Akbar Gbaja-Biamila
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| Akbar Gbaja-Biamila | |
|---|---|
| Date of birth | May 6, 1979 (age 27) |
| Place of birth |  Los Angeles, California |
| Height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) |
| Weight | 260 lb (118 kg) |
| Position(s) | Linebacker |
| College | San Diego State |
| Stats | |
| Statistics | |
| Team(s) | |
| 2003-2004 2006 2007-present |
Oakland Raiders San Diego Chargers Miami Dolphins |
Akbar Oluwakemi-Idowu Gbaja-Biamila (born May 6, 1979 in Los Angeles, California) is an American football linebacker who currently plays for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League. He played collegiately at San Diego State University.
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[edit] High school career
Gbaja-Biamila was an all-league and all-conference choice as senior at Crenshaw High School in South Los Angeles, California. He was also named team’s defensive lineman of year.
[edit] College career
Gbaja-Biamila played for San Diego State University from 1998-2002 while earning a degree in communications. He was an All-Mountain West Conference selection as a senior in 2002, and finished his career with 96 tackles, 12 sacks and 22 tackles for loss.
[edit] Professional career
[edit] 2003
Gbaja-Biamila went undrafted in the 2003 NFL Draft and later signed with the Oakland Raiders as a free agent. He made the team out of training camp and played in 13 of the team's 16 regular season games, while being inactive for three. He recored seven tackles (four solo) on the season, with his first and only sack of the season coming against Daunte Culpepper, then with the Minnesota Vikings.
[edit] 2004
In 2004 Gbaja-Biamila split time between defensive end and linebacker, occasionally filling in for players such as Travian Smith and Tyler Brayton. He appeared in 14 games for the Raiders during the regular season and was inactive for two games. He accumulated a career-high 14 tackles (11 solo) and added a sack on the year. His lone sack came against Brad Johnson and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, while he recorded a season-high three tackles in games against the Denver Broncos and Jacksonville Jaguars. Gbaja-Biamila also recovered a blocked punt against the Carolina Panthers which led to a Raiders touchdown.
[edit] 2005
Battling injuries during the 2005 training camp, Gbaja-Biamila was released by the Raiders on September 3. He had a workout with the Green Bay Packers two days later, but he was not signed and spent the season out of football.
[edit] 2006
Gbaja-Biamila returned to the NFL in 2006 after being signed by the San Diego Chargers on January 12. The fit was a good one for him, who as slightly undersized yet quick defensive end was a perfect fit for the 3-4 defense employed by then-defensive coordinator Wade Phillips and the Chargers.
Gbaja-Biamila made the team out of training camp, but appeared in only one game during the season. He registered his lone tackle on November 5 against the Cleveland Browns. On December 2, he was released by the Chargers to make room for fellow linebacker Sean Merriman, who was returning from a four-game suspension.
[edit] 2007
On February 6, 2007 it was announced that Gbaja-Biamila had been signed to a future contract with the Miami Dolphins. The move reunites him with new Dolphins head coach Cam Cameron, who was offensive coordinator in San Diego the season before when Gbaja-Biamila was a member of the Chargers.
[edit] Personal
[edit] Name meaning
Akbar’s full name is Akbar Oluwakemi-Idowu Gbaja-Biamila. Akbar is Arabic and means "great." His middle and last names are Nigerian. The middle names, Oluwakemi means "child of God" and Idowu means "born after twins." (His older brother Kabeer has a twin sister.) His last name, Gbaja-Biamila means "big man come save me." This name comes from his paternal great-great-grandfather who stood seven feet tall and was the village moderator in the Nigerian village in which he lived.
[edit] Family
In 2002 his mother, Bolatito, was killed in a tragic car accident. In 2006 his father, Mustapha, was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. While a member of the Chargers in 2006, Akbar routinely drove back-and-forth from San Diego to Los Angeles to spend time with his father.
[edit] Trivia
- Is the younger brother of Green Bay Packers defensive end Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila, who also attended to San Diego State University. The two started alongside one another on the defensive line in game a against Kansas in 1999.
- One of his goals is to visit all 50 U.S. states. So far he has been to more than 30.
