Two Chaminade alumni, Brad Kaaya ’14 and Terrell Newby ’13, moved on from their university careers to the National Football League in 2017. Kaaya was selected in the sixth round of the NFL draft by the Detroit Lions. He is the first Chaminade alumnus to be drafted by an NFL team.  Newby signed as a free agent with the Minnesota Vikings.

After graduating from Chaminade in 2013, Newby attended the University of Nebraska, where he played running back for the Huskers. During his junior and senior seasons, Newby was Nebraska’s leading rusher. He appeared in 52 career games, and received the following honors and awards: Honorable-Mention All-Big Ten (2016), Doak Walker Award Watch List (2016), Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week (vs. Southern Miss, 2015), Brook Berringer Citizenship Team (2015), and Tom Osborne Citizenship Team (2015).

As a junior at the University of Miami, Kaaya declared for the 2017 draft as an underclassman. He started as quarterback for the Hurricanes for three straight seasons, and is the university’s all-time leading passer with 9,968 passing yards, 720 completions, and 1,188 attempts. Kaaya earned the Russell Athletic Bowl MVP in a victory over West Virginia during the 2016 season.

Both Newby and Kaaya played football for Chaminade under Head Coach, Ed Croson. In 2012 (Newby’s senior season), the Eagles won its first outright Mission League football championship title since 2006. The following year the Eagles won the 2013 CIF State Division II championship with Kaaya as quarterback. This was the first time in school history Chaminade won a state football championship.