Etuini Haloti Ngata (; born January 21, 1984) is a former
American football
American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...
defensive tackle. He played
college football for the
University of Oregon
The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a public research university in Eugene, Oregon. Founded in 1876, the institution is well known for its strong ties to the sports apparel and marketing firm Nike, Inc, and its co-founder, billion ...
and earned consensus
All-American honors. Ngata was drafted by the
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays it ...
in the first round of the
2006 NFL Draft
The 2006 National Football League Draft, the 71st in league history, took place in New York City, New York, at Radio City Music Hall on April 29 and April 30, 2006. For the 27th consecutive year, the draft was telecast on ESPN and ESPN2, with add ...
, and was selected for the
Pro Bowl
The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (starting in 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's star players.
The format has changed thro ...
five times. Ngata played for the Ravens for nine seasons before being traded to the
Detroit Lions before the
2015 NFL season
The 2015 NFL season was the 96th season in the history of the National Football League (NFL), and the 50th in the Super Bowl era. To celebrate the 50th season of the Super Bowl, a gold-plated NFL logo and other various gold-themed promotions ...
. Ngata was also a member of the
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team play ...
for one season in 2018 before retiring.
Early years
Ngata, of
Tongan ancestry, was born in
Inglewood, California. He attended
Highland High School, where he played on the
football team in
Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the county seat, seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Sal ...
. He was a three-year starter on the defensive line. As a senior, he recorded over 200 tackles and led his team to the state quarterfinals, following a 12–2 record and a berth in the State Championship as a junior. Ngata was named the 2001 Utah Gatorade Player of the Year and a first-team
''USA Today'' All-USA selection. He played in the 2002
U.S. Army All-American Bowl.
Ngata was listed as a five-star recruit and the No. 2 overall prospect in the nation by
Rivals.com
Rivals.com is a network of websites that focus mainly on college football and basketball recruiting in the United States. The network was started in 1998 and employs more than 300 personnel.
History
Rivals.com was founded in 1998 by Jim Heckma ...
. He chose Oregon over
BYU
Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day S ...
,
Nebraska
Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the sout ...
,
Texas A&M
Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, or TAMU) is a public, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System in 1948. As of late 2021, T ...
, and
Washington
Washington commonly refers to:
* Washington (state), United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A metonym for the federal government of the United States
** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...
.
Ngata also played
rugby
Rugby may refer to:
Sport
* Rugby football in many forms:
** Rugby league: 13 players per side
*** Masters Rugby League
*** Mod league
*** Rugby league nines
*** Rugby league sevens
*** Touch (sport)
*** Wheelchair rugby league
** Rugby union: 1 ...
in high school, and helped lead the Highland Rugby Club to the National Rugby Championship. He was
red carded in the championship match.
College career
A devout member of the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a nontrinitarian Christian church that considers itself to be the restoration of the original church founded by Jesus Christ. The c ...
, Ngata said he felt most at home at
Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-d ...
, but struggled to make his college decision. He eventually signed a national letter of intent to play for the
Oregon Ducks football team of the
University of Oregon
The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a public research university in Eugene, Oregon. Founded in 1876, the institution is well known for its strong ties to the sports apparel and marketing firm Nike, Inc, and its co-founder, billion ...
. Ngata tore his
anterior cruciate ligament
The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of a pair of cruciate ligament
Cruciate ligaments (also cruciform ligaments) are pairs of ligaments arranged like a letter X. They occur in several joints of the body, such as the knee joint and th ...
(ACL) on a punt coverage play in 2003 and missed the rest of that season. But over the next two seasons, Ngata became one of the best players in college football. Ngata totaled 107 tackles, 17.5 tackles for a loss, and 6.5 sacks total in the 2004 and 2005 seasons. He was a second-team All-
Pac-10 selection in 2004, a first-team All-Pac-10 selection in 2005. Following his junior season in 2005, he was recognized as the Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year and a consensus first-team
All-American, Oregon's first in 43 years. Ngata also earned praise as a dangerous special teams player, blocking 7 kicks during his 3-year career at Oregon.
He had a
bench press max, which ranks second all-time among Oregon Ducks football players, behind only
Igor Olshansky's .
Professional career
2006 NFL Draft
Ngata decided to leave Oregon a year early because his mother, 'Ofa, was in the early stages of
kidney dialysis. She died from her illness on January 13, 2006.
Ngata was selected by the
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays it ...
in the first round with the 12th overall pick in the
2006 NFL Draft
The 2006 National Football League Draft, the 71st in league history, took place in New York City, New York, at Radio City Music Hall on April 29 and April 30, 2006. For the 27th consecutive year, the draft was telecast on ESPN and ESPN2, with add ...
. It was the first time in franchise history the Ravens used a first round pick on a defensive lineman. Ngata became the highest selected defensive lineman from the current Pac-12 conference since
Andre Carter
Rubin Andre Carter (born May 12, 1979) is an American football coach recently for Louisiana State University and former player in the National Football League (NFL). A defensive end, he played college football for the University of California ...
in
2001.
Baltimore Ravens
2006–2007
On July 28, 2006, Ngata ended a brief contract holdout by agreeing to a 5-year contract worth up to $14 million with the Baltimore Ravens. In his first game in Week 1 against the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The cl ...
, he returned an interception 60 yards to the Tampa Bay 9 yard-line which led to a field goal in a 27–0 win. In a Week 16 game against the
Pittsburgh Steelers, he recorded his first career sack in the second quarter on a 3-yard sack of
Ben Roethlisberger
Benjamin Todd Roethlisberger Sr. (; born March 2, 1982), nicknamed "Big Ben", is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 18 seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He played college football ...
in a 31–7 win. In his rookie season, he started in all 16 games and finished the campaign with 31 tackles, one sack, and an interception. The following season, he made 63 tackles and three sacks.
2008
In the 2008 season, Ngata started all 16 regular season and three postseason games. He led the Ravens defensive line with 77 total tackles (43 Solo, 34 Assist), one sack, a career-high 2 Interceptions, and 5 passes deflected as part of the NFL's #2 passing defense. He was named to the
Pro Bowl
The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (starting in 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's star players.
The format has changed thro ...
as a first alternate and earned Second-team
All-Pro
All-Pro is an honor bestowed upon professional American football players that designates the best player at each position during a given season. All-Pro players are typically selected by press organizations, who select an "All-Pro team," a list t ...
honors by the
Associated Press
The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. ne ...
for the first time in his career.
2009
During the 2009 season, Ngata started all 16 Ravens regular season and both post-season games. During the regular season, he recorded 36 tackles, of which 26 were unassisted and 1.5 sacks. He was selected for the first time in his career to play in the
NFL Pro Bowl
The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (starting in 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's star players.
The format has changed thro ...
.
2010
After an outstanding 2010 season which included 63 tackles and 5.5 sacks, Ngata was selected to the 2010 All-Fundamentals Team by USA Football and the NFL Players Association.
2011
On February 15, the Ravens placed their
franchise tag
In the National Football League (NFL), the franchise tag is a designation a team may apply to a player scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent. The tag binds the player to the team for one year if certain conditions are met. Each team has on ...
on Ngata. On September 20, he was signed to a 5-year deal worth $61 million.
The Ravens opened the 2011 season at home against the
Pittsburgh Steelers on September 11. In the game Ngata forced a fumble and tipped a pass that led to a
Ray Lewis
Raymond Anthony Lewis Jr. (born May 15, 1975) is an American former professional football player who played as a middle linebacker with the Baltimore Ravens for his entire 17-year career in the National Football League (NFL). He played co ...
interception; the Ravens won 35–7. Two weeks later against the
St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams were a professional American football team of the National Football League (NFL). They played in St. Louis from 1995 to the 2015 season, before moving back to Los Angeles, where the team had played from 1946 to 1994.
The arr ...
,
Ray Lewis
Raymond Anthony Lewis Jr. (born May 15, 1975) is an American former professional football player who played as a middle linebacker with the Baltimore Ravens for his entire 17-year career in the National Football League (NFL). He played co ...
sacked
Sam Bradford
Samuel Jacob Bradford (born November 8, 1987) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for nine seasons, most notably with the St. Louis Rams and Minnesota Vikings. He was also a member of the ...
. Bradford fumbled, and the ball was recovered by Ngata who scored his first career regular season touchdown.
On October 2, 2011, during the Ravens game against the
New York Jets, Ngata sacked Jets quarterback
Mark Sanchez
Mark Travis John Sanchez (born November 11, 1986) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 10 seasons. He played college football at the University of Southern California (USC) and was draft ...
, causing Sanchez to fumble the ball. Ravens linebacker
Jarrett Johnson
Jarret Webster Johnson (born August 14, 1981) is a former American football linebacker who played in the National Football League for twelve seasons. He was drafted in the fourth round (109th overall) in the 2003 NFL Draft by the Baltimore Ravens ...
picked up the fumble and returned it for a touchdown. The Ravens won the game by a score of 34–17. After reviewing the hit, the
NFL levied a $15,000 fine against Ngata for roughing the passer even though no penalty was called by officials during the game.
Ngata finished the season with a career-high 64 tackles (36 unassisted), along with 5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, and 5 passes defended. Ngata also earned his third straight
Pro Bowl
The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (starting in 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's star players.
The format has changed thro ...
appearance.
2012
During the 2012 season, Ngata played mostly defensive tackle and sometimes defensive end, collecting 5 sacks and 51 tackles overall. Ngata played in all four games of the Ravens 2012 postseason, recording 10 solo tackles and 3 assisted tackles as he helped the Ravens to victory in
Super Bowl XLVII
Super Bowl XLVII was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Baltimore Ravens and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion San Francisco 49ers to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion ...
. A notable incident that occurred in this season happened in Week 14, when he hit
Washington Redskins
The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...
' rookie quarterback
Robert Griffin III
Robert Lee Griffin III (born February 12, 1990), nicknamed RG3 and RGIII, is an American football quarterback who is a free agent. He played college football at Baylor, where he won the Heisman Trophy as a senior, and was selected second overa ...
in his right knee, twisting it. Griffin would re-injure this knee later in the season, forcing him to undergo surgery.
2013
In 2013, Ngata played mostly as a nose tackle making 33 tackles, 1.5 sacks, and 3 passes defended in 15 games played.
2014
On August 29, 2014, Ngata was fined $8,268 for intentionally kicking
Washington Redskins
The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...
guard
Shawn Lauvao
Shawn Sisifo Lauvao (born October 26, 1987) is a former American football guard. He was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the third round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He played college football at Arizona State.
College career
Lauvao started his l ...
during the final preseason game.
On December 4, 2014, Ngata was suspended for four games after he violated the NFL's policy on performance-enhancing substances.
Detroit Lions
2015
On March 10, 2015, Ngata was traded to the
Detroit Lions in exchange for a 2015 4th round pick (used to select
Za'Darius Smith
Za'Darius Smith (born September 8, 1992) is an American football defensive end for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at East Mississippi Community College before transferring to Kentucky. He ...
) and a 2015 5th round pick (used by the
Arizona Cardinals to select
Shaquille Riddick) to play
defensive tackle. Ngata struggled in the first half of the season with an injury, but gained momentum and finished with 2.5 sacks and 24 tackles.
2016
On March 9, 2016, the Detroit Lions re-signed Ngata to a two-year, $12 million contract, with $6 million guaranteed. Ngata was hampered by a shoulder injury that limited his playing time. Overall, he played 13 games and finished the 2016 season with 22 tackles, 1.5 sacks, and three passes defended.
2017
On October 11, 2017, Ngata was placed on injured reserve after suffering a torn biceps in Week 5 against the Carolina Panthers. He started all five games before the injury and recorded seven tackles and a pass deflection.
Philadelphia Eagles
2018
On March 15, 2018, Ngata signed a one-year contract with the
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team play ...
. In his lone season with the Eagles he appeared in 13 games and had 17 tackles, including a sack.
Retirement
On March 18, 2019, Ngata announced his retirement from the NFL with an Instagram post of him atop of
Mount Kilimanjaro with a banner "I'm retiring from the NFL on top". On May 28, 2019, the Ravens announced he will sign a one-day ceremonial contract with the team to retire as a Raven. At his retirement press conference, it was also announced that Ngata will be inducted into the
Baltimore Ravens Ring of Honor The Baltimore Ravens Ring of Honor is a display encircling the field of M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland, honoring former players and personnel who have made outstanding contributions to the Baltimore Ravens and Baltimore Colts football organ ...
. He was inducted on October 11, 2021.
NFL career statistics
Personal life
Ngata was born in
Inglewood, California, to Solomone Ngata and 'Ofa (née Moala),
who had
emigrated from Tonga to the United States in the early 1970s.
He has two older brothers, Solomone Jr. and Finau, a younger brother, Vili, and a younger sister, Ame.
Haloti Ngata was named after his maternal uncle, Haloti Moala-Liava'a, who was a middle linebacker for the
Utah Utes
The Utah Utes are the intercollegiate athletics teams that represent the University of Utah, located in Salt Lake City. The athletic department is named after the Ute tribe of Native Americans. The men's basketball team is known as the Runnin' ...
(1984–1988).
The family moved to
Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the county seat, seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Sal ...
, in 1990.
In December 2002, Ngata's father died in a single-vehicle truck accident, while trying to climb the on-ramp to
Interstate 80 from
Route 215 just outside Salt Lake City.
His mother, having battled with Chronic Kidney Disease/Diabetic Nephropathy for years, died in January 2006.
Ngata's extended family includes numerous athletes. One of his cousins, Tevita Moala, was a starting linebacker on
Oregon State's 2000 Fiesta Bowl team. Another cousin,
Fili Moala
Siaosi Toutoupau'u "Fili" Moala (born June 23, 1985) is a former American football defensive end. He played college football at Southern California, and was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in the second round of the 2009 NFL Draft.
Early yea ...
, was an All-American defensive lineman at
Southern California
Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most populous urban a ...
(2004–2008), and subsequently played for the
Indianapolis Colts. Ngata is also a distant relative of basketball player
Jabari Parker
Jabari Ali Parker (born March 15, 1995) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was selected by the Milwaukee Bucks with the second overall pick in th ...
and PGA Tour Golfer
Tony Finau
Milton Pouha "Tony" Finau (born September 14, 1989) is an American professional golfer who currently plays on the PGA Tour.
Early life and amateur career
Milton Pouha Finau was born on September 14, 1989 in Salt Lake City, Utah. He won the Ut ...
.
Ngata resides in
Park City, Utah
Park City is a city in Utah, United States. The vast majority is in Summit County, and it extends into Wasatch County. It is considered to be part of the Wasatch Back. The city is southeast of downtown Salt Lake City and from Salt Lake Cit ...
with his wife Christina Ngata (née Adams) whom he married in June 2007. The couple has three sons: Solomon (born July 2009), named after his late grandfather; Haloti Maximus (born August 2012); and Colt (born January 2014).
References
External links
Detroit Lions bioBaltimore Ravens bioOregon Ducks bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ngata, Haloti
1984 births
Living people
All-American college football players
American Conference Pro Bowl players
American football defensive ends
American football defensive tackles
American Latter Day Saints
American people of Tongan descent
American rugby union players
Baltimore Ravens players
Detroit Lions players
Oregon Ducks football players
Philadelphia Eagles players
Players of American football from Inglewood, California
Unconferenced Pro Bowl players
Rugby union players that played in the NFL
American sportspeople of Polynesian descent