Ken McAlister

Kenneth H. McAlister was born on April 15, 1960, in Oakland, California.^[1] He played high school football, basketball, and baseball at Oakland High School.^[2][3][4] He earned third-team Parade All-American honors in basketball as a senior.^[5] McAlister was also the Oakland Athletic League defensive player of the year in football as a senior.^[6]

In April 1978, McAlister signed a national letter of intent to play college basketball for the San Francisco Dons of the University of San Francisco.^[3] He had also been recruited by Notre Dame and Michigan State but decided to stay in the Bay Area.^[3] He played four years of basketball for the Dons from 1978 to 1981.^[2][1] He averaged 12.4 points and 5.4 rebounds per game his senior year.^[2]

McAlister went undrafted in the 1982 NBA draft.^[2] However, he was signed by the Seattle Seahawks of the NFL on April 30, 1982, despite not having played football since high school.^[7][2] He played in nine games for the Seahawks in 1982, recovering one fumble while also returning two kicks for 41 yards.^[8] McAlister appeared in two games in 1983, returning three kicks for 59 yards, before being released on September 14, 1983.^[8][7] He was listed as a safety during his time with the Seahawks and mainly played special teams.^[1][9][10]

McAlister signed with the San Francisco 49ers on November 23, 1983.^[7] He played in four games for the 49ers that season before being released on December 30, 1983.^[8][7]

McAlister was signed by the Kansas City Chiefs on February 1, 1984.^[7] He was moved to linebacker while with the Chiefs.^[1] He played in 15 games, starting nine, during the 1984 season, totaling four sacks, two interceptions, and one fumble recovery.^[8] He was placed on injured reserve on August 19, 1985, and missed the entire 1985 season.^[7] He started the first three games of the 1986 season, posting one sack, before being placed on injured reserve on September 23 and missing the remainder of the year.^[8][11][7] McAlister became a free agent after the 1986 season and re-signed with the Chiefs.^[7] He was placed on the reserve/physically unable to perform list on September 7, 1987.^[7] He was activated later that season and played in one game for the Chiefs before being placed on injured reserve again on November 18, 1987.^[8][7] He became a free agent after the season.^[7]