Alain Kashama facts for kids
| Date of birth: | December 8, 1979 |
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| Place of birth: | Zaire |
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Career information
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| CFL status: | Non-import |
| Position(s): | DE |
| Height: | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
| Weight: | 270 lb (120 kg) |
| College: | Michigan |
| High school: | Bramalea Secondary School, Brampton |
| CFL Draft: | 2004 / Round: 1 / Pick: 8 |
| Drafted by: | Montreal Alouettes |
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Organizations
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Career stats
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| Playing stats at CFL.ca | |
| Playing stats at NFL.com | |
Alain Kaleta Olony T. Kashama (born December 8, 1979) is a Canadian former professional football player. He played as a defensive end, which is a player who tries to stop the other team's offense. Alain played in both the Canadian Football League (CFL) and the National Football League (NFL).
He started his NFL journey with the Chicago Bears in 2004. Before that, he played college football for the Michigan Wolverines. Alain also played for several other teams during his career. These included the Seattle Seahawks, Cologne Centurions, Montreal Alouettes, Hamilton Tiger-Cats, and Calgary Stampeders.
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Alain's Early Life and School Years
Alain Kashama was born in Zaire. As a child, his family moved to Brampton, Ontario, and later to Montreal, Quebec. Because of this, Alain learned to speak French very well.
He played high school football at Vieux Montreal. During his time there, he made over 200 tackles and 50 sacks. A tackle is when you stop a player with the ball, and a sack is when you stop the quarterback before they can throw the ball. He was considered the second-best high school football player in Canada. Besides football, Alain also played basketball and ran track in high school.
After high school, Alain went to the University of Michigan. He studied African-American history there. He played in 40 football games for the Wolverines team, starting in six of them. During his college career, he had 48 tackles and six sacks. For his first three years, he was mostly a backup player. But in his senior year, he was expected to be a starter.
Alain's Professional Football Career
Playing in the NFL
Alain Kashama was not chosen in the 2004 NFL draft. However, the Chicago Bears signed him as a free agent on April 26, 2004. This means he wasn't drafted but was still picked up by a team. He played in three games for the Bears.
Later, he was traded to the Seattle Seahawks. He played one game with the Seahawks in 2005. In 2006, he played for the Cologne Centurions in NFL Europe. This was a league where players could gain more experience. The Seahawks let him go on July 31, 2006.
Playing in the CFL
Alain was drafted by the Montreal Alouettes in the 2004 CFL Draft. But he chose to play in the NFL first. In 2007, he joined the Alouettes and led the team with eight sacks. He also made 29 tackles for them.
On September 10, 2008, Alain was traded to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. With the Tiger-Cats, he had five tackles and one sack.
Finally, on February 24, 2009, Kashama signed with the Calgary Stampeders.
Alain's Personal Life
Alain comes from a family of football players! His brother, Fernand, played with him on the Calgary Stampeders. His cousin, Tim Biakabutuka, was a running back for the Carolina Panthers in the NFL. Another brother, Hakeem, also played professional football for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
Alain says his cousin Tim inspired him to play football. He mentioned, "I started to play football after he was drafted in 1996." His teammates even gave him a cool nickname: "Sackmaster"!
