Alain Kashama
Encyclopedia
Alain Kaleta Olony T. Kashama is a professional Canadian football
defensive end
for the Calgary Stampeders
of the Canadian Football League
. He was signed by the Chicago Bears
as an undrafted free agent in 2004. He played college football
for the Michigan Wolverines
.
Kashama has also played for the Seattle Seahawks
, Montreal Alouettes
and Hamilton Tiger-Cats
.
where he majored in African-American studies. He played in 40 games, starting six for the Wolverines
football team
. In those games Kashama recorded a grand total of 48 tackles
and six sacks
. During his first three years at Michigan, Kashama was mainly a backup defensive end
playing in pass rushing downs and when others were injured. However, after Shantee Orr
declared for the 2003 NFL Draft
, Kashama was expected to start as a senior.
, Kashama signed with the Chicago Bears
on April 26, 2004. After his signing, the Bears were reportedly starting to, "envision ways in which Kashama could contribute if he keeps improving at his current rate." He played in three games for Chicago before being traded to the Seattle Seahawks
.
in the 2004 CFL Draft
but opted to sign with the NFL
's Chicago Bears
. In 2007, Kashama led Montreal in sacks with eight. Kashama also recorded 29 tackles
for the Alouettes. On July 21, 2008, it was reported by The Montreal Gazette that Kashama was to be traded after suffering a knee
injury. Jim Popp
, the Alouettes general manager
shot down the rumors of a possible trade although he did not deny that teams such as the Calgary Stampeders
and Edmonton Eskimos
were calling.
on September 10, 2008, for a conditional pick in the 2009 CFL Draft
. With Hamilton he recorded five tackles and one sack.
and then Montreal, Quebec as a child. Because of this move, Kashama is now fluent in French. He played high school football
at Vieux Montreal, and recorded over 200 tackles and 50 sacks while being ranked as the second best prep player in Canada
. During high school, Kashama also played basketball
and ran track. His brother Fernand
is his teammate with Calgary while his cousin Tim Biakabutuka
was a running back
for the Carolina Panthers
. His brother Hakeem
also played professional football with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats
. He credits his cousin for getting him interested in football and said that, "I started to play football after he was drafted in 1996." Kashama is nicknamed "Sackmaster" by his teammates.
Canadian football
Canadian football is a form of gridiron football played exclusively in Canada in which two teams of 12 players each compete for territorial control of a field of play long and wide attempting to advance a pointed prolate spheroid ball into the opposing team's scoring area...
defensive end
Defensive end
Defensive end is the name of a defensive position in the sport of American and Canadian football.This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations have substantially changed how the position is played over the years...
for the Calgary Stampeders
Calgary Stampeders
The Calgary Stampeders are a Canadian Football League team based in Calgary, Alberta and named in reference to the Calgary Stampede. The Stampeders play their home games at McMahon Stadium...
of the Canadian Football League
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....
. He was signed by the Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
as an undrafted free agent in 2004. He played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
for the Michigan Wolverines
Michigan Wolverines football
The Michigan Wolverines football program represents the University of Michigan in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. Michigan has the most all-time wins and the highest winning percentage in college football history...
.
Kashama has also played for the Seattle Seahawks
Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle, Washington. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team...
, Montreal Alouettes
Montreal Alouettes
The Montreal Alouettes are a Canadian Football League team based in Montreal, Quebec.The current franchise named the Alouettes moved to Montreal from Baltimore, Maryland, in 1996 where they had been known as the Baltimore Stallions...
and Hamilton Tiger-Cats
Hamilton Tiger-Cats
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are a Canadian Football League team based in Hamilton, Ontario, founded in 1950 with the merger of the Hamilton Tigers and the Hamilton Wildcats. The Tiger-Cats play their home games at Ivor Wynne Stadium...
.
College career
Kashama attended the University of MichiganUniversity of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
where he majored in African-American studies. He played in 40 games, starting six for the Wolverines
Michigan Wolverines
The Michigan Wolverines comprise 27 varsity sports teams at the University of Michigan. These teams compete in the NCAA's Division I and in the Big Ten Conference in all sports except men's ice hockey which competes in the NCAA D1 Central Collegiate Hockey Association, and women's water polo, which...
football team
Michigan Wolverines football
The Michigan Wolverines football program represents the University of Michigan in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. Michigan has the most all-time wins and the highest winning percentage in college football history...
. In those games Kashama recorded a grand total of 48 tackles
Tackle (football move)
Most forms of football have a move known as a tackle. The primary purposes of tackling is to disposses an opponent of the ball, to stop the player from gaining ground towards goal or to stop them from carrying out what they intend....
and six sacks
Quarterback sack
In American football and Canadian football, a sack occurs when the quarterback is tackled behind the line of scrimmage before he can throw a forward pass, or when the quarterback is tackled behind the line of scrimmage in the "pocket" and the intent of what he was going to do is unclear...
. During his first three years at Michigan, Kashama was mainly a backup defensive end
Defensive end
Defensive end is the name of a defensive position in the sport of American and Canadian football.This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations have substantially changed how the position is played over the years...
playing in pass rushing downs and when others were injured. However, after Shantee Orr
Shantee Orr
Shantee De'Shjuan Orr is an American football linebacker who is currently a free agent. He was signed by the Green Bay Packers as an undrafted free agent in 2003. He played college football at Michigan....
declared for the 2003 NFL Draft
2003 NFL Draft
The 2003 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. The draft is known officially as the "NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting" and has been conducted annually since 1936. The draft was held April 26–27, 2003 at the Theatre at...
, Kashama was expected to start as a senior.
Chicago Bears
After going undrafted in the 2004 NFL Draft2004 NFL Draft
The 2004 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 24-25, 2004 at the theater at Madison Square Garden...
, Kashama signed with the Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
on April 26, 2004. After his signing, the Bears were reportedly starting to, "envision ways in which Kashama could contribute if he keeps improving at his current rate." He played in three games for Chicago before being traded to the Seattle Seahawks
Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle, Washington. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team...
.
Seattle Seahawks
After being traded to the Seahawks, Kashama played in one game with Seattle before the Seahawks released him on July 31, 2006.Montreal Alouettes
Kashama was drafted by the Montreal AlouettesMontreal Alouettes
The Montreal Alouettes are a Canadian Football League team based in Montreal, Quebec.The current franchise named the Alouettes moved to Montreal from Baltimore, Maryland, in 1996 where they had been known as the Baltimore Stallions...
in the 2004 CFL Draft
2004 CFL Draft
-Round one:-Round two:-Round Three:-Round Four:-Round Five:-Round Six:...
but opted to sign with the NFL
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
's Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
. In 2007, Kashama led Montreal in sacks with eight. Kashama also recorded 29 tackles
Tackle (football move)
Most forms of football have a move known as a tackle. The primary purposes of tackling is to disposses an opponent of the ball, to stop the player from gaining ground towards goal or to stop them from carrying out what they intend....
for the Alouettes. On July 21, 2008, it was reported by The Montreal Gazette that Kashama was to be traded after suffering a knee
Knee
The knee joint joins the thigh with the leg and consists of two articulations: one between the fibula and tibia, and one between the femur and patella. It is the largest joint in the human body and is very complicated. The knee is a mobile trocho-ginglymus , which permits flexion and extension as...
injury. Jim Popp
Jim Popp
Jim Popp is the general manager of the Montreal Alouettes football club of the Canadian Football League ....
, the Alouettes general manager
General manager
General manager is a descriptive term for certain executives in a business operation. It is also a formal title held by some business executives, most commonly in the hospitality industry.-Generic usage:...
shot down the rumors of a possible trade although he did not deny that teams such as the Calgary Stampeders
Calgary Stampeders
The Calgary Stampeders are a Canadian Football League team based in Calgary, Alberta and named in reference to the Calgary Stampede. The Stampeders play their home games at McMahon Stadium...
and Edmonton Eskimos
Edmonton Eskimos
The Edmonton Eskimos are a Canadian football team based in Edmonton, Alberta. They currently play in the West Division of the Canadian Football League . Edmonton is currently the third-youngest franchise in the CFL, although there were clubs with the name Edmonton Eskimos as early as 1895...
were calling.
Hamilton Tiger-Cats
Kashama was traded to the Hamilton Tiger-CatsHamilton Tiger-Cats
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are a Canadian Football League team based in Hamilton, Ontario, founded in 1950 with the merger of the Hamilton Tigers and the Hamilton Wildcats. The Tiger-Cats play their home games at Ivor Wynne Stadium...
on September 10, 2008, for a conditional pick in the 2009 CFL Draft
2009 CFL Draft
The 2009 CFL Draft took place on May 2, 2009. 48 players were chosen from among 774 eligible players from Canadian Universities across the country, as well as Canadian players playing in the NCAA...
. With Hamilton he recorded five tackles and one sack.
Personal
Kashama was born on December 8, 1979, in the Democratic Republic of Congo before moving to Brampton, OntarioBrampton, Ontario
Brampton is the third-largest city in the Greater Toronto Area of Ontario, Canada and the seat of Peel Region. As of the 2006 census, Brampton's population stood at 433,806, making it the 11th largest city in Canada. It is also one of Canada's fastest growing municipalities, with an average...
and then Montreal, Quebec as a child. Because of this move, Kashama is now fluent in French. He played high school football
High school football
High school football, in North America, refers to the game of football as it is played in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both of these nations....
at Vieux Montreal, and recorded over 200 tackles and 50 sacks while being ranked as the second best prep player in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. During high school, Kashama also played basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
and ran track. His brother Fernand
Fernand Kashama
Fernand Kashama is a Canadian football defensive lineman for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League. He was drafted by the Calgary Stampeders in the second round of the 2008 CFL Draft...
is his teammate with Calgary while his cousin Tim Biakabutuka
Tim Biakabutuka
Tshimanga "Tim" Biakabutuka is a former American football running back for the Carolina Panthers of the NFL from 1996 to 2001.-College career at Michigan:...
was a running back
Running back
A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
for the Carolina Panthers
Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They are currently members of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Panthers, along with the Jacksonville Jaguars, joined the NFL as expansion...
. His brother Hakeem
Hakeem Kashama
Hakeem Kashama is a professional American and Canadian football defensive end who is currently a free agent. He was signed by the Cleveland Browns as an undrafted free agent in 2004...
also played professional football with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats
Hamilton Tiger-Cats
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are a Canadian Football League team based in Hamilton, Ontario, founded in 1950 with the merger of the Hamilton Tigers and the Hamilton Wildcats. The Tiger-Cats play their home games at Ivor Wynne Stadium...
. He credits his cousin for getting him interested in football and said that, "I started to play football after he was drafted in 1996." Kashama is nicknamed "Sackmaster" by his teammates.