Pro football: Kitchens still cooking

Published 8:19 pm Tuesday, August 12, 2025

Staff report

HAMBURG, GERMANY — Kyle Kitchens was one of the great football players in Catawba College history and is still racking up sacks in Europe.

Kitchens, who is 29 now, came to Catawba after two All-State high school seasons in Decatur, Ga.

As a Catawba Indian, he helped coach Curtis Walker win a conference championship in 2015. He was a two-time South Atlantic Conference Defensive Player of the Year and a three-time All-America. He was credited with 38.5 sacks in his career.

He wasn’t drafted by the NFL, but he got an opportunity to play in Europe. He debuted in Germany in 2019 and was an all-star defensive end.

Playing for teams such as the Leipzig Kings and Berlin Thunder, Kitchens led the European League of Football in sacks three straight seasons (2021-23) and was the league’s Defensive Player of the Year in 2021 and 2022.

Kitchens is 6-foot-1, 260 pounds and continues to get sacks. His latest team is the Hamburg Sea Devils.