Pacific grip on grid iron football

grid iron football

By Atama Raganivatu

Irrespective of where you look in this ever-shrinking world of ours, there are Pacific Island athletes making an impact in their chosen sports. Rugby union players in New Zealand, sumo wrestlers in Japan, cricketers in Australia, soccer players in France, rugby league players in England,... The list is almost endless.

Nobody, then, should be too surprised by the considerable success enjoyed by Samoans and Tongans in that most American of sports, grid iron football. At the current time, 14 feature in what is surely the world’s toughest sporting environ- the National Football League. The presence of Samoans is not a new phenomenon. Fagatogo-bom Bob Apisa, who later became one of Hollywood s leading professional stuntmen, appeared for the Green Bay Packers in 1967.

However, Tongan involvement is a relatively recent occurrence and has been fostered by the migration of Mormons from the friendly islands to the United States, Vai Sikahema, to whom Pacific Islands Monthly devoted a whole feature earlier this year, left Nukualofa, when 7, and spent three years at Brigham Young University before embarking upon an eight-season-long NFL career that saw him serve St Louis Cardinals, Green Bay Packers and Philadelphia Eagles with great distinction.

Sikahema retired when the 1994 season ended and the role of the American Tongan community’s prime hero has been inherited by Alfred Pupunu. Although a Salt Lake City resident since infancy, Pupunu never forgot his origins. In January of this year, he amused the numerous millions watching grid iron s showpiece, the Super Bowl, on their television sets around the world when, upon receiving the ball, he pretended to peel off the top, as if it were a coconut, and took a drink.Pupunu’s San Diego Chargers teammate. Junior Seau, is

the most celebrated Samoan in today’s N F L. Although bom in California, Seau was raised in American Samoa and did not speak English until aged seven. He is now widely recognised as the sport’s best defensive player - a fact reflected in his salary. When signing a multi-million-dollar contract with the Chargers six years ago, the then 20-year-old reflected; “Yesterday, I couldn’t afford to buy my girlfriend a hamburger at restaurants!”

Despite his considerable wealth, Seau’s feet are firmly placed upon the ground and he undertakes countless hours of charity work, particularly in the fields of drug education and child abuse prevention. He is particularly proud of The Seau Foundation, an organisation he founded and which provides much financial support for various worthy San Diego youth programmes. Such is his popularity that a leading American clothing manufacturer has named a line of upmarket apparel after him.

Unfortunately for Pupunu and Seau, the Chargers were defeated 49-26 in the Super Bowl by a San Francisco 49ers side that included Jesse Sapolu. The only Western Samoan in the NFL, Sapolu was bom in Toamua and moved to California when his father, a clergyman, was posted there, Despite suffering a series of alarming injuries immediately after establishing himself on the 49ers’ roster, he is now enjoying a twelfth professional season although the average duration of an N. F.

L. player’s career is just five years!

Members of Super Bowl winning teams do not receive medals, instead they are presented with rings. Having won three already, Sapolu has high hopes of boasting a trinket for each finger of his right hand when the current campaign ends.

Seau, Sapolu and Pupunu are household names throughout the United States, For several other Pacific Islanders in the

NF L, fame is of the local variety, The friendliness of his disposition and the ferocity of his tackling made Dan Saleaumua’ a favourite of Kansas City Chiefs fans from the moment he moved to Missouri from Detroit Lions in 1989. As well as being strong and aggressive, Saleaumua is remarkably quick for a man

weighing 131 kilograms. Cleveland

Browns’ Pio Sagapolutele possesses the same physical attributes as Saleaumua. A professional for five years, he spends the off season in his home town, Pago Pago,

counselling gangmembers.

Siupeli Malamala, a native of Tofoa in Tonga, resides now at a somewhat larger centre - New York. Sadly, injuries have prevented him from fulfilling his immense potential with the Jets. Even so, he retains favour with the Big Apple’s always fickle sports fans. Esera Tuaolo too has spent more time on the reserves’ bench than he would like. Previously with the Green Bay Packers, Tuaolo joined Minnesota Vikings in 1992 and required two seasons before becoming a regular in their starting line up. His wholehearted enthusiasm has corn pensated for limited natural skill and won him many friends. The Honolulu-born Samoan hopes to become a professional singer when retiring from football and often gives renditions of The Star Spangled Banner prior to kick off.

Unfortunately, not every Pacific islander engaged in the N F L can present a success story. Tongan Chris Maumalanga seemed set for a glittering career when joining New York Giants last year, However, they released him early this sea son and, after a brief period on Arizona Cardinals’ payroll, he is again without a club.

Maumalanga, though, is an exception and the Pacific Islands’ NFL contingent has added much to the sporting heritage of the region. ■