Bengals to honor 1988 Super Bowl team in Week 2 vs Ravens

UPDATE

The Cincinnati Bengals have announced this celebration will take place in Week 2 vs the Baltimore Ravens.

The game-long celebration will include highlights from the 1988 season, video messages and a halftime ceremony featuring the team.

“We look forward to visiting with the players from the 1988 Super Bowl team,” said Bengals President Mike Brown. “That was a very exciting season and we had a great run. The players on that team will always be special to our fans and me.”

Fifth Third Bank will make the home opener a Fifth Third better® with 10,000 fans receiving an exclusive Bengals hat as they enter the gates, while supplies last.

The last year has been one big anniversary for the Cincinnati Bengals.

For the 2017 season, the team recognized the organization’s 50th year since its inception in 1968. A commemorative logo was worn on the jersey for the year, and during each home game, a few of the top 50 Bengals of all-time voted by fans and media were honored. It was a bright spot in a rather disappointing season.

This year, another notable anniversary event is being planned for one of the franchise’s most memorable groups: The 1988 Super Bowl team.

The Cincinnati Enquirer is reporting multiple members of the renowned group have said they are expected to be brought back together by the organization and will be honored collectively during the team’s home opener against the Ravens on Thursday Night Football on September 13.

No other word has been said about additional ceremonies or events yet.

The Bengals don’t have a Ring of Honor or team Hall of Fame like other NFL stadiums have, and they have but one retired number in their history. Prior to last season’s season-long commemoration, the organization under Mike Brown has neglected the idea of truly paying tribute to the franchise’s greatest members.

In a Stadium that is named after the founding owner and coach Paul Brown, the only tangible exhibits made to honor the team’s history are now faded and rusted metal player banners that overlook the east and west concourses.

Brown was often criticized for his lackluster efforts in this area, and over the last year, he’s at least trying to fix this perception. It should be said that the 1988 team, along with members of the 1981 Super Bowl team were both honored right before the 2013 Divisional Round playoff game against the Chargers.

Five years later, it sounds like the ‘88 team, 30 years later, is once again being brought together to celebrate their season.