Tuinei bowls

them over

By Atama Raganivatu

Samoa’s already considerable sport

ing prestige was further enhanced in February when Mark Tuinei played for the Dallas Cowboys Superbowl win ning team. This has meant at least one Samoan has featured in American foot ball’s annual extravaganza over the past four years.

The United States two largest Samoan communities, in California and Hawaii, both claim Tuinei as their own. He was bom in Oceanside, which is 50 kilometres north of San Diego, but raised in Honolulu.

The latter’s Punahou High School intro duced him to American football as well as basketball and athletics, in which he also excelled. Tuinei gained selection for the Hawaiian All Stars basketball team and was the state’s shot put champion.

His great ambition, though, was to fol low in the footsteps of his brother Tom, who had played top level football in both the United States (with the Detroit Lions) and Canada (with the Edmonton Eskimos).

But, before entering the professional ranks, all players have to graduate via American football’s collegiate competitions. It proved a difficult passage for Tuinei.

Tuinei commenced his college career at that great American sporting and educa tional institution UCLA (the University of California in Los Angeles), however acute home sickness resulted in him being trans ferred to the University of Hawaii after two years. Here, he suffered several injuries and in his senior year - the one crucial for attracting professional clubs’ scouts played a mere seven games. Upon leaving college, he found no National Football League outfit interested in securing his ser vices.

Tuinei had one final chance to make the professional ranks. In October, 1983 he along with 84 others in a similarly desper-

ate position as him - travelled to Thousand Oaks, California, for trial matches in front of Dallas Cowboys’ legendary coach Tom Landry. Tuinei was the only one amongst hopefuls to catch Landry’s eye and a month later was attending the Cowboys’ summer training camp at the Happy Valley Ranch deep in the heart of Texas, having

signed a Plan B contract. The provisions of this document allowed the Cowboys to release him at any time without paying a cent in compensation, however it repre sented a lifeline and Tuinei eagerly grasped it.

But although the Dallas Cowboys are American football’s most famous and suc-

Mark Tuinei...1996 Superbowl champion and Dallas Cowboys captain

Picture: Barry Markowitz

cessful club and Tuinei cemented a place in their team in 1984, glory did not come immediately. He had to endure a series of career-threatening knee injuries and the worst period in the Cowboys’ history (they won only one game in 1989) before, in 1992, winning his first Super Bowl ring.

Tuinei has subsequently appeared in

two more Super Bowl winning sides and gained selection for the Pro Bowl, which features only the NFL’s elite players, in 1995 and 1996. He has been a key figure in the Cowboys’ success. In the position of left offensive tackle, he is responsible for blocking all opponents intent on tackling star player Emmitt Smith. Thanks in no

small degree to the efficiency of his “min der”, Smith had broken numerous records and inspired triumph after triumph.

Six-foot five-inches tall, weighing 138 kilogrammes, speedy, lithe and possessing razor sharp reflexes, Tuinei is ideally suit ed for his role. Although now 35 years of age and a veteran of 189 matches, he has

You can’t get any better than this... San Diego charger Junior Seau’s punt rush to perfection

Picture: Barry Markowitz

yet to indicate any thoughts of retirement and on the evidence of the 1985 campaign (in which he was ever-present), several good seasons could still remain ahead of him.

The Samoan has overcome back spasms, a groin injury, dehydration and further knee problems in recent times while proving himself amongst the NFL’s most resilient performers.

Off the field, Tuinei and his wife Ponolani live in Carrolltown, a pleasant suburb just outside Dallas, with their two dogs. Ponolani too, is of Samoan extrac tion and both derive much satisfaction from the fact that Mark has been adopted as a role model by many younger members of their community.

“I get a little annoyed when people assume I am Hawaiian because my full name, Mark Pulemau Tuinei (pronounced Too-Ee-Nay) sounds Hawaiian to them,” he once stated.

“I am Samoan and take great pride from that fact.”

Amongst Tuinei’s most treasured mem ories is being named with two other

Samoans, Jesse Sapolu and Junior Seau, for the 1995 Pro Bowl game in Honolulu.

He had only one regret - that his cousin Dan Saleaumua of the Kansas City Chiefs did not win selection.

Sapolu, a good friend, also possesses three Super Bowl rings. Tuinei’s remaining ambition is to gain a fourth and become Samoa’s most honoured grid iron player.H

An elated Junior Seau after a hard-hitting tackle