CINCINNATI — The Cincinnati Bengals will add former G Dave Lapham and CB Lemar Parrish to the Ring of Honor this year.
They will join the likes of Ken Anderson, Willie Anderson, Paul Brown, Isaac Curtis, Boomer Esiason, Chad Johnson, Anthony Munoz, Ken Riley, Corey Dillon and Tim Krumrie this fall.
This year, the Ring of Honor game will take place on October 26, when the Bengals take on the New York Jets. The induction ceremony will take place during the game's halftime.
Lapham will celebrate 50 years with the Bengals this season; the team said he is "one of the team's most popular and most beloved historical figures."
As a player, Lapham started at all five O-line positions during his career, which spanned 140 games. Most of those starts came as a guard; left guard is where Lapham was positioned during the 1981 team's run at Super Bowl XVI.
Following his career on the field, Lapham moved into the Bengals radio booth, where he's been ever since. He's been the team's radio analyst since 1986, earning him the nickname "Mr. Bengal."
Lapham will also celebrate his 1,000th game with the Bengals this season, between his time as a player and a broadcaster.
"This is without a doubt the highest honor bestowed upon me — the honor of a lifetime," said Lapham. "I think everyone knows what the Bengals organization means to me. It is extremely humbling to know that the fans selected me to be honored in this fashion. My family and I are extremely grateful to be inducted into the Ring of Honor. It feels like a superlative dream that I have not woken up from yet. I still can't believe it."
“I don’t think anybody has it better than me” - Dave Lapham on being a lifelong Bengal and being named into the Bengals Ring of Honor. #Bengals @WCPO pic.twitter.com/GEipVBjrwc
— Marshall Kramsky (@marshallkramsky) July 16, 2025
Parrish's time with the Bengals also earned him a unique nickname: "Leapin' Lemar." The team referred to him as "one of the most athletically gifted and exciting players in team history."
He remains the Bengals' highest-scoring defensive player who boasted an 18.8-yard punt return average in 1974. His 90-yard punt return against Washington that same season is still the second-longest in Bengals history, and it happened during the same game Parrish returned a fumble recovery 47 yards for a touchdown.
"To be selected to join the Ring of Honor means the world to me," said Parrish. "As a little boy, I had a dream of becoming the greatest football player in the world. I thank the Bengals and Paul Brown for drafting me and giving me the opportunity to play in the NFL. I appreciate everyone who voted for me. I am pleased and extremely grateful to be selected. This is the most prestigious award that I have ever received and it means a lot to me."
Season ticket holders picked Lapham and Parrish from a ballot that featured nine former players who have had a significant role in the franchise's history and tradition.
This year will be the Ring of Honor's fifth year in existence. Founded in 2021, Bengals officials said the honor would be a recurring tradition, with names of its inductees emblazoned on the east facade of Paycor Stadium.
The first inductees, Paul Brown and Anthony Munoz, were selected by Bengals officials when the Ring of Honor installation was announced in 2021; later that year, season ticket holders voted they would be joined by Ken Anderson and Ken Riley.
In 2022, Willie Anderson and Isaac Curtis became the fifth and sixth inductees into the Ring of Honor, an elite Bengals club that represents former players, coaches and others who had a significant impact on the franchise. Both Anderson and Curtis were formally inducted on Sept. 29, 2022 during halftime of the game against the Miami Dolphins.
In 2023, Boomer Esiason and Chad 'Ochocinco' Johnson became the seventh and eighth inductees into the Cincinnati Bengals Ring of Honor.
In 2024, Corey Dillon and Tim Krumrie became the ninth and tenth inductions into the Ring of Honor.
