Levon Kirkland was born on February 17, 1969 in Lamar, South Carolina. He played football and basketball at Lamar High School. He earned All-American honors as a college football player for Clemson University and was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 1992 NFL Draft. He made the Pro Bowl twice, was named as All-Pro twice and to the NFL’s 1990s All-Decade Team. Over an 11-year career he accumulated 1,029 tackles and recorded 6 seasons of over 100 total tackles.

He played in 176 games, starting 155. This does not include the 13 playoff games he played. In 1996, he was named to Clemson’s All-Centennial team. He was inducted into the Clemson University Hall of Fame in 2001 and the South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame in 2008. He was an educational speaker for the National Collegiate Scouting Association teaching student-athletes nationwide on the college recruiting process. He has coached at all three levels and completed a 2-year coaching internship as outside linebackers coach for the Arizona Cardinals.

In January 2019, he was announced as the Vice President of Development for the South Carolina Football Hall of Fame. In the fall of 2019, he was selected for the 2019 Clemson Ring of Honor, which is the highest honor for a Clemson athlete. He also has a podcast (Inside Blitz with Levon Kirkland), you can watch here or listen here. Levon was also included as a nominee on the 2022 College Football Hall of Fame Ballot in the fall of 2021.

Photo Credit: Clemson Athletics