NEW YORK — Cortez Kennedy was a hulking force at defensive tackle, the cornerstone of a franchise that had little to cheer about for most of his playing career.
And yet what he accomplished as a Seattle Seahawks player — which was good enough for induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame — was secondary to the affable personality that made him a revered figure long after his career.
Police in Orlando, Fla., said Mr. Kennedy, 48, was found dead Tuesday morning. Police public information officer Wanda Miglio said the circumstances surrounding his death are unknown but there was nothing suspicious about it. An investigation is being conducted.
‘‘The full story lies in his loving, fun, positive, and giving heart,’’ said New Orleans Saints general manager Mickey Loomis, who worked for the Seahawks during Mr. Kennedy’s career. ‘‘In my many years working in the NFL, no one better exemplified what it meant to be a great player on the field, and yet that paled in comparison to what Cortez meant to the people who knew him off the field.’’
Playing his entire 11-year NFL career in Seattle, Mr. Kennedy was an unmovable wall as a dominant defensive tackle, and a quiet presence away from the field never interested in finding himself in the spotlight.
‘‘Cortez will be remembered not only for all his great achievements on the football field but how he handled himself off the field,’’ Pro Football Hall of Fame president David Baker said. ‘‘He epitomized the many great values this game teaches which serves as inspiration to millions of fans.’’
Mr. Kennedy was the No. 3 overall pick in the 1990 draft out of the University of Miami. He brought acclaim to an otherwise dreadful period in Seahawks history as an eight-time Pro Bowler, winning the NFL Defensive Player of the Year award in 1992.
‘‘Really sad to lose a guy like Cortez Kennedy,’’ Broncos’ general manager John Elway tweeted Tuesday. Elway was chased around by Kennedy twice a year for much of the 1990s as competitors in the AFC West. ‘‘A great personality, a great player, and I enjoyed competing against him.’’
Even though he last played for the Seahawks in 2000, he remained a significant part of the organization. He was a mainstay around the team during training camp and would occasionally roll through the locker room during the regular season grabbing a few minutes with anyone — players, coaches, media — up for a chat.
Mr. Kennedy was scheduled to be in Seattle on Thursday as part of an event for the 2018 Special Olympics USA Games.
‘‘My heart hurts,’’ current Seahawks offensive lineman Justin Britt tweeted. ‘‘We lost a truly great player but even better person.’’
Mr. Kennedy experienced only minimal team success in his career with the Seahawks. His 1992 season, when he was the league’s defensive player of the year, was made even more remarkable by the fact that his 14 sacks, 27 tackles for loss, and 92 tackles came for a team that went 2-14 and was among the worst ever offensively in a 16-game season.
What made Mr. Kennedy so difficult to stop was his low center of gravity, unexpected quickness, and remarkable strength packaged in a 6-foot-1, 300-pound frame. If he was asked to hold the line on a running play, he would regularly eat up two or three potential blockers.
But he could also rush the passer up the middle, a rarity for an interior defensive lineman. While 1992 was his best individual season, Mr. Kennedy recorded at least six sacks in six of his 11 seasons.
