Sikahem's

Sports

Sikahem's American dream

Atama Raganivatu

When a newspaper for the ever-grow ing Tongan community in the United States was launched in mid-1994 its edi tor did not have any doubts over who would feature on his first front page.Vai Sikahema. He is both the best known and most admired Tongan-American.

No stateside-based compatriot has been more successful in fulfilling the American dream than he has, having progressed from a coconut plantation to a household sports name to a television studio.

The coconut plantation, where Sikahema spent his first seven years, is situated just outside Nuku’alofa, the

Tongan capital. Sikahema’s family

moved to Hawaii in 1969, then to Arizona where they settled in Mesa, the Grand Canyon state’s third largest city.

At Mesa High School the young Fongan proved himself a highly accom plished all-round sportsman, excelling at boxing and American (gridiron) foot ball.

Despite winning the Arizona Golden Glove title at 13, Sikahema decided to concentrate on football and was twice selected to be part J of all-state high school teams in

that sport.

In 1981 Sikahema won a

football scholarship and gained

entry to Brigham Young University in Utah. Although \ bis college career was disrupt- i ed for two years by Mormon Missionary work, he made a last ing impression with the Cougars, the BYU team. He ranked seventh in the 1983 list of best inter-collegiate

football players. The following year Sikahema joined the professional ranks when he was signed by St Louis Cardinals.

Sikahema, who then listed fire-walking as his main hobby, enjoyed a sensational “rookie” season. As a kick off and punt returner it was his role to receive the ball deep in defence ranks and

make inroads jil \

through the maze of rival team player s V

facing him. 0The National Football Conference’s best punt returner in

/ 1986,

mgr greatest

accomplish ment during a magnificent initial pro fessional campaign was to run a total of 131 yards while scoring two touchdowns in one game - against Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

In 1986 and 1987, Sikahema appeared in the 1 Pro Bowl, which only fea- Ijl tures American football’s Velite players as selections from the two sections of the National Football League (the National Conference and the American Conference) oppose each.

In spite of several injuries and playing for relatively unsuccessful clubs (Green Bay Packers and Philadelphia Eagles), Sikahema remained one of the most esteemed figures in NFL until his retire-

ment - making up for his lack of basic speed with a remarkable ability to read the game coupled with quicksilver elu siveness.

By the end of the 1993 season he had accumulated greater yardage during punt returns than any other player except one. His 3169 yards were just behind all time record holder Billy “White Shoes”

Johnson. Despite being so close to Johnson’s feat, Sikahema decided to hang up his boots when he was offered the position of sports presenter at the Philadelphia television station WCAU.

Having studied communications at Brigham Young and already being an

experienced journalist (he contributed

to newspapers and worked as a sports reporter in Phoenix and St Louis off sea son), the 32-year-old veteran of 118 NFL games jumped at the opportunity to join WCAU and early indications are he will be just as successful in his second career.

The coconut plantation must seem a long, long way away now. ■

Via Sikahema Height: 5’ 9”

Weight: 196ibs Born: Aug. 29th, 1962, Nuku’alofa, Tonga