[1] His life story, including his upbringing, football playing, the murder of his mother and other family members, and adoption of five Haitian children, has been the subject of a book and television documentary.

[2] Alexander was a Mount Carmel teammate of twin brothers Marlin and Mike McKeever (class of 1957).

Marlin McKeever and Alexander would later be NFL teammates in 1971 (Los Angeles Rams) and 1973 (Philadelphia Eagles).

[17] He was also drafted by the Denver Broncos of the American Football League with the fifth overall pick,[18] but chose to sign with San Francisco.

[2] However, when Halas gave Sayers' Pro Football Hall of Fame induction speech nine years later, he said "I will never forget the afternoon of the first injury which resulted by a clean tackle by Kermit Alexander of the 49ers.

"[25] In January 1970, the 49ers traded Alexander and a second round draft pick to the Los Angeles Rams for placekicker Bruce Gossett.

[3] In his second year with the Rams in 1971, he returned one of his three interceptions 82 yards for a touchdown against Washington, on a Billy Kilmer pass.

[29] During the 1974 players strike,[30] Alexander filed charges against the NFL in the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).

After two years, a judge found that Alexander and two other players had been victims of discrimination, awarding them reinstatement and back pay.

[29] He also was one of the fifteen plaintiffs in Mackey v. National Football League in which Judge Earl R. Larson declared that the Rozelle rule was a violation of antitrust laws on December 30, 1975.

[22] On August 31, 1984, Alexander's mother, sister and two nephews, ages 8 and 13, were murdered in South Central Los Angeles during a home invasion by members of the Rollin 60's Neighborhood Crips, whose intended victims lived two doors away.

[33][34] The teen convicted of killing his family was Tiequon Cox, whom Alexander had watched playing Pop Warner football as an eight year old.

'” During the adoption process the five children remained in Haiti, and survived hurricanes and an earthquake in 2010, and now live with the Alexanders in the U.S.[34][35] Alexander has co-written a book with two criminal justice professors about his upbringing, the tragic death of his mother, sister and nephews, the adoption of the five children, and his journey from despair to a renewed hope and sense of purpose, The Valley of the Shadow of Death: A Tale of Tragedy and Redemption.