Michael Patrick Hoomanawanui (; nicknamed the "Hoo Man", born July 4, 1988) 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 with ...

tight end The tight end (TE) is a position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football, on the offense. The tight end is often a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Like ...

of Hawaiian and Italian-Irish descent. He was drafted by 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 ...

in the fifth round (132nd overall) of the

2010 NFL Draft The 2010 NFL Draft was the 75th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The 2010 draft took place over three days, at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, New York, with the firs ...

. 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 ...

University of Illinois The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the University ...

Early years

Hoomanawanui attended Epiphany Elementary and Junior High School and Central Catholic High School in

Bloomington, Illinois Bloomington is a city and the county seat of McLean County, Illinois, United States. It is adjacent to the town of Normal, and is the more populous of the two principal municipalities of the Bloomington–Normal metropolitan area. Bloomington ...

. He was a ''

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'' and ''

Chicago Sun-Times The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' is a daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Since 2022, it is the flagship paper of Chicago Public Media, and has the second largest circulation among Chicago newspapers, after the ''Chicago T ...

'' First-team All-State selection and a First-team All-Cornbelt Conference selection after making 50 receptions for 843 yards and 12 touchdowns as a senior. He led the team with 139 tackles and eight sacks on defense. Hoomanawanui also lettered in basketball during freshman, sophomore and junior years.

College career

As a freshman, he played in 10 games, starting three at tight end. In 2007, he played in 11 games, starting five at tight end. As a junior, in 2008, he earned Honorable Mention All-Big Ten honors by both the media and coaches after playing in all 12 games and eight starts at tight end. He ended the season with 25 catches for 312 yards and two touchdowns. In the 2009 season Hoomanawanui played in eight games, starting five. He ended the season with 10 receptions for 114 yards.

Professional career

St. Louis Rams

He was drafted by the

in the fifth round of the

. On June 26, 2010, he signed a four-year, $2.4 million contract including a $215,000 signing bonus. During his rookie year in 2010, Hoomanawanui played 8 games (started three) making 13 receptions for 146 yards and three touchdowns. In 2011, he started eight games making seven catches for 83 yards. He was cut on September 2, 2012.

New England Patriots

On September 5, 2012, Hoomanawanui signed 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 ...

. During his first season with New England in 2012, Hoomanawanui played 14 games (started six) making five catches for 109 yards. He made his first career postseason start in the AFC Championship in a 28–13 loss against 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 its ...

. On April 15, 2013, Hoomanawanui signed his free agent tender to remain with the Patriots. During the 2013 year, Hoomanawanui appeared in 13 games (started 10), made 12 catches for 136 yards and a one-handed touchdown catch in a loss to the Miami Dolphins. His efforts helped the Patriots to the AFC Championship again, only to lose to the

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquart ...

, 26–16. On March 10, 2014 it was announced Hoomanawanui re-signed with the Patriots for an additional two seasons. During the 2014 year, Hoomanawanui played 12 games (started six), made three catches for 44 yards. Hoomanawanui earned his first Super Bowl appearance after the Patriots' 45–7 win over the

Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 2008 ...

in the 2014 AFC Championship Game, where he had one reception for six yards. Before that, he recorded four catches for 43 yards in the team's 35–31 Divisional round victory over the Baltimore Ravens. During

Super Bowl XLIX Super Bowl XLIX was an American football game played to determine the champions of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2014 season. The American Football Conference (AFC) champion New England Patriots defeated the National Football Conf ...

against 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 ...

, Hoomanawanui caught one pass for four yards in the first quarter. Hoomanawanui received his first career championship title as the Patriots won the Super Bowl, 28–24, over the Seahawks.

New Orleans Saints

On September 30, 2015, Hoomanawanui was traded to the

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...

in return for Saints defensive lineman

Akiem Hicks Akiem Jamar Hicks (born November 16, 1989) is an American football defensive end for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the third round of the 2012 NFL Draft and has also ...

. He mainly played at fullback and

in blocking situations, catching 11 passes for 76 yards and three touchdowns in his first season with the Saints. On September 3, 2016, Hoomanawanui was placed on injured reserve. In 2017, Hoomanawanui played in 14 games, recording six receptions for 52 yards and one touchdown. On September 1, 2018, Hoomanawanui was placed on injured reserve with a neck injury.

Regular season statistics

References

External links

Illinois Fighting Illini bio

New Orleans Saints
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hoomanawanui, Michael 1988 births Living people American football tight ends American people of Māori descent American people of Native Hawaiian descent Illinois Fighting Illini football players Native Hawaiian people Native Hawaiian sportspeople New England Patriots players New Orleans Saints players Players of American football from Illinois Sportspeople from Bloomington, Illinois St. Louis Rams players