Education
King attended Columbia High School before moving on to South Carolina State University, where he was a part of the 1977 team that was awarded the National Black Championship by the Pittsburgh Courier newspaper.
King attended Columbia High School before moving on to South Carolina State University, where he was a part of the 1977 team that was awarded the National Black Championship by the Pittsburgh Courier newspaper.
He played college football for South Carolina State University. He was a four-year starter that received All-Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference in 1979 and 1980. He also received honorable-mention Little All-American honors in 1980.
As a senior he blocked a school record 5 punts (6 in his career).
In 2007, he was named to the South Carolina State Centennial Football Team. In 2012, he was inducted into the South Carolina State Athletic Hall of Fame.
Dallas Cowboys
King was signed by the Dallas Cowboys in 1981 as an undrafted free agent. Although he was waived on August 3, he was later re-signed during the season.
He was mainly a nickel linebacker and special teams player for three seasons, before being traded in 1984 to the Detroit Lions in exchange for a sixth round draft choice (#151-Stan Gelbaugh).
Detroit Lions
King was a part-time starter and special teams player for the Detroit Lions in his first season with the team In 1985, the team changed to a 3-4 defense and although he was assigned the role of nickel linebacker, he eventually started 9 games after Michael Cofer was lost for the year and posted career-highs with 90 tackles (77 solo) and 4 sacks. The next year he missed 5 games with an ankle injury (4 weeks spent on the injured reserve list).
After Jimmy Williams was lost for the year, he started the last 4 games at strongside linebacker and finished with 23 tackles.
He was cut on September 6, 1987. After the players went on a strike on the third week of the season, those games were canceled (reducing the 16 game season to 15) and the NFL decided that the games would be played with replacement players.
King was re-signed to be a part of the Lions replacement team, but was injured in the first game and placed on the injured reserve list, before being released on October 27. King works in the security business and is an ordained minister.