Kermit Alexander

Kermit Joseph Alexander Jr. (born January 4, 1941) is an American former professional football player who was a cornerback and return specialist in the National Football League (NFL). He was on the board of directors for the Lott IMPACT Trophy, which is named after Pro Football Hall of Fame player Ronnie Lott, and is awarded annually to college football's defensive IMPACT Player of the Year. His life story, including his upbringing, football playing, the murder of his mother and other family members, and adoption of five Haitian children, has been the subject of a book and television documentary.

Early life Alexander was born on January 4, 1941, in New Iberia, Louisiana. He was the first of eleven children, born to Kermit Sr. and Ebora Alexander. He was raised in Los Angeles, and attended Mount Carmel High School. In 1958, as a senior, he was named to the first-team California Interscholastic Federal (CIF) All Southern California Central Section Football Team.

As a teenager, he took up Police Athletic League (PAL) boxing. Alexander had a fierce temper as a teenager, and gave up boxing as part of a greater effort by him and his parents to control his temper.

College career Alexander played varsity football for the UCLA Bruins from 1960-62. He played halfback on offense and also was one of the team's top defensive players. In 1961, he averaged 5.5 yards per carry in 30 rushing attempts and 24.6 yards per catch on eleven receptions, scoring a touchdown both rushing and receiving. The following year, he rushed for 472 yards (5.8 yards per carry), had 178 receiving yards (14.8 yards per catch), and scored five rushing touchdowns and one receiving touchdown.

Alexander played one season at UCLA with future 49ers defensive backfield teammate Jimmy Johnson.

Alexander ran the 100-yard dash in 9.8 seconds. As a member of UCLA's track and field team, he won the 1962 NCAA Track and Field Championships national title in the triple jump.

In 1986, he was inducted into UCLA's Sports Hall of Fame. He was also drafted by the Denver Broncos of the American Football League with the fifth overall pick, but chose to sign with San Francisco. Alexander played for the 49ers from 1963 to 1969.

Alexander played alongside Pro Football Hall of Fame cornerback Jimmy Johnson, his former UCLA teammate, who was the 49ers left cornerback from 1964-76. Alexander was selected to play in the Pro Bowl in 1968, after a season in which he had a career-high nine interceptions, including an interception he returned 66 yards for a touchdown. While Alexander has described the circumstances and that he was not trying to injure Sayers, he has been villainized by some over it. was furious at the time.

Rams and Eagles

In January 1970, the 49ers traded Alexander and a second round draft pick to the Los Angeles Rams for placekicker Bruce Gossett. In his two years with the Rams, Alexander started every game; the first year at right cornerback and the second year at strong safety. He intercepted a total of seven passes during that time, returning two for touchdowns. He had another interception the following week against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the final game of the 1971 regular season, which would be the last of his career. He played two more seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles in 1972 and 1973, but did not start on defense either year, and did not have any interceptions.

During the 1974 players strike, Alexander filed charges against the NFL in the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). After two years, a judge found that Alexander and two other players had been victims of discrimination, awarding them reinstatement and back pay.

Personal life During the off season of his playing career, Alexander served as a probation officer in San Francisco.

On August 31, 1984, Alexander's mother, sister and two nephews, ages 8 and 13, were murdered in South Central Los Angeles during a home invasion by members of the Rollin 60's Neighborhood Crips, whose intended victims lived two doors away. After the murders, Alexander fell into decades of despair, breaking up his marriage and family. The teen convicted of killing his family was Tiequon Cox, whom Alexander had watched playing Pop Warner football when Cox was eight years old. Cox's temper was so out of control that Alexander said publicly during the child's game that someone needed to intervene in his life, but by junior high school Cox was in a gang.

Alexander has co-written a book with two criminal justice professors about his upbringing, the tragic death of his mother, sister and nephews, the adoption of the five children, and his journey from despair to a renewed hope and sense of purpose, The Valley of the Shadow of Death: A Tale of Tragedy and Redemption.

In 2014, Alexander filed a lawsuit against the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) to have Cox, who had been sentenced to death in 1986 but remained incarcerated on death row, executed. The CDCR reached a settlement in June 2015 by issuing new rules regarding lethal injection.