Kevin Ross
Sport: Football
Born: January 16, 1962
Town: Camden
Kevin Lesley Ross was born January 16, 1962 in Camden. As a boy growing up in Camden, he excelled at several sports, the more physical the better. Kevin attended Paulsboro High School, playing linebacker on defense and running back on offensive. He was named All-State at each position. He was also a top-ranked wrestler.
Kevin accepted a scholarship from Temple University and was a four-year starter, making 249 tackles and 13 interceptions as a defensive back. Kevin’s physical play against smaller receivers gave him an advantage as he learned the position. Under coach Wayne Hardin, the Owls had a reputation for starting fast and finishing poorly. After Kevin’s junior season, Temple hired Bruce Arians as coach and he led the team to wins over Rutgers and Louisville in the final two games. Arians made Kevin (aka Rock) team captain that year.
The Kansas City Chiefs selected Kevin in the seventh round of the 1984 NFL Draft and quickly realized they had found a diamond in the rough. His crushing bump-and-run style was very effective, and with Albert Lewis playing the opposite corner and fellow New Jerseyan Deron Cherry roaming at free safety, the Chiefs had a formidable pass defense. Kevin was second to Cherry with 6 interception as a rookie.
From 1984 to 1993 with the Chiefs, Kevin intercepted at least one pass in every season and was named to the Pro Bowl in 1989 and 1990. In 1993, the Chiefs made it all the way to the AFC title game, but lost 30–13. Every Buffalo score came on the ground or via a field goal. By this time, Kevin had moved to free safety. He played three more years as a starter for the Falcons and Chargers before returning to Kansas City for his 14th and final NFL season. He is one the few players in history to score defensive touchdowns in each of the four ways—interception return, fumble return, blocked field goal and blocked punt.
Kevin decided to go into coaching and spent four years as a high school coach back in Camden. In 2003, he was hired by the Vikings and worked with the secondary through the 2005 season. From there he coached with the Chargers and Raiders, before joining Bruce Arians’s staff in Arizona for the 2013 season.
In 2008, Kevin and Albert Lewis were voted one of the NFL’s Top 10 cornerback tandems and, in 2011, he was enshrined in the Chiefs Hall of Fame. Kevin also runs the K-Rock Football Academy in New Jersey.
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