Julian Luis "Kiki" DeAyala (born October 23, 1961) is a former American football linebacker in the United States Football League (USFL) and the National Football League (NFL).[1] He still holds the University of Texas record for career sacks with 40.5.
| No. 31, 93 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Linebacker Defensive end | ||||||
| Personal information | |||||||
| Born: | October 23, 1961 Miami, Florida, U.S. | ||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||||||
| Weight: | 225 lb (102 kg) | ||||||
| Career information | |||||||
| College: | Texas | ||||||
| NFL draft: | 1983 / round: 6 / pick: 152 | ||||||
| Career history | |||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||
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DeAyala was a standout athlete in highschool who made All-District in both football and baseball was a pre-teen swimming champion in Dallas and was the Rio de Janeiro Tennis champion as a youth. [2]
DeAyala played defensive end at the University of Texas from 1980-1982. In his sophomore season the Longhorns had a 7-5 season and played in, but lost, the 1980 Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl. In his junior year the Longhorns spent a week ranked #1 and came in 2nd in the Southwest Conference, but because SMU was banned from post-season play, they played in the 1982 Cotton Bowl Classic where they upset Alabama and finished the season ranked #2. DeAayala had the 7th most sacks in a season in Texas history that year and set the school record for most quarterback pressures in a season and was named 2nd team all-conference in 1981. In 1982, the Longhorns again came in 2nd, losing the Sun Bowl and finished ranked #17. DeAyala was a team captain, was named all-conference, named the SWC defensive lineman of the year, was a 3rd Team All-American and set the school records for career and single-season sacks (22.5); career (60) and single season tackles for a loss (33), and career(117) and single season (56) quarterback pressures. He also had the 2nd most forced fumbles in a season in school history. His career record for tackles for a loss was later surpassed by Derrick Johnson.
He was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the sixth round of the 1983 NFL draft and by the Washington Federals in the 11th Round of the 1983 USFL Draft. During the 1983 season, the Federals traded the rights to DeAyala to the Gamblers for an undisclosed draft pick. He sat out both the USFL and NFL 1983 seasons and went to play for the USFL's Houston Gamblers for more money than he was offered in the NFL and a chance to return to playing linebacker which he'd played in high school.[3][4] He graduated from Memorial High School in Houston, Texas.[5] He played two seasons for the Gamblers, which won their Division in 1984 and made the playoffs both seasons; and DeAyala made the 1985 All-USFL team.
When the USFL folded, DeAyala went to the Bengals for two seasons where he saw limited playing time. He retired after the 1987 season for health reasons, having had three shoulder operations and four knee operations.[6]
In 2004, he was inducted into the Laredo Latin American International Sports Hall of Fame.[7]
Personal
editDeAyala went in to business, serving as CEO of Arena Ventures and later owned a real estate development company in Houston/Rockport, Texas, known as DeAyala Properties.[8][9]
In high school he also made the All-District baseball team.
References
edit- ^ "Kiki DeAyala Stats, News & Video - LB | NFL.com". www.nfl.com. Retrieved July 31, 2020.
- ^ "Kiki DeAyala". Retrieved May 27, 2024.
- ^ Harrington, Joe (August 8, 2018). "Texas History: Unsung heroes of Texas football, Part 1". Hookem.com. Retrieved July 31, 2020.
- ^ McVeigh, Griffin (August 9, 2019). "G.O.A.T. Texas Longhorns Defensive Players". Longhorns Wire. Retrieved July 31, 2020.
- ^ "Kiki DeAyala Stats". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved July 31, 2020.
- ^ Carlson, Larry. "BUILDING THE LONGHORN BRAND WITH KIKI DEAYALA". Retrieved May 8, 2024.
- ^ "Julian 'Kiki' DeAyala to join Laredo Latin American International Sports Hall of Fame". January 9, 2004. Retrieved May 8, 2024.
- ^ ":: De Ayala Properties ::". deayalaproperties.com. Retrieved July 31, 2020.
- ^ "The Islands of Rockport Developer DeAyala Properties Over 15 Years Experience". www.islandsofrockport.com. Retrieved July 31, 2020.