Levon Kirkland
No. 99, 93
Position:Linebacker
Personal information
Born: (1969-02-17) February 17, 1969
Lamar, South Carolina, U.S.
Height:6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight:275 lb (125 kg)
Career information
High school:Lamar
College:Clemson
NFL Draft:1992 / Round: 2 / Pick: 38
Career history
As a player:
As a coach:
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Tackles:1,026
Sacks:19.5
Interceptions:11
Forced fumbles:16
Fumble recoveries:9
Defensive touchdowns:1
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR

Lorenzo Levon Kirkland (born February 17, 1969) is an American former football player who was a linebacker for 11 years in the National Football League (NFL), primarily for the Pittsburgh Steelers. A two-time All-Pro and two-time Pro Bowl selection with the Steelers, he was named to the NFL 1990s All-Decade Team.

Kirkland played college football for the Clemson Tigers, earning consensus All-American honors in 1991. Selected by Pittsburgh in the second round of the 1992 NFL Draft, he played nine seasons with the Steelers, and one each for the Seattle Seahawks and the Philadelphia Eagles.[1] After his playing career, Kirkland was a linebackers coach for two seasons for the Florida A&M Rattlers.

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
HeightWeightArm lengthHand span40-yard dash10-yard split20-yard split20-yard shuttleVertical jumpBroad jumpBench press
6 ft 0+38 in
(1.84 m)
240 lb
(109 kg)
32+12 in
(0.83 m)
8+12 in
(0.22 m)
4.92 s1.75 s2.91 s4.13 s32.5 in
(0.83 m)
9 ft 8 in
(2.95 m)
20 reps
All values from NFL Combine[2]

Kirkland was a massive inside linebacker, just 6'1" but weighing anywhere from 275-300 pounds during his career. Despite his size, he had great speed and agility. He became a starter at inside linebacker for the Steelers in his second season, 1993, replacing Pro Bowler David Little.

On August 14, 1995, the Pittsburgh Steelers signed Kirkland to a four-year, $6 million contract that included a signing bonus of $900,000.[3]

By 1995, he was recognized as one of the top inside linebackers in the league, and had a stellar performance in Super Bowl XXX against the Dallas Cowboys at the end of the season. In that game, the Steelers defense held the Cowboys to just 15 first downs and Emmitt Smith and the Cowboys powerful running attack to just 56 yards, despite losing 27–17 in large part due to two key interceptions thrown by Steelers quarterback Neil O'Donnell. Kirkland had 10 tackles and a key sack of Dallas quarterback Troy Aikman.

That game and his outstanding 1996 season earned Kirkland his first trip to the Pro Bowl and All-Pro honors after the 1996 season. The Steelers had lost their emotional leader, outside linebacker Greg Lloyd, at the start of the season to a knee injury, but Kirkland took over the mantle of leadership. He also took over Lloyd's role in pass coverage as the only linebacker in the Steelers nickel defense. Opponents thought Kirkland would not be as adept in pass coverage as the fast Lloyd, but they quickly found out that Kirkland was just as fast and quick. He had four interceptions that season, a high number for an inside linebacker, to go along with four sacks and 114 tackles.

Kirkland made the Pro Bowl after the 1997 season as well, making a career-high and team-leading 126 tackles and career-high five sacks, as the Steelers went to the AFC Championship game (losing to the Denver Broncos). Although Kirkland played well in the next three seasons (19982000), the Steelers struggled on offense, and failed to make the playoffs, and Kirkland did not earn any more Pro Bowl berths despite his strong play.

In a surprise move, the Steelers waived Kirkland just before the 2001 season due to salary cap pressure. That year many star players were waived due to the salary cap including John Randle, Troy Aikman, and Jerry Rice. Kirkland went to the Seattle Seahawks where he became a leader on the defense and had over 100 tackles. The next year, he played his final season for the Eagles, becoming the veteran leader of a defense that ranked seventh in the league and advanced to the NFC Championship game before losing to the Buccaneers.

NFL career statistics

General Tackles Fumbles Interceptions
YearTeamGPCombSoloAstSackFFFRYdsIntYdsAvgLngTDPD
1993PIT 167559161.0420000004
1994PIT 1610170313.0000200007
1995PIT 168858301.0020000001
1996PIT 1611375384.02004123608
1997PIT 1612594315.011021471107
1998PIT 1611375382.53001111015
1999PIT 1610786212.0420123232306
2000PIT 168665210.0010111105
2001SEA 1610079211.0200000003
2002PHI 167453210.0010000006
Career[4]16098271426819.516901151523062

Post-NFL

In 1996, Kirkland was named to Clemson University's All-Centennial team and was inducted into the University's Hall of Fame in 2001. After retiring from the NFL, he returned to Clemson and earned his sociology degree in 2004 and worked for Clemson coordinating minority recruitment in admissions for the university. He was inducted into the South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame in 2008.[5] Kirkland also educates student-athletes across the country on the college recruiting process as an Educational Speaker for the National Collegiate Scouting Association.

After coaching linebackers for Wade Hampton High School in Greenville, South Carolina in 2009,Kirkland worked as the assistant head coach at Woodmont High School in South Carolina until November 2011 when he was named the head coach for Shannon Forest Christian School in Greenville, South Carolina.[5] In March 2013, Kirkland accepted a job coaching linebackers at Florida A&M University.[6]

Personal life

Kirkland's wife, Keisha, with whom he has a daughter, Kennedy, died in October 2013 due to lung cancer.[6] He also has a son named Zach.[7]

Kirkland's cousin, Devon Still, played in the NFL with the Cincinnati Bengals, Houston Texans, and New York Jets.[8] His uncle Lamont Kirkland was a light heavyweight professional boxer.[9]

See also

References

  • "Hall of Famer". Clemson World. Spring 2008. p. 7.
  1. "1992 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 7, 2023.
  2. "1992 NFL Combine Results". nflcombineresults.com. Retrieved September 22, 2018.
  3. "N.F.L. Training Camp Report". The New York Times. August 16, 1995. Retrieved September 22, 2018.
  4. "Levon Kirkland Stats". ESPN Internet Ventures. Retrieved June 6, 2014.
  5. 1 2 "Upstate School Names NFL All-Pro Linebacker As Head Football Coach". WYFF4.com. November 15, 2011. Archived from the original on November 1, 2013. Retrieved October 31, 2013.
  6. 1 2 Field, Carla (October 30, 2013). "Keisha Kirkland loses battle with cancer". WYFF4.com. Archived from the original on November 1, 2013. Retrieved October 31, 2013.
  7. "L. Levon Kirkland Bio". famuathletics.com. Retrieved May 20, 2019.
  8. Musselman, Ron (September 15, 2011). "Lineman Still enjoys being disruptive force on defense". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Archived from the original on July 9, 2019. Retrieved October 31, 2013.
  9. "Lamont Kirkland boxer".
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