2026 SESSION
ENROLLED
HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 8
Celebrating the life of Kenneth Mason Easley, Jr.
Agreed to by the House of Delegates, January 15, 2026
WHEREAS, Kenneth Mason Easley, Jr., a native of Chesapeake who was well-known by football fans around the country as one of the best defensive backs in the National Football League in the 1980s, died on November 14, 2025; and
WHEREAS, Kenneth “Kenny” Mason Easley, Jr., graduated from Oscar F. Smith High School, where he started as quarterback on the football team and made history as the first Virginia High School League player to both rush and pass for more than 1,000 yards in a single season; and
WHEREAS, Kenny Easley was recruited by hundreds of colleges around the country before matriculating at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA); he switched to the free safety position and started 10 games in his freshman year, ultimately setting a season record for tackles by a true freshman with 93; and
WHEREAS, Kenny Easley was a three-time consensus all-American at UCLA, and he became the first player in Pacific-10 Conference history to earn first-team all-conference honors for four consecutive years; and
WHEREAS, Kenny Easley finished his college career with a university-record 19 interceptions, along with 374 tackles and 45 punt returns for 454 yards; and
WHEREAS, in the 1981 National Football League (NFL) Draft, Kenny Easley was drafted fourth overall by the Seattle Seahawks and quickly established himself as one of the team's all-time greats at defensive back; and