Kwamie Lassiter

Kwamie Lassiter (December 3, 1969 – January 6, 2019) was an American professional football player who was a safety in the National Football League (NFL). He was signed by the Arizona Cardinals as an undrafted free agent in 1995. He played college football for the Kansas Jayhawks.

Early life Born in Hampton, Virginia, Lassiter graduated from Menchville High School in Newport News, Virginia in 1989. After Lassiter suffered a broken collarbone by the third game of the 1993 season, the NCAA granted Lassiter a sixth year of eligibility.

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.

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.

NFL statistics Year Team Games Comb. Tack. Asst. Sacks FF FR INT TDs Def 1995 ARI 5 7 5 2 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 1996 ARI 14 16 13 3 0.0 0 0 1 0 2 1997 ARI 16 39 24 15 3.0 0 0 1 0 2 1998 ARI 16 55 40 15 0.0 2 1 8 0 12 1999 ARI 16 114 80 34 0.0 0 2 2 1 7 2000 ARI 16 101 67 34 0.0 1 1 1 0 2 2001 ARI 16 113 84 29 1.0 1 0 9 0 15 2002 ARI 16 96 65 31 0.0 0 1 2 0 9 2003 SD 10 59 51 8 0.0 1 0 1 1 1 2004 STL 4 9 8 1 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 Career 129 609 437 172 4.0 5 5 25 2 49

Post-playing career

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

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

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

From 2009 to 2010, Lassiter was defensive backs coach at Mesa Community College. In 2012, Lassiter became defensive backs coach for the Las Vegas Locomotives of the UFL.

Personal life Three of Lassiter's sons, Kwamie II, Darius and Kwinton, have played college football or in the NFL. Kwamie II played for the Cincinnati Bengals, having played college football at his father's alma mater Kansas. Kwinton also plays at Kansas, while Darius plays for BYU

Lassiter's daughter, Darian, is a professional dancer who was on the Arizona Cardinals cheerleaders, the Phoenix Suns dance team, and ultimately a member of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, appearing on season 15 of their reality television show Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team.

Death On January 6, 2019, Lassiter died unexpectedly at the age of 49. He had a heart attack while he was exercising.