Colin Kaepernick facts for kids
Kaepernick with the San Francisco 49ers in 2012
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| No. 7 | |||||||||||||||||
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| Position: | Quarterback | ||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
| Born: | November 3, 1987 Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S. |
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| Height: | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | ||||||||||||||||
| Weight: | 230 lb (104 kg) | ||||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||||
| High school: | Pitman (Turlock, California) | ||||||||||||||||
| College: | Nevada (2006–2010) | ||||||||||||||||
| NFL Draft: | 2011 / Round: 2 / Pick: 36 | ||||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||||||
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| Player stats at PFR | |||||||||||||||||
Colin Kaepernick (born November 3, 1987) is an American civil rights activist and former professional football quarterback. He played six seasons for the San Francisco 49ers in the National Football League (NFL). In 2016, he kneeled during the national anthem at NFL games. This was a protest against police brutality and racial inequality.
Kaepernick played college football for the Nevada Wolf Pack. He was named the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Offensive Player of the Year twice. He is the only player in NCAA Division I history to have 10,000 passing yards and 4,000 rushing yards. After college, the 49ers picked him in the 2011 NFL draft.
Kaepernick started his NFL career as a backup quarterback. He became the 49ers' main starter in the middle of the 2012 season. He led the team to their first Super Bowl since 1994. In the 2013 season, he helped the 49ers reach the NFC Championship Game.
In 2016, Kaepernick began his protests during the national anthem. He kneeled to protest racial injustice and police brutality. These actions caused strong reactions from people. Some praised him, while others criticized him. After the 2016 season, Kaepernick became a free agent. He has not been signed by an NFL team since. Many people believe this is because of his protests. In 2017, he filed a complaint against the NFL. He said that teams were working together to keep him out of the league. He settled this complaint in 2019. His protests gained more attention in 2020 during the George Floyd protests.
Early Life and School
Colin Kaepernick was born in 1987 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. His birth mother was 19 and white. His birth father was Black, and his identity is not known. Colin was adopted at five weeks old by Rick and Teresa Kaepernick, a white couple. They already had two children. The Kaepernicks adopted Colin after losing two other sons to heart problems.
Colin lived in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, until he was four. Then his family moved to California. When he was eight, he started playing youth football. He played as a defensive end and punter. At age nine, he became the starting quarterback for his team.
Colin was a great student with a 4.0 GPA at John H. Pitman High School. He played football, basketball, and baseball. He was nominated for all-state in all three sports in his senior year. In football, he was the most valuable player (MVP) of his conference. In basketball, he scored 34 points in a big playoff game.
College Football Career
Kaepernick was very good at baseball as a pitcher in high school. He received many scholarship offers for baseball. But he really wanted to play college football. The University of Nevada, Reno was the only college to offer him a football scholarship. He signed with Nevada in February 2006.
Kaepernick started playing for the Wolf Pack in 2007. He was a backup quarterback. He played in 11 games. He threw for 2,175 yards and 19 touchdowns. He also ran for 593 yards and six touchdowns.
In his second year, 2008, he threw for 2,849 yards and 22 touchdowns. He also ran for 1,130 yards and 17 touchdowns. He became only the sixth player in NCAA history to pass for over 2,000 yards and rush for over 1,000 yards in one season. He won the MVP award at the 2008 Humanitarian Bowl. After the game, he was named the WAC Offensive Player of the Year. He was the first sophomore to win this award since 1992.
In 2009, the Chicago Cubs baseball team picked Kaepernick in the draft. But he chose to keep playing football at Nevada. He finished his junior season with 2,052 passing yards and 20 touchdowns. He also had 1,183 rushing yards and 16 rushing touchdowns. He was named second-team All-WAC quarterback.
On November 26, 2010, Kaepernick led his team to a big win. They beat the undefeated Boise State Broncos in overtime. This ended Boise State's 24-game winning streak. Nevada's coach called this the "most important win in program history."
Kaepernick's senior season ended with 3,022 passing yards and 21 touchdowns. He also had 1,206 rushing yards and 20 rushing touchdowns. He became only the second quarterback in FBS history to have 20 passing touchdowns and 20 rushing touchdowns in the same season. Nevada shared the WAC title. Kaepernick was named WAC Co-Offensive Player of the Year.
He finished his college career with over 10,000 passing yards and over 4,000 rushing yards. He is the first quarterback in Division I FBS history to do this. He also tied a record for most career rushing touchdowns by a quarterback. Kaepernick kept a 4.0 GPA in college. He graduated in 2011 with a degree in business management.
College Statistics
| Season | Team | GP | Passing | Rushing | |||||||||
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| Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | TD | Int | Rtg | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | |||
| 2007 | Nevada | 11 | 133 | 247 | 53.8 | 2,175 | 19 | 3 | 150.8 | 105 | 593 | 5.6 | 6 |
| 2008 | Nevada | 13 | 208 | 383 | 54.3 | 2,849 | 22 | 7 | 132.1 | 161 | 1,130 | 7.0 | 17 |
| 2009 | Nevada | 13 | 166 | 282 | 58.9 | 2,052 | 20 | 6 | 139.1 | 161 | 1,183 | 7.3 | 16 |
| 2010 | Nevada | 14 | 233 | 359 | 64.9 | 3,022 | 21 | 8 | 150.5 | 173 | 1,206 | 7.0 | 20 |
| Career | 51 | 740 | 1,271 | 58.2 | 10,098 | 82 | 24 | 142.5 | 600 | 4,112 | 6.9 | 59 | |
Professional Football Career
The San Francisco 49ers picked Colin Kaepernick in the second round of the 2011 NFL draft. He was the 36th player chosen overall.
Early NFL Seasons (2011-2013)
In his first year, 2011, Kaepernick was a backup quarterback. He played in only three games. In 2012, he started to play more. He scored his first touchdown by running seven yards. Later that season, he became the main starter after the first quarterback got hurt.
Kaepernick led the 49ers to an 11–4–1 record and a spot in the NFL playoffs. In his first playoff game, he set an NFL record. He ran for 181 yards, the most ever by a quarterback in a single game. The 49ers won that game. They then won the NFC Championship game. This sent them to Super Bowl XLVII against the Baltimore Ravens. Kaepernick threw for over 300 yards and ran for a touchdown. But the 49ers lost a close game, 34–31.
In the 2013 season, Kaepernick's first full year as a starter, he threw for a career-high 412 yards in one game. He finished the season with 3,197 passing yards and 21 touchdowns. He also ran for 524 yards and four touchdowns. The 49ers made the playoffs again. They won two playoff games before losing the NFC Championship game to the Seattle Seahawks.
Later NFL Seasons (2014-2016)
In 2014, Kaepernick signed a big contract with the 49ers. He threw for 3,369 yards and 19 touchdowns. He also rushed for 639 yards. However, the 49ers did not make the playoffs that year. After the season, their head coach left.
In 2015, Kaepernick struggled with injuries and lost his starting job. He missed the rest of the season due to a shoulder injury. He finished the season with 1,615 passing yards and six touchdowns in nine games. The head coach was fired after this season.
Kaepernick had three surgeries before the 2016 season. He competed to be the starting quarterback again. He became the starter in Week 6. In one game, he threw for three touchdowns and ran for 113 yards. This made him one of only a few quarterbacks in NFL history to do this. For the 2016 season, he played 12 games. He had 2,241 passing yards, 16 touchdowns, and 468 rushing yards.
After the 2016 season, the 49ers got a new coach. Kaepernick decided to leave his contract and became a free agent in March 2017.
Life After the NFL
After leaving the 49ers, Kaepernick did not sign with another NFL team. Many people thought this was because of his protests. In 2017, he filed a complaint against the NFL. He said that team owners were working together to keep him from playing. He settled this complaint with the NFL in 2019.
Kaepernick has continued to train and wants to play football. In 2019, the NFL set up a workout for him. But he changed the location to make it public. Scouts from seven NFL teams attended. In 2022, he worked out for the Las Vegas Raiders. In 2024, his former college coach offered him a coaching job with the Los Angeles Chargers, but Kaepernick declined.
Activism and Social Justice
In July 2016, Kaepernick started speaking out on social media. He talked about police shootings of Black people. During a preseason game, he sat down during the U.S. national anthem. He explained that he would not stand for a flag in a country that "oppresses black people and people of color." He felt this was more important than football.
Later, he started kneeling during the anthem instead of sitting. He did this after talking with a former NFL player and military veteran. Kneeling was meant to show more respect to military members while still protesting.
Kaepernick promised to donate $1 million to groups helping people in need. He gave money to organizations like Mothers Against Police Brutality. In 2018, he finished his "Million Dollar Pledge."
Other NFL players and athletes were inspired by Kaepernick. They also protested silently during the anthem. His teammates gave him an award for his courageous actions. His coach said Kaepernick was "zero distraction" that season.
In 2016, Kaepernick and his partner, Nessa, started the "Know Your Rights Camp." This group holds free workshops for young people. They teach about self-empowerment, American history, and legal rights. In 2020, the camp started a fund to help people affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Kaepernick donated $100,000 to this fund.
In 2018, Nike released an ad with Kaepernick. It said, "Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything." The NFL said Kaepernick's social justice work "deserve(s) our attention and action."
In 2020, during the George Floyd protests, the NFL Commissioner apologized. He said the league had not listened to the concerns of Black players. Many people saw this as a change in how the NFL viewed Kaepernick's protests.
Kaepernick supports the idea of changing police systems and prisons.
Vegan Activism
In 2016, Kaepernick started eating a vegan diet. This means he eats no animal products. He said it helped him recover from injuries. In 2020, he worked with Impossible Foods. His "Know Your Rights Camp" provided vegan food to communities that needed it. Also in 2020, he partnered with Ben & Jerry's. They created a vegan ice cream flavor called "Change the Whirled." Part of the money from sales goes to the "Know Your Rights Camp."
Written Works
- I Color Myself Different (Scholastic)
Personal Life
Kaepernick was raised in the Methodist faith. He later became Lutheran and attended a Baptist church in college. He has said that he believes God guides him. He has several tattoos about his faith, including Bible verses and praying hands.
Kaepernick started dating radio and TV host Nessa Diab in 2015. They made their relationship public in 2016. Their child was born in August 2022.
His family has a pet African spurred tortoise named Sammy. Colin has had Sammy since he was 10 years old.
In 2020, Kaepernick started Kaepernick Publishing. He published a children's book called I Color Myself Different in 2022.
In 2021, Netflix released Colin in Black & White. This is a six-episode series about Kaepernick's teenage years. He helped create the series.
Awards and Honors
- 2017 GQ Magazine Citizen of the Year
- 2017 Sports Illustrated Muhammad Ali Legacy Award
- 2017 American Civil Liberties Union Eason Monroe Courageous Advocate Award
- 2017 Puffin/Nation Prize for Creative Citizenship honoree
- 2018 Amnesty International Ambassador of Conscience Award
- 2018 Harvard University W. E. B. Du Bois Medal
- 2020 Ripple of Hope Award from the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights
