Toniuolevaiavea Satele Fonoti (born November 26, 1981) is a Samoan-born former player of American college and professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

who was a

guard Guard or guards may refer to: Professional occupations * Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault * Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street * Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning * Prison ...

in the

National Football League 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 ...

(NFL) for five seasons during the early 2000s. 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 Nebraska A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, the ...

, and earned consensus All-American honors. The

San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team that played in San Diego from 1961 until the end of the 2016 season, before relocating to Los Angeles, where the franchise had played its inaugural 1960 season. The team is now ...

picked him in the second round of the 2002 NFL Draft, and he played professionally for the Chargers,

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansion ...

and

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team pla ...

of the NFL.

Early years

Fonoti 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 ...

but partly raised in

Apia Apia () is the Capital (political), capital and largest city of Samoa, as well as the nation's only city. It is located on the central north coast of Upolu, Samoa's second-largest island. Apia falls within the political district (''itūmālō ...

. He attended El Camino High School in

Oceanside, California Oceanside is a city on the South Coast (California), South Coast of California, located in San Diego County, California, San Diego County. The city had a population of 167,086 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. The city is a popular ...

, and played

high school football High school football (french: football au lycée) is gridiron football played by high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both countries, but its popularity is declining, part ...

for the El Camino Wildcats. He played his last two years of high school for the Kahuku Red Raiders, located on the north shore of Oahu and earned all-state 1st team honors.

College career

Fonoti attended the

in Lincoln, where he played for the

Nebraska Cornhuskers football The Nebraska Cornhuskers football team competes as part of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, representing the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in the West Division of the Big Ten. Nebraska plays its home games at Memorial Stadium ...

team from 1999 to 2001. He is only the third freshman in Nebraska team history to earn playing time on the Cornhuskers' offensive line. He was a first-team All-Big 12 selection in 2000 and 2001, and was recognized as a consensus first-team All-American following his 2001 junior season.''2011 NCAA Football Records Book''
Award Winners
National Collegiate Athletic Association, Indianapolis, Indiana, p. 11 (2011). Retrieved June 24, 2012. He was also a semifinalist for the

Lombardi Award The Rotary Lombardi Award is an award for college football in the United States. Awarded by the Rotary Club of Houston, Texas annually to the college football player "who best embodies the values and spirit of NFL's legendary coach Vince Lomba ...

and a finalist for the

Outland Trophy The Outland Trophy is awarded to the best college football interior lineman in the United States as adjudged by the Football Writers Association of America. It is named after John H. Outland. One of only a few players ever to be named an All-Ame ...

. During his time as a Cornhusker, he set three team records: single-game record 32 pancake blocks vs. Texas Tech (2001); single-season record of 201 pancake blocks (2001); and career record of 379 pancakes.

Professional career

2002 NFL Draft

Projected as a late first round selection, Fonoti was rated as the No. 1 offensive guard available in the 2002 NFL Draft by ''

Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence twic ...

''. He was noted for " bliteratingdefenders at the line of scrimmage", and " eepinghis feet moving in pass protection and anchors, not giving up an inch of ground".

Miami Dolphins

Fonoti signed with the Miami Dolphins on November 7, 2006.

Atlanta Falcons

Fonoti signed 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 ...

as an unrestricted

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 ...

on March 14, 2007, and was released on August 4, 2007.

Carolina Panthers

Fonoti signed with 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 ...

on March 25, 2008, and was released on August 30, 2008.

Detroit Lions

Fonoti signed with the

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...

on May 5, 2009. He was waived on August 11 when the team signed wide receiver

Billy McMullen Wilbur Anthony McMullen, Jr. (born March 8, 1980) is a former American football wide receiver. He was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the third round of the 2003 NFL draft. He played college football at Virginia. McMullen has also been a ...

Personal life

Fonoti has a brother, Tauala'i, who plays football at

Stanford Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is considere ...

and another younger brother, La'auli, who plays football at

New Mexico State University New Mexico State University (NMSU or NM State) is a public land-grant research university based primarily in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest public institution of higher education in New Mexico and one of the state's tw ...

. His sister, Dionne Fonoti, is a lecturer at the

National University of Samoa The National University of Samoa (''Lē Iunivesitē Aoao o Sāmoa'') is the only national university in Samoa. Established in 1984 by an act of parliament, it is coeducational and provides certificate, diploma, and undergraduate degree programs, as ...

. In September 2022 he was inducted into the Nebraska Football Hall of Fame.

References

External links

Nebraska Cornhuskers bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fonoti, Toniu 1981 births Living people People from Oahu American sportspeople of Samoan descent All-American college football players American football offensive tackles American football offensive guards Atlanta Falcons players Carolina Panthers players Detroit Lions players Miami Dolphins players Minnesota Vikings players Nebraska Cornhuskers football players San Diego Chargers players Tampa Bay Buccaneers players Sportspeople from Oceanside, California Players of American football from American Samoa Players of American football from Hawaii Players of American football from California