Hunley played college football for the University of Arizona, and was twice recognized as a consensus All-American.
Hunley went on to an NFL career with the Denver Broncos (1984–87), Phoenix Cardinals (1988), and the Los Angeles Raiders (1989–90).
It is noted that Hunley was drafted by the Bengals but after failing to reach a contract agreement was traded to Denver.
Hunley eventually returned to college football, coaching for two seasons (2014–15) with the Memphis Tigers.
[3] He founded the Ricky Hunley Football Camp, a non-profit instruction center for high school boys.