Clemson Football: 10 Best Defensive Players – Of the 80’s
By Ben Greeson
6. Terry Kinard
Terry Kinard’s name can be found on the Ring of Honor inside Death Valley. Need I say more?
From Sumter, SC, Kinard wasn’t just a football player. He was a leader.
Kinard played from 1979 to 1982. He was a two-time consensus first-team All-American for two years in a row. He was the CBS National Defensive Player of the Year in 1982 and selected to the USA Today All-College Football Team in the 1980s.
Kinard is the all-time Clemson football leader in interceptions with seventeen and tackles by a defensive back with 294. Kindard was the 10th overall pick of the 1st round in the 1983 NFL draft and was selected by the New York Giants.
He played for the Giants from 83′ to 89′. He played his eighth and final season for the Houston Oilers in 1990.
In his eight NFL seasons, Kinard played in 121 games, started 115 of them, made thirty-one interceptions and recovered seven fumbles.
Kinard was a key member of the Giants when they won Super Bowl XXI by defeating the Denver Broncos 39-20. Terry Kinard was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2001.
Next: Donnell Wooford