Kwamie Lassiter

Kwamie Lassiter (December 3, 1969 – January 6, 2019) was an American football safety. He was signed by the Arizona Cardinals as an undrafted free agent in 1995. He played college football at Kansas.

Kwamie Lassiter
No. 42
Position:Defensive back
Personal information
Born:(1969-12-03)December 3, 1969
Hampton, Virginia, U.S.
Died:January 6, 2019(2019-01-06) (aged 49)
Chandler, Arizona, U.S.
Height:5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Weight:207 lb (94 kg)
Career information
College:Kansas
Undrafted:1995
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Total tackles:596
Sacks:4.0
Forced fumbles:6
Fumble recoveries:5
Interceptions:25
Defensive touchdowns:2
Player stats at NFL.com

Early years

Born in Hampton, Virginia, Lassiter graduated from Menchville High School in Newport News, Virginia in 1989.[1]

College career

Lassiter played his first two years of college football at Butler County Community College in 1989 and 1990 before transferring to the University of Kansas in 1991. He sat out the 1991 season, played at Kansas from 1992 to 1994, and graduated with a degree in communications.[1][2] After Lassiter suffered a broken collarbone by the third game of the 1993 season, the NCAA granted Lassiter a sixth year of eligibility.[2]

Professional career

Lassiter played for the Arizona Cardinals from 1995–2002, San Diego Chargers in 2003 and St. Louis Rams in 2004. He finished his career with 413 tackles, 25 interceptions, and four sacks.[3]

In the Cardinals' final regular season game of the 1998 season, a 16-13 victory over the San Diego Chargers that clinched the Cardinals' first playoff berth in 15 years, Lassiter intercepted Chargers quarterback Craig Whelihan four times.[4]

After the 2001 season, Lassiter was selected as an alternate for the 2002 Pro Bowl after reaching career highs with 112 tackles and 9 interceptions.[1]

Lassiter spent the 2004 preseason with the Chargers and was cut. The St. Louis Rams signed Lassiter on September 21, 2004.[1]

NFL statistics

YearTeamGamesComb.Tack.Asst. Tack.SacksFFFRFR YardsINTINT. YardsINT. Avg.LongTDsPasses Defended
1995ARI57520.0000000000
1996ARI14181350.0000120202002
1997ARI164024163.0000110101002
1998ARI165738190.02108801029012
1999ARI1610469350.00202110557817
2000ARI169662340.0110111111102
2001ARI1611283291.0100980925014
2002ARI169564310.0110274709
2003SD10585080.0100138383811
2004STL49810.0000000000
Career1295964161804.0650253561478249

Post-playing career

From 2006 to 2008, Lassiter was a pregame and postgame host for the Arizona Cardinals Radio Network.[5]

From 2009 until his death, Lassiter hosted Kwamie Lassiter's Sports Talk on the VoiceAmerica Internet radio network.[6]

From 2010 until his death, Lassiter was president of the NFL Alumni chapter in Arizona.[5]

From 2009 to 2010, Lassiter was defensive backs coach at Mesa Community College.[7][8] In 2012, Lassiter became defensive backs coach for the Las Vegas Locomotives of the UFL[5] until his death.

Personal life

Lassiter's son, Kwamie II, currently plays football for the University of Kansas football team.

Lassiter's daughter, Darian, is a professional dancer and has been a part of Phoenix Suns dance team as well as the Arizona Cardinals Cheerleaders. As of 2020, she is a member of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders squad and henceforth appeared on season 15 of their reality television show Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team.

Death

On January 6, 2019, Lassiter died at 49 of a heart attack which he suffered while working out.[9]

References

  1. "Kwamie Lassiter". St. Louis Rams. Archived from the original on 2004-10-23.
  2. Woodling, Chuck (April 21, 2009). "Lassiter undrafted standout". Lawrence Journal-World. Retrieved February 10, 2013.
  3. "Kwamie Lassiter". pro-football-reference. Retrieved February 10, 2013.
  4. Simers, T.J. (December 28, 1998). "Officials and Jacke Help Raise Arizona". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 10, 2013.
  5. "Kwamie Lassiter". LinkedIn. Retrieved February 10, 2013.
  6. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2013-04-24. Retrieved 2013-02-10.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  7. "Coach Hargrave and Staff Back from Team Camp - Football - Athletics at Mesa Community College". athletics.mesacc.edu.
  8. "Football Ready To Take On Scottsdale, Broadcast Live On KWSS, 106.7 FM, Saturday, September 4 At 7:00 P.M. - Football - Athletics at Mesa Community College". athletics.mesacc.edu.
  9. "Former Arizona Cardinal Kwamie Lassiter dies at age 49". Arizona Sports. 2019-01-07. Retrieved 2019-01-07.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.