Amara Kamara (born 2 February 1988) is a

Liberia Liberia, officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the West African coast. It is bordered by Sierra Leone to Liberia–Sierra Leone border, its northwest, Guinea to Guinea–Liberia border, its north, Ivory Coast to Ivory Coast–Lib ...

n former

gridiron football Gridiron football ( ),"Gridiron football"
''Encyclopædia Britannica'' ...

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and typically line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and so back up the defensive linemen. They play closer to the line ...

. After his family immigrated to the United States, he attended local schools in

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, most populous City (New Jersey), city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, the county seat of Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County, and a principal city of the New York metropolitan area. ...

, where he started playing American football. In 2006, he was named by ''

The Star-Ledger ''The Star-Ledger'' was the largest circulation newspaper in New Jersey. It is based in Newark, New Jersey. The newspaper ceased print publication on February 2, 2025, but continues to publish a digital edition. In 2007, ''The Star-Ledger''s ...

'' as the State Defensive Player of the Year.

Early life and education

Amara Kamara was born in Liberia in 1988. He immigrated to the United States with his family, and they settled in

. He attended local schools and was known from his early years for his athletic ability. While attending Newark Tech High School, Kamara competed athletically playing football at

Weequahic High School Weequahic High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school serving students in ninth through twelfth grades, located in the Weequahic section of Newark in Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The school is operated by th ...

also in Newark. He was named as second-team

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

, and in 2006 he made 193 total tackles and seven forced fumbles. That year, he was named by ''

'' as the State Defensive Player of the Year. He graduated from Newark Tech High School in 2007.

College career

Kamara attended

Temple University Temple University (Temple or TU) is a public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related research university in Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. It was founded in 1884 by the Baptist ministe ...

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, Pennsylvania. In his first year as an Owl on their football team, he was the only freshman to start every game. He recorded 71 total tackles in his first year. Going into his sophomore season as an Owl, Kamara was named the starter at the Linebacker position. He graduated in 2011.

Professional career

Kamara entered the

2011 NFL draft The 2011 NFL draft was the 76th installment of the annual National Football League draft, NFL draft, where the franchises of the National Football League select newly eligible football players. Like the 2010 draft, the 2011 draft was held at Rad ...

but was not drafted.

BC Lions

On 27 September 2011, Kamara was signed by the

BC Lions The BC Lions are a professional Canadian football team based in Vancouver, British Columbia. The Lions compete in the West Division (CFL), West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL), and play their home games at BC Place. The Lions playe ...

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

, Canada. They are based in

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

Harrisburg Stampede

On 20 December 2013, Kamara signed with the

Harrisburg Stampede The Harrisburg Stampede were a professional indoor football team based in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The Stampede participated in several different leagues over their history: the American Indoor Football Association in 2009 and 2010, the South ...

of the

Professional Indoor Football League The Professional Indoor Football League (PIFL) was a professional indoor football league that played four seasons from 2012 to 2015. Like the Lone Star Football League, the PIFL was mainly composed of teams formerly part of Southern Indoor F ...

, based in

Hershey, Pennsylvania Hershey is an Unincorporated area, unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Derry Township, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is home to the Hershey Company, which was founded by candy magnate Milton S. Hershey ...

Lehigh Valley Steelhawks

On 18 February 2015, Kamara signed with the Lehigh Valley Steelhawks, also of the PIFL. He earned Second-team All-PIFL as a defensive lineman following the season. On 12 May 2016, Kamara signed with the Steelhawks during the 2016 season.

References

External links

Temple Owls bio
1988 births Living people Players of American football from Newark, New Jersey Players of Canadian football from Newark, New Jersey Temple Owls football players Liberian players of American football BC Lions players Harrisburg Stampede players Lehigh Valley Steelhawks players San Diego Chargers players Kansas City Chiefs players Liberian emigrants to the United States Weequahic High School alumni 21st-century American sportsmen {{Linebacker-1980s-stub