Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila
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Muhammed-Kabeer Olanrewaju Gbaja-Biamila, Sr. (; born September 24, 1977), nicknamed "KGB", 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 with ...
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 formation (American football), formations over the years have substantially ...
who played nine seasons 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 played
college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...
at
San Diego State San Diego State University (SDSU) is a public research university in San Diego, California. Founded in 1897 as San Diego Normal School, it is the third-oldest university and southernmost in the 23-member California State University (CSU) system ...
. He was drafted by the
Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...
in the fifth round of the
2000 NFL Draft The 2000 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur U.S. college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 15– 16, 2000, at the Thea ...
, and played his entire career for the Packers. He was a
Pro Bowl The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (starting in 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's star players. The format has changed thro ...
selection in
2003 File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an epidemic in China, and was a precursor to SARS-CoV-2; A des ...
.


Early years

Gbaja-Biamila attended
Crenshaw High School Crenshaw High School is a four-year public secondary school in the Los Angeles Unified School District, located on 11th Avenue in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. The school first opened in 1968 and currently enrolls aroun ...
in Los Angeles, California and was a three-year letterman in football and in track and field. As a senior, he was named the Central City Defensive Lineman of the Year. While attending Crenshaw High School, Gbaja-Biamila was a student-owner of 'Food From the Hood', an organic food company that sprang from the
1992 Los Angeles riots The 1992 Los Angeles riots, sometimes called the 1992 Los Angeles uprising and the Los Angeles Race Riots, were a series of riots and civil disturbances that occurred in Los Angeles County, California, in April and May 1992. Unrest began in S ...
. Food From the Hood eventually went on to launch a line of
salad dressings A salad dressing is a sauce for salads. Used on virtually all '' leafy salads'', dressings may also be used in making salads of beans (such as three bean salad), noodle or pasta salads and antipasti, and forms of potato salad. Salad dressings c ...
that appeared in major Southern California grocery chains as well as on
Amazon.com Amazon.com, Inc. ( ) is an American multinational technology company focusing on e-commerce, cloud computing, online advertising, digital streaming, and artificial intelligence. It has been referred to as "one of the most influential economi ...
. For their work, Food From the Hood received the "American Achievement Award" from ''
Newsweek ''Newsweek'' is an American weekly online news magazine co-owned 50 percent each by Dev Pragad, its president and CEO, and Johnathan Davis (businessman), Johnathan Davis, who has no operational role at ''Newsweek''. Founded as a weekly print m ...
'', which featured both Gbaja-Biamila and other founders on its cover. On November 1, 1994
Prince Charles Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person to ...
paid a visit to Crenshaw High School, upon an invitation from Food From the Hood.


College career

Gbaja-Biamila attended
San Diego State University San Diego State University (SDSU) is a public research university in San Diego, California. Founded in 1897 as San Diego Normal School, it is the third-oldest university and southernmost in the 23-member California State University (CSU) system ...
where he was a three-year starter. He finished his career with the
Aztecs The Aztecs () were a Mesoamerican culture that flourished in central Mexico in the post-classic period from 1300 to 1521. The Aztec people included different Indigenous peoples of Mexico, ethnic groups of central Mexico, particularly those g ...
with a school record 33 sacks, a mark previously held by former Packer Mike Douglass at 26 sacks. He was named a first-team all-conference selection in each of his last three seasons. He graduated with a degree in
business administration Business administration, also known as business management, is the administration of a commercial enterprise. It includes all aspects of overseeing and supervising the business operations of an organization. From the point of view of management ...
.


Professional career

In 2000, attended the
NFL Combine The NFL Scouting Combine is a week-long showcase occurring every February at Lucas Oil Stadium (and formerly at the RCA Dome until 2008) in Indianapolis, where college football players perform physical and mental tests in front of National Footba ...
as an outside linebacker. He measured 6'3 and 3/4 while weighing in at 243 pounds. He ran a 4.65 40 yard dash but fell in part because he was a tweener (teams weren't sure whether he had the bulk to be a DE or the ability to stick as an OLB) and some concerns over the competition he played against in college. Gbaja-Biamila was chosen by the Packers in the fifth round of the
2000 NFL Draft The 2000 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur U.S. college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 15– 16, 2000, at the Thea ...
with the 149th overall selection. In 2003, he became the first player in Packers history to record ten or more sacks in three consecutive seasons. He also played in the
Pro Bowl The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (starting in 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's star players. The format has changed thro ...
that year. In 2004, he again recorded double-digit sacks, taking down opposing quarterbacks 13.5 times. During the 2006 season, Gbaja-Biamila was demoted from starter to second string defensive end behind starters
Aaron Kampman Aaron Allan Kampman (; born November 30, 1979) is a former American football defensive end who played ten seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the University of Iowa. He was drafted by Green Bay Packer ...
and
Cullen Jenkins Cullen Darome Jenkins (born January 20, 1981) is a former American football defensive end. He was signed by the Green Bay Packers as an undrafted free agent in 2003. In his last year as a Packer, he won Super Bowl XLV over the Pittsburgh Steeler ...
and accepted the role of a pass rushing specialist who is most active on passing downs. In October 2007, Gbaja-Biamila broke the Green Bay Packers sack record with 69 sacks, which was previously held by Hall of Famer
Reggie White Reginald Howard White (December 19, 1961 – December 26, 2004) was an American professional football player who played defensive end in the National Football League (NFL) for 15 seasons during the 1980s and 1990s. He played college football for ...
with 68½ sacks. Originally, Gbaja-Biamila was not credited with a third sack against
Vikings Vikings ; non, víkingr is the modern name given to seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded and se ...
quarterback
Kelly Holcomb Bryan Kelly Holcomb (born July 9, 1973) is a former American football quarterback of the National Football League. He was signed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent in 1995. He played college football at Middle Tennessee State ...
during the Packers vs. Vikings game on September 30. Later on in the week, the Elias Sports Bureau reviewed game footage and credited Gbaja-Biamila with a third sack on Kelly Holcomb, who was originally ruled as rushing for zero yards. Gbaja-Biamila played in seven games (one start) for the Packers in 2008, recording nine tackles, half a sack and a pass defensed. He was released on November 1 after the team activated
defensive tackle A defensive tackle (DT) is a position in American football that will typically line up on the line of scrimmage, opposite one of the offensive guards, however he may also line up opposite one of the tackles. Defensive tackles are typically the la ...
Justin Harrell Justin Tyrell Harrell (born February 14, 1984) is a former American football player. He was drafted by the Green Bay Packers 16th overall in the 2007 NFL Draft and was part of their Super Bowl XLV championship against the Pittsburgh Steelers ...
from the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list. He was a 2013 inductee, along with Packer kicker
Chris Jacke Christopher Lee Jacke (born March 12, 1966) is a former professional American football placekicker best known for playing for the Green Bay Packers in the National Football League. Before his NFL career, Jacke played collegiately at the Univer ...
, into the
Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame Green is the color between cyan and yellow on the visible spectrum. It is evoked by light which has a dominant wavelength of roughly 495570 nm. In subtractive color systems, used in painting and color printing, it is created by a combina ...
.


Family and personal life

Gbaja-Biamila is the fifth child of his mother Bolatito Gbaja-Biamila (
née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...
: Anjorin) and the second child of his father Mustapha Gbaja-Biamila. He is the older brother of former NFL
linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, p ...
Akbar Gbaja-Biamila Akbar Oluwakemi-Idowu Gbaja-Biamila (born May 6, 1979) is a former professional American football player in the National Football League (NFL) who is a commentator and co-host on the ''American Ninja Warrior'' television series. He is the forme ...
. He also has a twin sister and another brother, Abdul. His middle name "Ọláńrewájú" means "Wealth is moving forward" in the
Yoruba language Yoruba (, ; Yor. '; Ajami script, Ajami: ) is a language spoken in West Africa, primarily in South West (Nigeria), Southwestern Middle Belt, and Central Nigeria. It is spoken by the Ethnic group, ethnic Yoruba people. The number of Yoruba speake ...
, while his surname “Gbàjàbíàmílà” translates to "One who, while fighting, pretends to be separating a fight." This comes from his paternal great-great-grandfather, who stood seven feet tall and was the village moderator in the Nigerian village in which he lived. Both of his parents were
Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...
, until his mother converted to
Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...
. While he was raised in a
Sunni Sunni Islam () is the largest branch of Islam, followed by 85–90% of the world's Muslims. Its name comes from the word '' Sunnah'', referring to the tradition of Muhammad. The differences between Sunni and Shia Muslims arose from a disagr ...
Muslim household, during his rookie season with the Green Bay Packers he converted to Christianity. He was the coordinator at the local Celebration Church Bayside for Crown Financial Ministries, which teaches people how to manage money using Biblical principles. He was involved in the first faith-based event at
Lambeau Field Lambeau Field is an outdoor athletic stadium in the north central United States, located in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The home field of the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL), it opened in 1957 as City Stadium, replacing ...
called Lambeau Leap of Faith in July 2007, where thousands of Christians gathered. An adherent of the dietary laws outlined in the
Book of Leviticus The book of Leviticus (, from grc, Λευιτικόν, ; he, וַיִּקְרָא, , "And He called") is the third book of the Torah (the Pentateuch) and of the Old Testament, also known as the Third Book of Moses. Scholars generally agree ...
, Gbaja-Biamila no longer self-identifies as a Christian, but as a
Hebrew Israelite Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved th ...
. He formerly served on the board of directors at Freedom House Ministries, a shelter for homeless families in Green Bay. Each year, Freedom House helps over 100 families including over 250 children overcome homelessness and move into stable permanent housing and employment. In 2007, he started Kabeer's Freedom House Sack Fund. He pledged, along with his teammates and members of the Green Bay community, $10,000 per sack registered in 2007 to go to his fund. On April 3, 2016, Gbaja-Biamila appeared alongside 2016 Republican presidential candidates
Ted Cruz Rafael Edward "Ted" Cruz (; born December 22, 1970) is an American politician and attorney serving as the junior United States Senator from Texas since 2013. A member of the Republican Party, Cruz served as Solicitor General of Texas from ...
and Scott Walker at a rally in
Green Bay, Wisconsin Green Bay is a city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The county seat of Brown County, it is at the head of Green Bay (known locally as "the bay of Green Bay"), a sub-basin of Lake Michigan, at the mouth of the Fox River. It is above sea lev ...
. On December 17, 2019, Gbaja-Biamila was involved in an incident in which he was nearly arrested. His two friends were arrested during an incident at Assembly of God Church in Green Bay on Dec 17 during a Christmas pageant put on by the private Providence Academy. Jordan Salmi and Ryan Desmith attended the pageant and triggered a trespassing complaint since they do not have children at the school. When they were arrested, they reportedly had concealed weapons on them without permits. The ''
Green Bay Press-Gazette The ''Green Bay Press-Gazette'' is a newspaper whose primary coverage is of northeastern Wisconsin, including Green Bay. It was founded as the ''Green Bay Gazette'' in 1866 as a weekly paper, becoming a daily newspaper in 1871. The ''Green Ba ...
'' quoted Gbaha-Biamila saying “They got my sons — my property — doing pagan worship, and I told them I forbid it, and they dishonor me and say it’s OK for my sons to dishonor their father.” He added, “They used the sons, the children, to oppress the man, and the woman rules over them, so that the man walks in error.”


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gbaja-Biamila, Kabeer 1977 births Living people American football defensive ends African-American players of American football American Christians Players of American football from Los Angeles San Diego State Aztecs football players Green Bay Packers players National Conference Pro Bowl players American sportspeople of Nigerian descent American people of Yoruba descent Yoruba sportspeople American former Muslims Converts to Protestantism from Islam American twins Wisconsin Republicans Crenshaw High School alumni 21st-century African-American sportspeople 20th-century African-American sportspeople Ed Block Courage Award recipients