Kareem Maktrel Larrimore (born April 21, 1976) is an American former professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

player who was a

cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover Wide receiver, receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such Play from scrimmage, offensive running plays as sweep ...

for the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. T ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the

West Texas A&M Buffaloes The West Texas A&M Buffaloes, also known as the WTAMU Buffaloes or WT Buffaloes, and formerly West Texas State Buffaloes and WTSU Buffaloes, are the athletic teams that represent West Texas A&M University, located in Canyon, Texas, in NCAA Divis ...

and was selected by the Cowboys in the fourth round of the

2000 NFL draft The 2000 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur U.S. college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 15– 16, 2000, at the Theat ...

. He was also a member of the

Dallas Desperados The Dallas Desperados were a professional arena football team based in Dallas, Texas. They played in the Eastern Division of the Arena Football League from to . The franchise began as an expansion team and posted a winning record in all but o ...

Austin Wranglers The Austin Wranglers were an arena football team based in Austin, Texas. They played four seasons in the Arena Football League from 2004 to 2007 and spent one season in af2, the AFL's developmental league, in 2008. They made playoff appearances ...

, and

Chicago Rush The Chicago Rush were a professional arena football team based in Rosemont, Illinois. The team was founded in 2001 and played in the Arena Football League's Central Division. The Rush qualified for the playoffs in 11 of 12 AFL seasons, during w ...

of the

Arena Football League The Arena Football League (AFL) was a professional arena football league in the United States. It was founded in 1986, but played its first official games in the 1987 Arena Football League season, 1987 season, making it the third longest-runnin ...

(AFL), and the

Amarillo Dusters The Amarillo Venom were a professional Indoor American football, indoor football team based in Amarillo, Texas. They played their home games at the Amarillo Civic Center. The Venom began play as the Amarillo Dusters in 2004 as a charter member ...

(then of the IFL).

Early life

Larrimore attended

Locke High School Alain Leroy Locke College Preparatory Academy (formerly Locke High School) is a Title 1 co-educational charter high school located in Los Angeles, California, United States, and is part of the Los Angeles Unified School District/Green Dot Public ...

, where he played only one year of

as a

and returner. Because of poor grades, he spent one year after graduating earning his

GED Ged or GED may refer to: Places * Ged, Louisiana, an unincorporated community in the United States * Ged, a village in Bichiwara Tehsil, Dungarpur District, Rajasthan, India * Delaware Coastal Airport, in Delaware, US, callsign GED People * Ged B ...

, before walking-on at Cerritos Junior College where he was a two-year starter at cornerback and was named junior college

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 ...

as a sophomore. After the gang-related death of his brother, he transferred to

West Texas A&M West Texas A&M University (WTAMU or WT) is a public university in Canyon, Texas, United States. It is the northernmost campus of the Texas A&M University System and accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Southern Associat ...

, where he received Division II

and All-Lone Star Conference honors. As a junior in 1998, he had 34 tackles (4 for loss), two interceptions (which he returned for 90 yards and one

touchdown A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Scoring a touchdown grants the team that scored it 6 points. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchd ...

) and 7 passes defensed, along with 20 kickoff returns for 532 yards (26.6 avg.) and one

of 100 yards (tied a school record). As a senior in 1999, he missed the season opener, but played the rest of the year, registering 32 tackles, 5 interceptions (which he returned for 109 total yards and a 74-yard

) and 10 passes defensed, along with 15 kickoff returns for 318 yards. After the season, he played in the Blue-Gray All-Star Game, where he returned a kickoff 99 yards for a

, which was a first in the 62-year history of the game. He also played in the

Senior Bowl The Senior Bowl is a post-season college football all-star game played annually in late January or early February in Mobile, Alabama, which showcases the best NFL Draft prospects of those players who have completed their college eligibility. Pr ...

Professional career

Dallas Cowboys

Larrimore was selected by the

in the fourth round (109th overall) of the

, after dropping because of character concerns and failing a marijuana test in the

scouting combine The NFL Scouting Combine is a week-long showcase occurring every February at Lucas Oil Stadium (and formerly at the RCA Dome until 2008) in Indianapolis, where college football players perform physical and mental tests in front of National Footb ...

. He impressed the team with his athletic ability from the beginning and moved ahead of fellow rookie draft picks Dwayne Goodrich and Mario Edwards. Two weeks into

training camp A training camp is an organized period in which military personnel or athletes participate in a rigorous and focused schedule of training in order to learn or improve skills. Athletes typically utilise training camps to prepare for upcoming events ...

, he was named the starter at left cornerback in place of a retired

Kevin Smith Kevin Patrick Smith (born August 2, 1970) is an American film director, producer, writer, and actor. He came to prominence with the low-budget buddy comedy film ''Clerks (film), Clerks'' (1994), which he wrote, directed, co-produced, and acted i ...

. He was just the second rookie in franchise history (

Ron Francis Ronald Michael Francis Jr. (born March 1, 1963) is a Canadian ice hockey sports executive and former player. He currently serves as the president of hockey operations for the Seattle Kraken. He spent most of his career as either a player or ex ...

was the first) to start at

in the season opener, but he struggled and was replaced with the more experienced

Phillippi Sparks Phillippi Dwain Sparks (born April 15, 1969) is an American former professional American football, football player who was a cornerback in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Arizona State Sun Devils football, ...

after the fourth game of the season. The move didn't sit well with Larrimore and violations of team rules started to affect his standing with the team. He appeared in 15 games (4 starts), making 20 defensive tackles, one quarterback pressure, 2 forced fumbles and 7

special teams In American football, the specific role that a player takes on the field is referred to as their position. Under the modern rules of American football, both teams are allowed 11 players on the field at one time and have "unlimited free substitu ...

tackles. In

2001 The year's most prominent event was the September 11 attacks against the United States by al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror. The United States led a Participan ...

, he was suspended for the final preseason game, the season opener and fined for missing curfew when the Cowboys traveled to

Mexico City Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...

to play the

Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team based in Oakland, California, from its founding in 1960 to 1981, and again from 1995 to 2019 before Oakland Raiders relocation to Las Vegas, relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan ...

in the

American Bowl The American Bowl was a series of National Football League pre-season exhibition games that were held at sites outside the United States between 1986 and 2005. The league started the ''American Bowl'' series in 1986 primarily to promote America ...

. On October 23, he was released, with reports later surfacing that he had been fined at least 11 other times for various reasons. He appeared in 4 games (2 starts), posting 8 tackles and 2 passes defensed. Larrimore played for the Cowboys for two seasons, appearing in 19 regular season games (15 in

2000 2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year. Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...

, four in

) and starting in 6 games.

Dallas Desperados (AFL)

On May 21,

2002 The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...

, he signed with the

of the

, who were owned by

Jerry Jones Jerral Wayne Jones Sr. (born October 13, 1942) is an American billionaire businessman who is the owner, president, and General manager (American football), general manager of the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He bought t ...

, who also was the owner of the

. As a rookie, he played in nine games, earning the position as the team’s top kick returner and defensive specialist. He received

AFL AFL may refer to: Education * Angel Foundation for Learning, a Canadian Roman Catholic charity * Ankara Science High School, a high school in Ankara, Turkey, natively referred to as ''Ankara Fen Liesi'' * Assessment for learning Military * ...

All-Rookie honors after finishing with 24.5 tackles, 5 passes defensed and one interception. In

2003 2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater. In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War. Demographic ...

, knee and back injuries limited him to seven games, while spending time on the Reserve/Injured list three times. He recorded 26.5 tackles, 4 passes defensed, 2 interceptions and 27 kickoff returns for 476 yards (17.6 avg.).

Chicago Rush (AFL)

Larrimore was selected by the

in the league's expansion draft, but was traded to the

in exchange for Cedric Walker on October 15,

. He was waived on April 7,

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

, after registering 11 tackles, one interception, 21 kickoff returns for 485 yards and 2

Amarillo Dusters (IFL)

After three seasons in the

, Larrimore signed with the

then of the

Intense Football League The Intense Football League (IFL) was a professional indoor football minor league that began operations in 2004. Its focus was in Texas, but it was notable for being the first professional football league to place a franchise in Alaska. History ...

, on May 28, 2004.

Inglewood Blackhawks (LCFL)

In 2009, he signed with the Inglewood Blackhawks of the LCFL West Semi pro league. He helped the team win the 2010 LCFL Championship.

Personal life

In 2017, Larrimore was hired as the cornerback assistant coach for one season at

Cerritos College Cerritos College is a public community college in Norwalk, California. It offers degrees and certificates in 87 areas of study in nine divisions. History The college was founded in 1955. It was named after Rancho Los Cerritos, a local r ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Larrimore, Kareem Living people 1976 births Players of American football from Los Angeles American football defensive backs Cerritos Falcons football players West Texas A&M Buffaloes football players Dallas Cowboys players Dallas Desperados players Chicago Rush players Amarillo Dusters players Locke High School alumni Intense Football League players

Early life

Professional career

Dallas Cowboys

Dallas Desperados (AFL)

Chicago Rush (AFL)

Amarillo Dusters (IFL)

Inglewood Blackhawks (LCFL)

Personal life

See also

References