Kalam Mekhar
 | |
| No. 9 – Retired | |
|---|---|
| Position: | Linebacker |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | August 12, 2025 (aged 35) Chili, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Height: | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
| Weight: | 236 lb (107 kg) |
| Username: | Zoottx |
| Career information | |
| High school: | Marshfield High School |
| College: | University of Wisconsin |
| ISFL Draft: | 2047 / Round: 2 / Pick: 21 |
| Career history | |
| Roster status: | Retired |
Kalam Mekhar (born August 12, 2025) was an American football linebacker. He played college football for University of Wisconsin (UW).
Contents
Early years
Kalam Mekhar was born and raised deep in rural dairy country in the tiny town of Chili, Wisconsin. Mekhar attended Marshfield High School, where he played both running back and linebacker for the Tigers football team. Mekhar also ran track and played on the golf team. Mekhar was named to the Wisconsin All-State football team first team defense his junior and senior years. Mekhar also won the boys state golf championship as a senior. His high school track career was completely unremarkable in every way and best forgotten. Raised by his parents on the family dairy farm, Mekhar was the oldest of 4 boys. Mekhar also excelled academically, and was valedictorian of his high school graduating class. Upon graduating high school, Mekhar had multiple Division 1 football scholarship offers and was highly ranked as a 5-star recruit. Ultimately, after serious consideration, Mekhar decided to attend the University of Wisconsin to continue his athletic and academic careers.
College career
Mekhar arrived at UW ready to get to work, knowing that just resting on his high school accomplishments wouldn’t get him very far in the NCAA, much less the pros. After a lackluster offseason and sitting on the bench for most of the first few games, Mekhar was asked to step up to fill in when injuries took their toll on the Badger’s linebacker corps. While Mekhar made some on-field contributions, he was ultimately disappointed with his first season of college football. The next offseason, Mekhar vowed that this year would be different, and he began the season as a starter for the team where he quickly made his mark. After the season ended Mekhar received first team All-American honors by Sports Illustrated and second team honors by The Associated Press for his play. Mekhar was also named First Team All-Big Ten. Confident that he was ready for the pros, Watt announced on Twitter that he would forgo his senior season and enter the DSFL Draft.
College career statistics
| Year | Team | GP | Tackles | Interceptions | Fumbles | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Comb | Total | Ast | Sack | Int | Yards | Avg | TD | PD | FF | FR | |||
| 2043 | Wisconsin | 8 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2044 | Wisconsin | 14 | 63 | 38 | 25 | 11.5 | 1 | 17 | 17.0 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 1 |
| Career | 22 | 70 | 41 | 29 | 11.5 | 1 | 17 | 17.0 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 1 | |
Season 33
Kalam Mekhar and the rest of the Wraiths left a disappointing S32 headed into S33 knowing that they were in the midst of rebuilding, but with the hopes that maybe they would be at least a little more competitive in a tough NSFC. The Wraiths started the season with a nice win over Orange County, that included a 29 yard pick 6 by Kalam. A great start to the season! However, It was all downhill from there and Kalam would not record another pick. The Wraiths next six games were losses, and while they managed to kick a few more wins in, they ended the season with a 5-11 record at the bottom of the NSFC. Kalam went into the off season even more driven, however, knowing that the team could only get better and determined to be a part of that improvement. He went back home to Wisconsin to train in the bitter cold in an effort to acclimate himself more to Yellowknife’s even colder weather, and is still optimistic about the team’s future.
Season 34
After a disappointing S33, Kalam headed into S34 hoping for a rebound, both as a team, and as a player. While the team did measurably better than the season before, posting a 6-10 versus the previous season’s 5-11, it wasn’t by much, although they manage to miss out on finishing last in the conference. A dreadful 5 game losing streak mid-season put a damper on any playoff hopes the team might have had. A distinct lack of a running game hurt the Wraiths offense, although the defense seemed to improve. As for Kalam’s personal stats, they sadly were not an improvement over the previous season. Not only did he post fewer tackles, he missed 4 of them after not missing any the previous season and 1 as a rookie. Mekhar did post a few more PDs, but also did not have a defensive touchdown for the first season of his career. Kalam has worked hard this offseason to prepare, and hopefully S35 turns out better for him!
Season 35
After a disappointing S34, Kalam Mekhar and the rest of the Yellowknife Wraiths started S35 off with a bang. After starting the season off with a loss, the Wraiths went 6-1 in their next 7 games. The Wraiths defense was one of the best in the league, much of it due to the phenomenal season Kalam was having! The Wraiths managed to scrape into the playoffs with an 8-8 record, however, after an unfortunately 5 game losing streak during the latter part of the season. The Wraiths lost the Wildcard game in typical heartbreaking fashion after wide receiver Troy Abed was tackled 1 yard short of a game winning touchdown on the last play of the game. Despite the season’s ups and downs, Mekhar had a phenomenal season, leading all cornerbacks in interceptions and pass defenses. Kalam also led the league in defensive touchdowns, with a total of 3. Kalam was nominated for a number of awards, including CBoTY, DPoTY, and even Most Valuable Player!
Season 36
After having a standout season in which Kalam Mekhar won Cornerback of the Year and Defensive Breakout Player of the Year, in addition to the Yellowknife Wraiths making the playoffs for the first season in a long time, Kalam was ready to build on that and continue to make a name for himself and see if the Wraiths could get further into the playoffs. The result was a mixed bag, after having a standout season the previous year, this season Kalam struggled and had only 28 pass defenses and 3 interceptions. Two of them came in the season finale over Philadelphia. Team wise the team had another up and down season and making the playoffs came down to the last game against Philly where the Wraiths had a 45-0 mauling of the Liberty as payback for their season-opening loss and to slide into the wildcard spot. Unfortunately, the Wraiths playoff aspirations were cut short in a heartbreaking 3 pt loss to Sarasota in the wildcard game to end the Wraiths season.
Season 37
After a disappointing ending to the previous season, losing in the Wildcard playoff game to the Sarasota Sailfish, Kalam Mekhar and the Yellowknife Wraiths went into S37 hoping to improve on last season and with aspirations of an Ultimus Championship. Kalam had a great season, including career highs in forced fumbles with 4, and interceptions, with 8, putting him in the conversation for CB honors yet again. Kalam was an important part of a dominant Wraiths defense which led the league in points and yards against. The Wraiths defense was unstoppable and helped lead the team to an 11-5 record and yet again another Wildcard berth, this time against the Chicago Butchers. This time, the Wraiths and Mekhar easily took care of business and moved on to the Conference Championship, once again facing their nemesis in Sarasota. Unfortunately, this history did repeat itself and the Wraiths fell short against the Sailfish and ended their season short of their goal.
Season 38
Going into season 38 the Wraiths were coming off of a disappointing Conference Championship loss to their long time nemesis the Sarasota Sailfish. The team was still primed to make a deep run into the playoffs, with eyes on the Ultimus. The team did really well, finishing the season with a 10-6 record and placing second in the NSFC. This time they didn't have to worry about the Sailfish as they had a down season. Kalam, however, didn't have the great season he was hoping for. After winning defensive player of the year the previous season and winning a unanimous spot on the All Pro team, Kalam only managed a measly 3 interceptions and no defensive touchdowns. The Wraiths offense was still stout, however, but Kalam wasn't able to contribute like he wanted. The Wraiths were victorious in their Wildcard game against Baltimore, who were having a Cinderella season for the ages. However, in the Conference Championship game, the Wraiths couldn't defeat the Berlin Fire Salamanders, losing in an overtime heartbreaker.
Season 39
After ending the previous season on a devastating loss in the NSFC Conference Championship game, the Yellowknife Wraiths and Kalam Mekhar came into season 39 hungry to prove they could finally win an Ultimus Championship. While starting to feel his age a tiny bit, Kalam Mekhar was out to prove he was still the top dog of the leagues cornerbacks as well. The Wraiths came out swinging, with the defense giving one of the most dominant performances the league had ever seen, ending the season only giving up 221 in 16 games. The offense, with journeyman QB Adrian St. Christmas at the helm, put in a strong effort as well. The Wraiths ended the season comfortably in the #1 seed of the NSFC with a 13-3 record. Kalam had a great season as well, with a total of 9 interceptions, only one from tying the league's season record. The Wraiths steamrolled the Chicago Butchers in the CC game to take on the Arizona Outlaws in the Ultimus Championship game, where the Wraiths soundly defeated them 34-6! Kalam and the team finally got their ring!
Season 40
After ending the previous season on the highest note possible, Kalam Mekhar and the rest of the Yellowknife Wraiths came back to try and win back to back Ultimus championships. Despite starting rookie QB Absolute Unit, the team started the season on an absolute tear, winning 5 of their first 6 games. However, they were in a tight race for the #1 seed with Chicago and Cape Town the entire season. The Wraiths finished the regular season with a 12-4 record. The Wraiths just barely squeaked into the #1 seed when Cape Town Upset Chicago in the closing moments of their game in week 16, allowing the Wraiths and Kalam to secure it. The Wraiths went on to soundly defeat the Butchers in the Conference Championship to force an Ultimus rematch with Arizona. Unfortunately, a repeat was not to be, with the Wraiths falling 45-21 to the Outlaws. For Kalam, he had a pretty good season, leading the league in PDs with 37, but only making 4 interceptions. Still it was a good season overall for Kalam and the Wraiths.
Professional career statistics
| Career statistics | Defense | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | Games | Tck | TFL | FF/FR | Sck | Int | PD | Sfty | TD | Blk P/XP/FG |
| 2047 (S32) | Wraiths | 16 | 25 | 0 | 1/0 | 0 | 1 | 13 | 0 | 1 | 0/0/0 |
| 2048 (S33) | Wraiths | 16 | 79 | 1 | 0/0 | 1 | 1 | 19 | 0 | 1 | 0/0/0 |
| 2049 (S34) | Wraiths | 16 | 62 | 0 | 0/0 | 1 | 1 | 22 | 0 | 0 | 0/0/0 |
| 2050 (S35) | Wraiths | 16 | 79 | 0 | 0/0 | 0 | 5 | 40 | 0 | 3 | 0/0/0 |
| 2051 (S36) | Wraiths | 16 | 85 | 0 | 2/1 | 0 | 3 | 28 | 0 | 0 | 0/0/0 |
| 2052 (S37) | Wraiths | 16 | 94 | 0 | 4/1 | 0 | 8 | 30 | 0 | 1 | 0/0/0 |
| 2053 (S38) | Wraiths | 16 | 99 | 0 | 1/0 | 0 | 3 | 28 | 0 | 0 | 0/0/0 |
| 2054 (S39) | Wraiths | 16 | 84 | 0 | 2/0 | 0 | 9 | 30 | 0 | 2 | 0/0/0 |
| 2055 (S40) | Wraiths | 16 | 87 | 0 | 0/0 | 0 | 4 | 37 | 0 | 1 | 0/0/0 |
