Sportblis presents you with some amazing facts about George Karlaftis. Our article covers Facts about his Girlfriend, Family, Parents, Siblings, and much more.
Yorgos “George” Matthew Karlaftis is an American football defensive end who features for the Purdue Boilermakers.
He was born on the 3rd of April 2001 to his father, Matthew Karlaftis and mother, Amy Weida Karlaftis in Athens, Greece.
The talented young lad was the oldest of four children born to his parents. Interestingly, he got to spend enough time with his dad, mom and younger siblings while growing up.
George Karlaftis spent the first 13 years of his life in Athens. According to the young lad, he had a more challenging childhood experience while growing up in his birth town.
In Athens, Kids were raised tougher and forced to mature more rapidly than kids in the US. Moreso, you will experience more of a rough childhood than anything.
By the time Karlaftis clocked 6, he learned to live without his parents, who work 12-hour shifts. Although his family was better off than most average households in Greece, it didn’t mean they had easy living all the time.
Back in the days, George was a multi-sport athlete who played football, basketball, track and field as well as water polo. While maintaining a multifaceted profile in sports, the young lad excelled in water polo.
His exceptionality in the game earned him the privilege to represent the U-16 Greek national team as a 13-year-old goalie.
George Karlaftis Family:
The defensive end was born into a household of excellent athletes. His parents were exceptional in various kinds of sports in their early life.
However, his father experienced a traumatic head injury during a game and this scared his children from taking sports seriously. George was the only courageous kid amongst Matts’s three sons who ended up pursuing a career in football.
Of course, he inherited the athletic prowess of his parents and harnessed it to become an exceptional football player. He didn’t have to walk down the tedious parts of his career expedition alone.
Thankfully, he had his family watching after his every move and supporting him in his endeavours. Indeed, George Karlaftis is well aware of his parents’ and siblings’ concerns about his success in football.
George Karlaftis Father – Matthew Karlaftis:
The defensive end’s dad is Matthew Karlaftis popularly known by the nickname Matt. He was a javelin thrower for the University of Miami’s track and field team.
At some point in his career, Matt tried playing on Miami’s football team. Sadly, he suffered a severe skull injury during his first practice with them. He had to undergo surgery to recover from the ordeal.
This entire situation plagued his sons who were traumatised by the entire situation. It took his kids sometime before they got over the fear and went back to participating in sports.
A Tragic Day for the Karlaftis:
George Karlaftis’ father often travelled for work. In early June 2014, he went to the island of Kos to give a speech at a civil engineering conference.
However, another tragedy struck the Karlaftis family as Matt was found dead at his hotel, after suffering a heart attack at 44.
Karlaftis’s mom, Amy, immediately realized she couldn’t stay in Greece with four young children. Hence, she moved with her children to West Lafayette, Indiana, where her parents, four siblings and relatives lived.
It was after the death of his father and the sudden move to the US that George took football seriously. During his freshman year in high school, he blossomed into a star defensive lineman and became a popular kid in his team.
Do you know?… Matthew Karlaftis still owns one of the longest javelin throws in the University of Miami’s history. He was also a regular visitor in Purdue’s co-rec while attaining a PhD in civil engineering.
Matt worked as a civil engineering professor at the National Technical University of Athens. He also wrote several books, edited research journals and earned a Fulbright scholarship and other awards before he died.
George Karlaftis Mother – Amy Weida Karlaftis:
Amy Weida Karlaftis is the mom of the defensive end. She met his father in 1994 and fell in love with him. Amy and Matt later moved to Matt’s homeland (Greece) in 1998.
Their six-years relationship yielded good fruit as they tied the knot as husband and wife in 2000.
George’s mother was also an athlete like his dad. She was a three-sport standout at West Lafayette High School and graduated as the leading scorer in Red Devils’ girls’ basketball history.
After high school, Amy Weida enrolled at Purdue University where she frequented the co-rec to play volleyball. It was during her constant visit to the school rec center that she met Matt.
Interestingly, George’s mother was as focused as the mother of Nakobe Dean and Ahmad Gardner. She had to ensure the dreams of her children were not lost despite the absence of her husband.
Hence, she worked so hard to give George and his siblings the right education. Moreso, she supported their career endeavours as they grew older.
George Karlaftis Siblings:
As the first-born son of his family, George had to support his mother in looking after his siblings. He has two younger brothers (Yanni and Niko) as well as a younger sister (Annie).
They all had a natural path to sports because of their parents. Yanni won a judo world championship while in Greece and joined Perdue’s football team as a linebacker in 2021. George is two years older than Yanni.
George Karlaftis Girlfriend – Kaia Harris:
Karlaftis is like Kenny Pickett who tends to strike a balance between his career endeavours and relationship life. He has been in a longtime relationship with his beautiful girlfriend, Kaia Harris.
The love birds started dating in 2016 after they met each other at Lambert. George Karlaftis and his girlfriend enjoy posting their pictures on Instagram.
Here is what he wrote about their relationship as they mark five years of staying together in September 2021.
Can’t believe it’s already been 5 years @kaia.harris. Seems like it was just yesterday when I met you at Lambert… wow! I love you so much and can’t wait to see what the future holds for us.
George Karlaftis Early Years:
George Karlaftis was born in Athens, Greece. Sadly, his father, Matthew, died of a heart attack in 2014. This made his mother (Amy) move him and his two siblings to her hometown of West Lafayette, Indiana, in the US.
Upon his arrival in the US, Karlaftis was enrolled to study at West Lafayette High School. He soon Anglicized his name (Yorgos) to George. During his high school career, Karlaftis had 41 sacks.
In 2019, he played in the U.S. Army All-American Game and was named the Defensive Player of the Year.
He also participated in track and field for the school and won back-to-back state championships in shot put. Karlaftis committed to playing college football for Purdue University in 2019.
George Karlaftis College Career:
As a true freshman at Purdue, Karlaftis started all 12 games and recorded 7.5 sacks, as well as 54 tackles.
He only played in 3 games as a sophomore in 2020 before testing positive for COVID-19. Hence, he finished the year with 4 tackles and 2 sacks.
Quick Facts About George Karlaftis:
| Full Name: | Yorgos "George" Matthew Karlaftis |
|---|---|
| Nickname: | George Karlaftis |
| Date of Birth: | 3rd of April 2001 |
| Place of Birth: | Athens, Greece |
| Father: | Matthew Karlaftis |
| Mother: | Amy Weida Karlaftis |
| Brother: | Yanni and Niko Karlaftis |
| Sister: | Annie Karlaftis |
| Girlfriend: | Kaia Harris |
| Nationality: | Dual (American and Greek) |
| Ethnicity: | Mixed |
| Zodiac | Aries |
| Position: | Defensive End |
| Height: | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
| Weight: | 275 lb (125 kg) |
