Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
Kinley follows in father's footsteps as MT lineman
11/18/2020 6:00:00 PM | Football, BRAA
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Those who remember Middle Tennessee's football rosters from the late 1980s and early 1990s will see one similarity with this year's team.
Included on the Blue Raider roster from 1987-90 was an undersized defensive guard from Paris, Tennessee named Richard Kinley. He helped to anchor a defense in 1990 that still stands as the program's best since the 1950s. Middle Tennessee went 11-2 that year and won a second straight Ohio Valley Conference title en route to earning a No. 1 seed in the Division I-AA Playoffs, where the Raiders lost in the quarterfinals to Boise State.
Now, 30 years later, Middle Tennessee's roster again includes a defensive lineman named Richard Kinley, and again, he's an undersized defensive lineman who plays with a lot of heart.
"Every day, my dad texts me and tells me how proud he is. He told me I should wear his number," said Richard Kinley II, a defensive end for this year's team. "I'm just trying to fill his shoes and be better than he was when he was here."
The junior Kinley, who goes by Rich, is a redshirt freshman making his first impact this season on the Blue Raiders defense.
Against Rice on Oct. 24, he recorded five tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and a sack. He followed that up with the first start of his career in Middle Tennessee's last game against Marshall, finishing with a career-high seven tackles and a half tackle for loss.
"It was a surreal moment," Rich said about his first start. "My dad told me to just go out there and play hard every snap. … I just took it play by play and played as hard as I could."
Blue Raider blood runs through the younger Kinley's veins, thanks in large part to his dad.
When he was narrowing down his college choices coming out of Lausanne Collegiate School in Memphis in 2018, Middle Tennessee was the obvious choice.
"My dad always told me about MTSU," Rich said. "I grew up going to MTSU games … and when I got that offer, my dad told me to take advantage of it. I've enjoyed it here ever since."
Football is basically life among the Kinleys. Richard Sr. was an assistant coach at Lausanne when Rich and his brother, Cameron, were on the team, and their older brother, Jonathan Brown, was a three-time All-Big Ten selection as a linebacker at Illinois, where he played from 2010-2013 before a short professional career.
Rich is now making a splash on MT's defensive line, while Cameron is a senior cornerback at Navy, where he's also a team captain and serves as the class president for the Class of 2021.
"I'm super proud of him," Rich said. "He was like 5-foot-3 as a freshman in high school … but he continues to prove everyone wrong. I'm just so proud of him."
When Rich takes the field for the Blue Raiders, his talent and understanding of the game are evident. Now, he's just working on getting his body into the right shape to compete better as a defensive end.
"He's explosive, he's fast, he can run — he's a good athlete," head coach Rick Stockstill said. "He's got to get bigger and stronger, and that'll happen.
"Richard has a great upside to him. Football is important to him … and he works extremely hard. He's going to be a really good player."
The sky is the limit for Middle Tennessee's newest Richard Kinley as he follows in his father's footsteps as a Blue Raider.
Included on the Blue Raider roster from 1987-90 was an undersized defensive guard from Paris, Tennessee named Richard Kinley. He helped to anchor a defense in 1990 that still stands as the program's best since the 1950s. Middle Tennessee went 11-2 that year and won a second straight Ohio Valley Conference title en route to earning a No. 1 seed in the Division I-AA Playoffs, where the Raiders lost in the quarterfinals to Boise State.
Now, 30 years later, Middle Tennessee's roster again includes a defensive lineman named Richard Kinley, and again, he's an undersized defensive lineman who plays with a lot of heart.
"Every day, my dad texts me and tells me how proud he is. He told me I should wear his number," said Richard Kinley II, a defensive end for this year's team. "I'm just trying to fill his shoes and be better than he was when he was here."
The junior Kinley, who goes by Rich, is a redshirt freshman making his first impact this season on the Blue Raiders defense.
Against Rice on Oct. 24, he recorded five tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and a sack. He followed that up with the first start of his career in Middle Tennessee's last game against Marshall, finishing with a career-high seven tackles and a half tackle for loss.
"It was a surreal moment," Rich said about his first start. "My dad told me to just go out there and play hard every snap. … I just took it play by play and played as hard as I could."
Blue Raider blood runs through the younger Kinley's veins, thanks in large part to his dad.
When he was narrowing down his college choices coming out of Lausanne Collegiate School in Memphis in 2018, Middle Tennessee was the obvious choice.
"My dad always told me about MTSU," Rich said. "I grew up going to MTSU games … and when I got that offer, my dad told me to take advantage of it. I've enjoyed it here ever since."
Football is basically life among the Kinleys. Richard Sr. was an assistant coach at Lausanne when Rich and his brother, Cameron, were on the team, and their older brother, Jonathan Brown, was a three-time All-Big Ten selection as a linebacker at Illinois, where he played from 2010-2013 before a short professional career.
Rich is now making a splash on MT's defensive line, while Cameron is a senior cornerback at Navy, where he's also a team captain and serves as the class president for the Class of 2021.
"I'm super proud of him," Rich said. "He was like 5-foot-3 as a freshman in high school … but he continues to prove everyone wrong. I'm just so proud of him."
When Rich takes the field for the Blue Raiders, his talent and understanding of the game are evident. Now, he's just working on getting his body into the right shape to compete better as a defensive end.
"He's explosive, he's fast, he can run — he's a good athlete," head coach Rick Stockstill said. "He's got to get bigger and stronger, and that'll happen.
"Richard has a great upside to him. Football is important to him … and he works extremely hard. He's going to be a really good player."
The sky is the limit for Middle Tennessee's newest Richard Kinley as he follows in his father's footsteps as a Blue Raider.
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