Mosiula Mea'alofa "Lofa" Tatupu (born November 15, 1982) is a former
American football linebacker who played six seasons in the
National Football League (NFL). He was an assistant linebackers coach with the
Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) West, which they rejoined in 2002 as ...
. He played
college football
College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States.
Unlike most ...
for the
University of Southern California (USC). Tatupu was drafted by the
Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) West, which they rejoined in 2002 as ...
in the second round of the
2005 NFL Draft
The 2005 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The NFL draft, draft was held April 23–24, 2005 NFL seaso ...
.
Early years
Tatupu was born in
San Diego, California and graduated in 2001 from
King Philip Regional High School in
Wrentham, Massachusetts, where he played quarterback and linebacker in his junior and senior year. His high school coach was his father
Mosi Tatupu
Mosiula Faasuka Tatupu (April 26, 1955 – February 23, 2010) was an American professional football player who was a running back for 14 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at the University of Southern Ca ...
, a fullback and special teamer who played for the
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...
. As a quarterback, Lofa Tatupu threw for 800 yards and 10 touchdowns and rushed for 450 yards and five touchdowns. As a linebacker, Tatupu made 100 tackles. ''
The Sun Chronicle'' named Tatupu a local high school All-Star in 1999 and 2000.
College career
Tatupu spent his freshman year of college at the
University of Maine before transferring to the
University of Southern California, where he majored in
sociology and played for the
USC Trojans football team.
He wore the number 58, which was later worn by another USC linebacker of Samoan heritage,
Rey Maualuga
Reynold Tala Maualuga (born January 20, 1987) is a former American football linebacker. He played college football at USC, and was recognized as a unanimous All-American. He was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the second round of the 2009 N ...
. Tatupu played within the player development program managed by head coach
Pete Carroll and assistant head coach for defense and linebacker coach
Ken Norton Jr. The USC linebacker system ("USC Linebacker U") has developed many NFL stars, often touted as the most talented linebacker corps in college football.
Tatupu started 25 games during his two years for the Trojans. He finished his USC career with 202 tackles, nine
sacks, seven
interceptions, three
fumble
A fumble in gridiron football occurs when a player who has possession and control of the ball loses it before being downed (tackled), scoring, or going out of bounds. By rule, it is any act other than passing, kicking, punting, or successful ...
recoveries, three forced fumbles, 18 pass deflections, and one touchdown.
He received first-team
All-American honors from ''Sports Illustrated'' following the 2004 season.
Professional career
2005 NFL Draft
Tatupu was selected 45th overall in the second round of the
2005 NFL Draft
The 2005 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The NFL draft, draft was held April 23–24, 2005 NFL seaso ...
by the
Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) West, which they rejoined in 2002 as ...
. Some teams had him rated lower than the second round. Seahawks general manager Tim Ruskell, who used two fourth-round picks to move up nine spots in the draft to get him, took some criticism for trading up for Tatupu, who was considered slightly undersized and a little slow.
[John Clayton]
Tatupu agrees to six-year extension worth more than $40 million
ESPN.com, March 21, 2008. Upon joining the Seahawks, Tatupu became a teammate of
Matt Hasselbeck. Hasselbeck's father
Don had been a teammate of Lofa's father Mosi during Mosi's career with the
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...
.
Pre-draft measurables
Seattle Seahawks
Tatupu quickly established himself as one of the top defensive players in the league as a rookie in 2005, in which he was named to the
Pro Bowl, while leading the
NFC
NFC may refer to:
Psychology
* Need for cognition, in psychology
* Need for closure, social psychological term
Sports
* NFC Championship Game, the National Football Conference Championship Game
* NCAA Football Championship (Philippines)
* Nati ...
Champion Seahawks in tackles, with 104, en route to their first Super Bowl appearance in franchise history. He also had four sacks and three interceptions, returning one for a touchdown in Seattle's 42-0 ''
Monday Night Football'' victory against the
Philadelphia Eagles. On December 2, 2007, he continued his success against the Philadelphia Eagles, intercepting three passes and returning them for a total of 100 yards off of Eagles' quarterback
A. J. Feeley
Adam Joshua Feeley (born May 16, 1977) is a former American football quarterback. He was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the fifth round of the 2001 NFL Draft, and went on to play for the Miami Dolphins, San Diego Chargers, Carolina Pan ...
.
In Tatupu's first three seasons, he led the Seahawks in tackles. He was voted to the Pro Bowl for the first three years of his
NFL
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the major ...
career:
2005
File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...
,
2006
File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...
and
2007
File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...
. In 2007, Tatupu was voted to the All-Pro team by the AP. In 2008, Tatupu was hampered by nagging injuries which resulted in him playing at a lower level than he has in the past, and as a result cost him a chance to play in four consecutive Pro Bowls.
Tatupu emerged as the Seahawks' young and fiery leader on defense, making his teammates more attentive to preparation by watching more game tape and calling defensive signals on the field.
On March 21, 2008, the Seahawks signed Tatupu to a six-year contract extension through the year 2015. The deal was worth $42 million, with $18 million guaranteed alone in the years 2008 to 2010. The contract made Tatupu one of the six highest-paid linebackers in the league. Tatupu responded by stating, "I'm going to end my career with the Seahawks."
On October 19, 2009, during a game versus the
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division, and play t ...
, Tatupu tore his left pectoral muscle after a collision with teammate
Deon Grant
Deon D'Marquis Grant (born March 14, 1979) is a former American football safety who played 12 seasons in the National Football League. He played college football for the University of Tennessee, was a member of Tennessee's national championship ...
and was ruled out for the rest of the season, a huge loss to the already ailing Seahawks. This was the first major injury of Tatupu's professional career after missing only one game in his first four seasons in the NFL.
After suffering through his worst season in 2009, Tatupu was able to play in every game for the Seahawks in 2010, including their two playoff games. Tatupu was released by Seattle on July 31, 2011, after he and the Seattle Seahawks could not come to an agreement on a re-structured contract.
Atlanta Falcons
On March 10, 2012, Tatupu signed a two-year, $5.75 million contract with the
Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The Falcons joined th ...
. On July 24, 2012, Tatupu suffered a torn
pectoral and would miss the entire 2012 NFL season. The Falcons released him the next day.
NFL statistics
Coaching career
The Seahawks announced on February 9, 2015, that Tatupu would be joining
Pete Carroll and new defensive coordinator
Kris Richard
Kris Richard (born October 28, 1979) is an American football coach and former player who was most recently the defensive backs coach for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as an assistant coach f ...
's staff as assistant linebacker coach. He resigned from his position two years later.
Personal life
Tatupu is of
Samoan descent; he is the son of the late former USC Trojan and New England Patriots
fullback Fullback or Full back may refer to:
Sports
* A position in various kinds of football, including:
** Full-back (association football), in association football (soccer), a defender playing in a wide position
** Fullback (gridiron football), in Americ ...
Mosi Tatupu
Mosiula Faasuka Tatupu (April 26, 1955 – February 23, 2010) was an American professional football player who was a running back for 14 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at the University of Southern Ca ...
, and first cousin of
Joe Tuipala
Joseph Lafaele Tuipala (born September 13, 1976) is a former American football linebacker. He is the nephew of former New England Patriots running back Mosi Tatupu, and first cousin of Seattle Seahawks linebacker Lofa Tatupu. He played two sea ...
former NFL linebacker. In 2019 he founded his own CBD company called ZoneIn CBD.
References
External links
Seattle Seahawksnbsp;– bio – Lofa Tatupu
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tatupu, Lofa
1982 births
American football middle linebackers
Living people
Maine Black Bears football players
National Conference Pro Bowl players
American sportspeople of Samoan descent
Seattle Seahawks players
Atlanta Falcons players
USC Trojans football players
People from Plainville, Massachusetts
Players of American football from San Diego
Players of American football from Massachusetts
Seattle Seahawks coaches
King Philip Regional High School alumni