change late in his Bengals career. “I thought he was certainly a character and I’d like to think he brought a lot of positive attention to the Bengals for his play on the field and I’d like to think the same for me.”
The selections of Esiason and Johnson increase the Ring of Honor roll to eight names that include seven players and Bengals founder Paul Brown. Johnson is the second wide receiver to go in after Isaac Curtis went in last year with right tackle Willie Anderson, according to the Bengals’ announcement.
A 1979 graduate of East Islip High School, Esiason went onto the University of Maryland before spending 13 years in the NFL, where he played for the Bengals, Jets and the Arizona Cardinals from 1984 to 1997. He was induced into the Suffolk Sports Hall of Fame in 1990.
He was also a huge fan of Charlie’s Hot Dogs in Brentweood.
Top: Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Boomer Esiason is shown after joining the team at their Miami hotel, Jan. 15, 1989 as they get ready for Super Bowl XXIII. Esiason didn’t fly to Miami with the team as he attended an awards dinner Saturday in Washington. (AP Photo/Ron Heflin)
