Tamba Hali biography
Date of birth : 1983-11-03
Date of death : -
Birthplace : Monrovia, Liberia
Nationality : American
Category : Sports
Last modified : 2010-09-14
Credited as : Football player NFL, outside lineback for the Kansas City Chiefs, NFL Draft
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Pro Career: High-energy linebacker enters his fifth NFL campaign ... Former first-round pick has earned a reputation for playing the game with passion and intensity for all four quarters ... Spent his first three seasons as a defensive end before moving to an outside linebacker post in Kansas City’s 3-4 defensive alignment in 2009 ... Has started all but one game since joining the club, opening 47 contests at defensive end and 16 games at outside linebacker ... Started the first six games of 2008 at right defensive end before moving back to left defensive end ... Has become an adept off-the-edge pass rusher ... Has begun to perfect the sack-and-strip maneuver, recording 15 career forced fumbles, ranking third in that department in team history behind LB Derrick Thomas (45) and DE Neil Smith (29) ... Owns 27.0 sacks, becoming the 14th player in franchise history with 20.0 or more QB takedowns ... Was the recipient of the Chiefs prestigious Mack Lee Hill Award in 2006, an honor bestowed on Kansas City’s top rookie or first-year player ... Forced six fumbles in 2006, the most by a rookie in Kansas City history ... Became the first rookie defensive end in Chiefs history to start all 16 games since ’78 ... Escaped from the war-torn African nation of Liberia when he was 10 years old, joining his father Henry, who was a chemistry and physics teacher in the United States ... Had not seen his mother and other family members since fleeing to the United States until being reunited with her during the 2006 season ... His mother saw him play in person for the first time when she was in attendance vs. San Francisco (10/1/06), he recorded 1.5 sacks and a forced fumble ... Has started 63 contests, owning 246 tackles (186 solo), 27.0 sacks (-166.5 yards), 15 forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, 39 QB pressures, one interception and seven passes defensed ... Has also started one playoff game, recording five tackles (four solo).
Transactions: Signed with Kansas City (7/28/06) ... Originally entered the NFL as the Chiefs first-round pick (20th overall) in the 2006 NFL Draft.
2009: Started 16 games at ROLB ... Had 66 tackles (35 solo) with two for loss, 15 QB pressures and a team-high four forced fumbles ... Named to the USA Today All-Joe Team ... His 8.5 sacks (-45.5 yards) were first on the team and 10th in the AFC ... His four forced fumbles tied for fourth in the AFC ... Joined S Mike Brown, CB Brandon Carr and C Rudy Niswanger as one of four Chiefs players to start all 16 games ... Produced four tackles to go with a sack and strip of Joe Flacco at Baltimore (9/13) ... Amassed seven tackles, a sack and strip of Eli Manning to go with one QB pressure vs. the N.Y. Giants (10/4) ... Produced two tackles, a sack of Todd Collins for a safety and one QB pressure at Washington (10/18) ... Collected four tackles and one QB pressure vs. San Diego (10/25) ... Recorded three tackles, a half of a sack of JaMarcus Russell and one QB pressure at Oakland (11/15) ... Amassed six tackles with one for loss and one QB pressure vs. Pittsburgh (11/22) ...Totaled seven tackles and two QB pressures at San Diego (11/29) ... Tied a career high with 10 tackles (five solo) and established a career high 3.0 sacks (-12.0 yards) of Kyle Orton vs. Denver (12/6). Tied a career high with two Orton forced fumbles, giving him 15 career forced fumbles for the third-highest total in Chiefs history ... Produced four tackles, a sack of Ryan Fitzpatrick and a QB pressure vs. Buffalo (12/13) ... Totaled three tackles vs. Cleveland (12/20) ... Recorded six tackles and two QB pressures at Cincinnati (12/27) ... Posted three tackles, a sack of Kyle Orton and two QB pressures at Denver (1/3/10).
2008: Started 15 games, opening the season’s first six contests at right defensive end before starting nine of the season’s final 10 games at left defensive end ... Was inactive for one contest ... Totaled 55 tackles (44 solo), 3.0 sacks (-23.0 yards), eight QB pressures, three forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and one pass defensed ... Amassed five tackles apiece vs. Oakland (9/14), at Atlanta (9/21) and at Carolina (10/5) ... Returned to his starting spot at left defensive end at the N.Y. Jets (10/26), racking up a sack of QB Brett Favre and two QB pressures ... Recorded five tackles, two QB pressures and forced a RB Earnest Graham fumble vs. Tampa Bay (11/2) ... Left the game with an ankle injury at San Diego (11/9) and was inactive vs. New Orleans (11/16), snapping a streak of 41 consecutive starts ... Totaled six tackles and one QB pressure at Denver (12/7) ... Accumulated six tackles and tied a career high with 2.0 sacks of Philip Rivers vs. San Diego (12/14). Also tied a personal best with two forced fumbles of Rivers and recovered a Rivers fumble ... Posted seven tackles at Cincinnati (12/28).
2007: Started 16 games at left defensive end ... Recorded 60 tackles (52 solo) with three for loss, 7.5 sacks (-50.0 yards) and 12 QB pressures ... Also had three passes defensed and two forced fumbles ... Compiled eight tackles and a QB pressure at Houston (9/9) ... Recorded 2.0 sacks of Kelly Holcomb and a QB pressure vs. Minnesota (9/23) ... Had half a sack of Carson Palmer and a pass defensed vs. Cincinnati (10/14) ... Compiled three tackles, half a sack of Brett Favre, two QB pressures and forced a Favre fumble vs. Green Bay (11/4) ... Amassed four tackles, a QB pressure to go with a sack and strip of Peyton Manning at Indianapolis (11/18) ... Contributed a sack of Daunte Culpepper vs. Oakland (11/25) ... Produced four tackles and one QB pressure vs. San Diego (12/2) ... Collected three tackles and a sack of WR Brandon Marshall at Denver (12/9) ... Totaled nine tackles and half of a sack of Vince Young vs. Tennessee (12/16) ... Posted four tackles at Detroit (12/23) ... Amassed 10 tackles and a sack of Kellen Clemens at the N.Y. Jets (12/30).
2006: Started 16 games at left defensive end ... Had 65 tackles (55 solo), a tackle for loss, four QB pressures, an INT, three passes defensed, six forced fumbles and a fumble recovery ... Recorded a team-high 8.0 sacks (-48.0 yards) ... Named the club’s Mack Lee Hill Award winner ... Became the first rookie DE in Chiefs history to start every game since DEs Art Still and Sylvester Hicks both accomplished the feat in ’78 ... His 8.0 sacks were the third-highest total by a rookie in Chiefs history and ranked fourth among NFL rookies ... Was third in the NFL with a team-high six forced fumbles ... His six forced fumbles were the most by a rookie in Chiefs history and tied for the third-highest single-season total in Chiefs history ... Registered seven tackles in his initial NFL start vs. Cincinnati (9/10) ... Totaled nine tackles at Denver (9/17) ... Compiled 1.5 sacks of Alex Smith and forced a Smith fumble vs. San Francisco (10/1) ... Produced seven tackles, a sack of Matt Leinart, a pass defensed and forced a TE Adam Bergen fumble at Arizona (10/8) ... Amassed a career-high 10 tackles and forced two RB Willie Parker fumbles at Pittsburgh (10/15) ... Registered two tackles, a sack of Philip Rivers and recovered a Rivers fumble vs. San Diego (10/22) ... Collected three tackles before leaving the game in the second quarter with a hip injury at St. Louis (11/5) ... Notched five tackles, 1.5 sacks of Jake Plummer and forced a Plummer fumble vs. Denver (11/23) ... Tallied a sack of Rivers and an interception off Rivers at San Diego (12/17) ... Registered six tackles, a QB pressure in addition to a sack and strip of Andrew Walter at Oakland (12/23) ... Amassed a sack of David Garrard and three QB pressures vs. Jacksonville (12/31) ... Started in an AFC Wild Card Game at Indianapolis (1/6/09), recorded five tackles (four solo).
College: Saw duty in 47 games (34 starts) at Penn State ... Recorded 179 tackles (84 solo), 36.0 stops for loss and 14.0 sacks (-87.0 yards) ... Also had three QB pressures, six passes defensed, one fumble recovery, two forced fumbles and an interception for five yards ... Opened all 12 games at defensive end as a senior in 2005 ... Totaled 65 tackles (27 solo), 17.0 tackles for loss and a team-high 11.0 sacks (-79.0 yards) ... Also had two QB pressures, four passes defensed and a forced fumble ... Was a consensus All-America selection and was named first-team All-Big Ten ... Named the Big Ten Defensive Lineman of the Year ... His 11.0 sacks led the conference and ranked eighth in the NCAA ... Recorded nine tackles and tied a school single-game record with 4.0 sacks vs. Wisconsin ... Started all 11 games at defensive end as a junior in 2004 ... Totaled 51 tackles (29 solo), 12.0 stops for loss and 2.0 sacks (-17.0 yards) ... Earned second-team All-Big Ten honors ... Appeared in 12 games, starting 11 games at defensive tackle in 2003 as a sophomore ... Tallied 53 tackles (23 solo), including 6.0 tackles for loss, a sack, a fumble recovery and one pass defensed ... Played in 12 games, recording 10 tackles (five solo) in 2002 ... Graduated from Penn State with a degree in Journalism.
Personal
• Attended Teaneck High School in Teaneck, New Jersey.
• Was a nominee for the New Jersey 2001 Gatorade Player of the Year.
• Collected 64 solo tackles, including 23.0 stops for loss and 8.0 sacks as a senior.
• Recorded 45 solo tackles, 24.0 stops for loss and 12.0 sacks his junior campaign.
• Also played basketball.
• Spends much of his free time writing and recording music and has a recording studio in his basement.
• Full name: Tamba Boimah Hali .
