Kerlin Blaise facts for kids

Kerlin Blaise was born on December 25, 1974. He is a former professional football player from the United States. He played as a guard for five seasons with the Detroit Lions in the National Football League (NFL). Before joining the NFL, he played college football at the University of Miami.

Early Life and College Football

Kerlin Blaise grew up in Orlando, Florida, where he was born. He went to Maynard Evans High School in Orlando.

After high school, Blaise played college football for the Miami Hurricanes. This team represents the University of Miami. In 1993, he was "redshirted." This means he practiced with the team but did not play in games that year. This allowed him to train and get stronger without using up a year of his playing eligibility. From 1994 to 1997, he was a "letterman" for four years. This means he played well enough to earn a special award, often a letter, from his school for his athletic achievements.

Playing in the NFL

After college, Kerlin Blaise was not chosen in the 1998 NFL draft. This means he was "undrafted." However, the Detroit Lions signed him to their team on April 24, 1998. He was released from the team on August 30 but joined their "practice squad" a few days later. A practice squad is a group of players who train with the team but are not on the main roster for games.

Blaise was moved to the main team, called the "active roster," on October 27, 1998. But he did not play in any games that year because he was placed on "injured reserve" on December 1. This means he was injured and could not play for the rest of the season.

In 1999, Blaise played in all 16 games for the Lions. He started four of those games. He also played in his only career playoff game that year. After the season, he became a "free agent," meaning he could sign with any team. He chose to re-sign with the Lions on April 11, 2000.

In 2000, Blaise played in 12 games. He became a free agent again after that season. He re-signed with the Lions for a third time on April 26, 2001, and played in six games that year. He became a free agent for the third year in a row. He signed with the Lions again on April 2, 2002. He started the first two games of the 2002 season. However, he was placed on injured reserve again on September 17 and missed the rest of the year.

The Lions released Blaise on August 31, 2003. But he re-signed with them a few months later on November 11, 2003. He played in two games for the Lions that year. After the season, he became a free agent and did not play in the NFL again.

Life After Football

After his football career, Kerlin Blaise started his own company. He founded Blaze Contracting, Inc. in the year 2000.