Kamerion Wimbley (born October 13, 1983) is a former
American football
American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...
outside linebacker and
defensive end
Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football.
This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations over the years have substantially changed how the position is ...
in the
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...
(NFL). He was drafted by the
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (A ...
in the first round of the
2006 NFL Draft
The 2006 National Football League Draft, the 71st in league history, took place in New York City, New York, at Radio City Music Hall on April 29 and April 30, 2006. For the 27th consecutive year, the draft was telecast on ESPN and ESPN2, with add ...
with the 13th overall pick. He also played for the
Oakland Raiders and
Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their hom ...
before retiring in 2015. He played
college football at
Florida State University.
Early years
Attending
Wichita Northwest High School in Kansas, Wimbley played defensive end, linebacker, quarterback, receiver and punter. He earned ''
Parade'' and ''SuperPrep'' All-America honors during his senior season and was considered to be one of the top high school athletes in the nation. He played in the 2002
U.S. Army All-American Bowl.
Considered a four-star recruit by ''
Rivals.com
Rivals.com is a network of websites that focus mainly on college football and basketball recruiting in the United States. The network was started in 1998 and employs more than 300 personnel.
History
Rivals.com was founded in 1998 by Jim Heckma ...
'', Wimbley was ranked 58th overall among football prospects of the class of 2002. He selected Florida State over
Notre Dame,
Nebraska
Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the sout ...
,
Oklahoma and
Tennessee
Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...
. Wimbley graduated from Northwest High School in December 2001 (a semester early) and enrolled at Florida State in the spring of 2002.
College career
At Florida State, Wimbley played in all 14 games including the
2003 Sugar Bowl
The 2003 Sugar Bowl, a 2002–03 BCS game, was played on January 1, 2003. This 69th edition to the Sugar Bowl featured the Georgia Bulldogs, and the Florida State Seminoles. Georgia came into the game 12–1 and ranked 3rd in the BCS, whereas F ...
against
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States
Georgia may also refer to:
Places
Historical states and entities
* Related to the ...
as a
true freshman
Redshirt, in United States college athletics, is a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen their period of eligibility. Typically, a student's athletic eligibility in a given sport is four seasons, aligning with the ...
, lining up at defensive end while also earning extensive playing time on special teams throughout the season. Wimbley finished the season as the second leading tackler among all Seminole freshmen with 17 stops, behind only
A. J. Nicholson
A.J. Nicholson (born June 25, 1983) is an American football linebacker who has played in the NFL, the Arena Football League, and the Indoor Football League. He was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the fifth round of the 2006 NFL Draft. He pl ...
. In the Seminoles win at
Georgia Tech
The Georgia Institute of Technology, commonly referred to as Georgia Tech or, in the state of Georgia, as Tech or The Institute, is a public research university and institute of technology in Atlanta, Georgia. Established in 1885, it is part of ...
in early November, Wimbley recorded six solo tackles.
In his sophomore year, Wimbley was still primarily serving as back-up to
Eric Moore. Playing in all 13 games, he recorded 38 tackles (30 solo and eight assisted), 6.5 tackles for lost yardage, 2.5 quarterback sacks, two pass break-ups and seven quarterback hurries. His first career start came against
Duke
Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are rank ...
, as he replaced the injured Moore and responded with a career-high tying eight tackles. Wimbley's best game of the season came against
Colorado
Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the wes ...
with a career-high eight tackles (four for lost yardage), two sacks, two third down stops, two pass deflections and one forced fumble.
Still only a back-up to Moore at right defensive, Wimbley played in all 12 games as a junior. Only against
Syracuse and
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...
he replaced Moore in the starting line-up. Wimbley finished the season with 27 tackles and 7 quarterback hurries. Five of those came in the victory over
Wake Forest. He also had a season-high five tackles in Florida State's victory over
Clemson.
As a senior, he recorded three multiple sack games and lead the
ACC
ACC most often refers to:
* Atlantic Coast Conference, an NCAA Division I collegiate athletic conference located in the US
*American College of Cardiology, A US-based nonprofit medical association that bestows credentials upon cardiovascular spec ...
in sacks before suffering a knee injury against
NC State
North Carolina State University (NC State) is a public land-grant research university in Raleigh, North Carolina. Founded in 1887 and part of the University of North Carolina system, it is the largest university in the Carolinas. The university ...
. He also led the team in quarterback hurries with 17 and set career-highs in season sacks and tackles for a loss. He returned to the starting lineup for the
Orange Bowl
The Orange Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in the Miami metropolitan area. It has been played annually since January 1, 1935, making it, along with the Sugar Bowl and the Sun Bowl, the second-oldest bowl game ...
against
Penn State, his last career game. Despite being injured part of the season, Wimbley was named second-team All-ACC and was named
All-America
The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...
by
Pro Football Weekly
''Pro Football Weekly'' (sometimes shortened to ''PFW'') is an American sports magazine, founded in 1967, and website that covers the National Football League (NFL). It was owned by Pro Football Weekly LLC and headquartered in Riverwoods, Illinoi ...
.
Professional career
Although playing 4-3 defensive end at Florida State, Wimbley was considered "not big enough to play there on a consistent basis in the NFL." Rather, he was considered an ideal fit at 3-4 rush linebacker by most NFL scouts.
For their 3-4 defense, the Cleveland Browns were in need of a run-stuffer and a pass rusher. There was discussion that the team should pick nose tackle
Haloti Ngata
Etuini Haloti Ngata (; born January 21, 1984) is a former American football defensive tackle. He played college football for the University of Oregon and earned consensus All-American honors. Ngata was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the firs ...
, but according to general manager
Phil Savage, the coaching staff wanted to pressure the quarterback, so the team targeted Wimbley. The Browns selected him in the first round as the 13th pick overall in the 2006 NFL Draft.
Cleveland Browns
On July 22, 2006, he signed a six-year deal with the
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (A ...
and includes $9.3 million in guaranteed money and $23.7 million total. After being converted to outside linebacker from his college position of defensive end, he played the entire season as the starting linebacker playing opposite all-time post season sack leader
Willie McGinest
William Lee McGinest Jr. (born December 11, 1971) is a former American football linebacker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 15 seasons, primarily with the New England Patriots. He played college football at USC and was select ...
. During his rookie season, Wimbley made an immediate impact leading the team and all AFC rookies with 11 sacks, to go along with 62 tackles, 1 fumble recovery, and 1 forced fumble. He managed to fly under the radar in his rookie season despite the impressive performance, who was beaten out by 3 other rookie linebackers in consideration for the
NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year
Various entities present a National Football League Rookie of the Year Award each season to the top rookie(s) in the National Football League (NFL). The NFL considers the (rookie) of the year awards by the Associated Press (AP) to be its official ...
award.
In his second NFL season, Wimbley failed to live up to the success of his rookie campaign, being part of a Browns defense that struggled throughout the season. However, he still led the team in sacks with 5, and also registered 51 tackles and 4 forced fumbles.
Oakland Raiders
On March 14, 2010, Wimbley was traded to the
Oakland Raiders for a third round pick that was previously acquired from the
New England Patriots in exchange for
Derrick Burgess
Derrick Lee Burgess (born August 12, 1978) is an American former professional football player who was a defensive end in the National Football League (NFL) for 10 seasons, primarily with the Philadelphia Eagles and Oakland Raiders. He was selec ...
in the
2010 NFL Draft, which was used on quarterback
Colt McCoy
Daniel "Colt" McCoy (born September 5, 1986) is an American football quarterback for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Texas, where he won several awards and honors as a senior in 2009. McC ...
of Texas. The Raiders intended to put him at
defensive end
Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football.
This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations over the years have substantially changed how the position is ...
, hoping it would bring him back to his 2006 (rookie campaign) form. Instead they moved him to strongside linebacker. On August 21, 2010, during a pre-season game against the
Chicago Bears, Wimbley recorded 4 sacks in one half on quarterback
Jay Cutler
Jay Christopher Cutler (born April 29, 1983) is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons, primarily with the Chicago Bears. He played college football for the Van ...
. He finished the 2010 regular season with 58 tackles (46 solo), 9 sacks, a pass defended and a forced fumble. Wimbley started all 16 games in his first season with the Raiders. He was released on March 17, 2012.
Tennessee Titans
Wimbley signed with the
Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their hom ...
on March 20, 2012. The deal was for five years and was worth up to $35 million. During the 2012 season, Wimbley appeared in all 16 games, recording 30 tackles and six sacks as he made the switch to defensive end in the Titans' 4-3 defense. After nine seasons in the NFL, Wimbley announced his retirement from the NFL on May 7, 2015.
Career statistics
Personal life
Wimbley owns a Florida-based dog registry Bull Breed Coalition Registry offers more innovative options for a broader population of people to be able to track their dogs' ancestry. Additionally, the BBCR provides education on breeding, training, raising, showing, adopting, and rescuing.
Wimbley competed and won the 2013 Super Bowl Cook-off Competition on the ''
Rachael Ray
Rachael Domenica Ray (born August 25, 1968) is an American cook, television personality, businesswoman, and author. She hosts the syndicated daily talk and lifestyle program '' Rachael Ray'', and the Food Network series ''30 Minute Meals'' ...
Show''. His competitors were
Martellus Bennett
Martellus Demond Bennett (born March 10, 1987) is a former American football tight end who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 10 seasons. He played college football at Texas A&M and was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the second ...
and
Dwight Freeney
Dwight Jason Freeney (born February 19, 1980) is an American former football player who played as a defensive end and outside linebacker for 16 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Syracuse University, whe ...
. Wimbley had the best recipe as determined by
Tony Siragusa
Anthony Siragusa Sr. (May 14, 1967 – June 22, 2022), nicknamed "the Goose", was an American professional football player who was a defensive tackle for 12 seasons with the Indianapolis Colts and the Baltimore Ravens in the National Football L ...
. Wimbley created andouille sausage and shrimp over grits, a dish that was well-suited with
as the Super Bowl host. Wimbley won a large, Super Bowl-style ring.
Wimbley owns several businesses in his hometown of Wichita, Kansas, including a barbershop chain with two locations and a fitness center. He also owned a restaurant called Wings & Things, however, his locations were seized in February 2018 by the Kansas Department of Revenue for owing $82,329.50 in state taxes.
On March 27, 2012, Wimbley participated in G4's ''
American Ninja Warrior
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, p ...
'' South-East Regional Qualifying round. He successfully finished the course with a time of 1:30.87. This time was fast enough to advance him to the Regional Finals. He successfully completed this extended course with a time of 4:25.08. Despite this, his time was not good enough to move on, finishing just one spot off of qualification for the next stage of the competition. He competed again in 2020.
Wimbley appeared on a charity edition of
MTV's ''
The Challenge'', titled ''
The Challenge: Champs vs. Pros''. He competed to raise money for Kamerion Wimbley Foundation, which seeks to raise funding for at-risk youths. He finished as the male runner-up.
Charity work
Wimbley owns a foundation based in Wichita that helps with the development of character, literacy, and general well-being of the youth and young adults in the area. His foundation also provides training for youth football players in the Wichita area.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wimbley, Kamerion
1983 births
Living people
Players of American football from Wichita, Kansas
African-American players of American football
American football defensive ends
American football linebackers
Florida State Seminoles football players
Cleveland Browns players
Oakland Raiders players
Tennessee Titans players
American Ninja Warrior contestants
The Challenge (TV series) contestants
21st-century African-American sportspeople
20th-century African-American people