Ropati Pitoitua ( ; born April 6, 1985) 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 ...

defensive end Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football. This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formation (American football), formations over the years have substantially ...

. He was signed by the

New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The J ...

as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

in 2008. 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 ...

Washington State Washington (), officially the State of Washington, is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. Named for George Washington—the first U.S. president—the state was formed from the western part of the Washington ...

. Pitoitua has also played for the

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The tea ...

and Tennessee Titans.

Early years

Pitoitua was born in

American Samoa American Samoa ( sm, Amerika Sāmoa, ; also ' or ') is an unincorporated territory of the United States located in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of the island country of Samoa. Its location is centered on . It is east of the International ...

to Sooalo Ropati and Faipine Pitoitua. He has 1 brother and 4 sisters. He played football and basketball at

Clover Park High School Clover Park High School (CPHS), located in Lakewood, Washington, is one of two secondary schools within the Clover Park School District. History The high school was established in 1938 due to the rapid expansion of nearby military posts at F ...

in Lakewood, Washington, although he did not pick up football until his junior season. In 2002, he earned two football letters, in addition to being named the Seamount League Defensive Player of the Year.

College career

He played in 36 games (25 starts), posting 116 tackles, (19 for losses) and 8.5 sacks in four seasons at Washington State and was named WSU's Leon Bender Award winner as Cougars' Defensive Lineman of the Year as senior when he started 11 games at

defensive tackle A defensive tackle (DT) is a position in American football that will typically line up on the line of scrimmage, opposite one of the offensive guards, however he may also line up opposite one of the tackles. Defensive tackles are typically the la ...

and one at

. As a freshman in 2004 he played in 8 games with 4 starts and was named The Sporting News All-Pacific-10 freshman team after recording 24 tackles (5.5 for losses) and 5 sacks. In 2005, he played in 7 games with no starts after suffering a broken leg in fall camp and missed the first five games of the season, in limited duty he recorded 13 tackles (1 for a loss) and 1 sack. As a junior in 2006 he played in 9 games starting all 9 and recording 37 tackles (7.5 for losses) and 2.5 sacks. As a senior in 2007 he played in 12 games, starting all of them and made 40 tackles, 7 for losses and went without a sack.

Professional career

New York Jets

He was signed by the Jets as an

in 2008 and spent the season on the team's practice squad. In 2009, Pitoitua posted three tackles in eight games. During the preseason in 2010, Pitoitua tore his Achilles tendon against the

Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. T ...

and was placed on the injured reserve list on August 23, 2010. Pitoitua was waived by the team on May 2, 2012.

Kansas City Chiefs

Ropati Pipotuia perseason Jets-v-Eagles, Sep 2009 - 65

Pitoitua was signed by the

on May 8, 2012.

Tennessee Titans

Pitoitua signed with the Tennessee Titans on March 25, 2013. Pitoitua and the Titans agreed to a new three-year contract on March 6, 2014. On August 28, 2016, Pitoitua was waived by the Titans.

References

External links

Washington State bio

New York Jets bio

Kansas City Chiefs bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pitoitua, Ropati 1985 births Living people American sportspeople of Samoan descent Samoan emigrants to the United States American football defensive tackles American football defensive ends Washington State Cougars football players New York Jets players Kansas City Chiefs players Tennessee Titans players Players of American football from American Samoa