All-Time NFL Players From Acadiana: Kermit Alexander

A number of people have represented the Acadiana area in the National Football League.

All summer long, we’re going to spotlight the fantastic athletes from the area, people that were actually born in one of the Acadiana parishes, that went on to play football at the highest level, the NFL.

Yesterday, we profiled Breaux Bridge native Paul Guidry.

Today, we spotlight Kermit Alexander.

Born on January 4, 1941 in New Iberia, Alexander grew up in Los Angeles, attending Mount Carmel High School.

Following his high school years, Alexander went to college at UCLA, where he excelled in not only football, but track as well, winning the NCAA triple jump national championship in 1962.

The 5-foot-11, 187-pound Alexander was selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the first round, with the 8th-overall pick of the 1963 NFL Draft.

Alexander made his NFL debut with the 49ers in 1963, at the age of 22, appearing in all 14 games, all as a starter, at cornerback, compiling 5 interceptions.

A 7-year member of the 49ers, Alexander was a starter for all of them, spending time at cornerback, safety, and kickoff/punt returner.

In his 7 seasons in San Francisco, Alexander accumulated 36 interceptions, while also returning two punts for a touchdown.

In 1968, his sixth year in the NFL, Alexander was named to the Pro Bowl, after intercepting a league-high 9 passes.

Alexander spent the 1970 and 1971 seasons with the Los Angeles Rams, before ending his career with the Philadelphia Eagles in 1973, after missing the 1972 campaign.

Over his 10-year career, Alexander appeared in 143 games, including 115 as a starter, totaling 43 interceptions, including 3 for touchdowns, to go along with 28 fumble recoveries and two punt returns for scores.

Sadly, Alexander has had to deal with grief, as armed gang members stormed his family’s house in Los Angeles in 1984, murdering his mother, sister, and two nephews.

It was later determined that the gang members had targeted the wrong house, with their intended victims living two doors away.

Alexander, who is now 76-years old, adopted five children from Haiti, following an earthquake there in 2010.