Brandon Michael Manumaleuna (; born January 4, 1980) 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 ...

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. Lik ...

. He played college football at

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

and 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 fourth round of the 2001 NFL Draft. Manumaleuna has also been a member of the San Diego Chargers and Chicago Bears.

Early years

Manumaleuna is of Samoan and African-American descent. He attended

Narbonne High School Nathaniel Narbonne High School (NHS) is a school located at 24300 South Western Avenue, in the Harbor City area of Los Angeles, California. Narbonne serves grades 9 through 12 and is part of the Los Angeles Unified School District. Narbonne serve ...

in Harbor City,

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

. While at Narbonne High he was selected Second-team All-State as a defensive lineman. He also lettered in

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

and track.

College career

Manumaleuna attended the University of Arizona from

1997 File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; '' Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of ...

2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from S ...

, where he was a Second-team All-Pac-10 as a junior. While at Arizona he majored in

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...

. Manumaleuna began his play at Arizona as a defensive lineman and made the switch to

and H-back. He finished his collegiate career with 40 receptions for 544 yards and three touchdowns.

Professional career

Pre-draft

St. Louis Rams

Manumaleuna was selected in the fourth round (129 overall) of the 2001 NFL Draft by the

. He signed with the team on June 21, 2001. He agreed to a three-year $1.15 million contract including a $255,000 signing bonus. In 2001, Manumaleuna only had one reception on the season. He made his first career reception, a one-yard touchdown, 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 ...

. In 2002, Manumaleuna recorded eight receptions on the season for 106 yards and one touchdown. Manumaleuna recorded two receptions against the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...

, San Diego Chargers, and

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 ...

. He had a season-high 38 receiving yards against the Chargers. He recorded his lone touchdown reception in the season-finale against the 49ers. In 2003, Manumaleuna had a career year, with highs in receptions (29) yards (238) and touchdowns (two). Manumaleuna recorded a season-long reception of 39 yards against the Atlanta Falcons. He finished that game with a career-high 56 yards receiving. Manumaleuna recorded a season-high four receptions against the Green Bay Packers. He scored his first touchdown of the season on a four-yard pass at the Chicago Bears. Manumaleuna recorded his second touchdown of the season on an eight-yard pass at the Detroit Lions. On March 12, 2004, Manumaleuna signed a five-year, $8.3 million offer sheet 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. ...

which the Rams matched four days later. In 2004, Manumaleuna recorded 15 receptions for 174 yards and one touchdown. Manumaleuna recorded a season-high three receptions for 33 yards and an eight-yard touchdown catch at the Seattle Seahawks. He also recorded three receptions for a season high 53 yards against the New England Patriots. Manumaleuna recorded career long 48-yard reception against the Patriots as well. In 2005, Manumaleuna recorded 13 receptions for 129 yards and one touchdown. Manumaleuna recorded a six-yard touchdown catch in the season opener at the

. He was inactive for weeks four and five because of a knee injury. Manumaleuna recorded season highs with three receptions for 51 yards in Seattle, which included a season-long, 33-yard reception. He recorded a 29-yard receptions in the season finale against the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divi ...

San Diego Chargers

On April 30, 2006, Manumaleuna was

trade Trade involves the transfer of goods and services from one person or entity to another, often in exchange for money. Economists refer to a system or network that allows trade as a market. An early form of trade, barter, saw the direct excha ...

d by the

to the San Diego Chargers for a fourth-round pick. In 2006, Manumaleuna recorded 14 receptions for 91 yards and three touchdowns. Manumaleuna recorded a season high four receptions and his first touchdown reception of the season during week six at the

at Arrowhead Stadium. He recorded a touchdown reception on a halfback option pass from

LaDainian Tomlinson LaDainian Tarshane Tomlinson (born June 23, 1979) is a former American football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons. After a successful college career with the TCU Horned Frogs, the San Diego Chargers se ...

, in the season opening win at the Oakland Raiders. Manumaleuna had an extensive role in blocking for a 216-yard, three touchdown rushing day against the Rams. He had a hand in the Chargers' win over the Cincinnati Bengals with a career-high two touchdown receptions. The first of which was for nine yards and the second was on a third-and-five play late in the fourth quarter. Manumaleuna recorded two receptions against 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 headquar ...

was a run after a reception in which he broke several tackles and lost his helmet en route to a 19-yard gain on third-and-seven in the late second quarter. In 2007, Manumaleuna recorded 10 receptions for 86 yards and one touchdown. Manumaleuna recorded one reception for four yards during the season opener against the Chicago Bears. During week six he recorded two receptions for 18 yards against the Oakland Raiders. In week eight against the Houston Texans, Manumaleuna recorded one reception for two yards. During week nine at the

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 expansi ...

, he recorded two receptions for 13 yards. In week 12, Manumaleuna recorded one reception for zero yards, 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 it ...

. The next week at the

he recorded two catches for 48 yards. His 40-yard catch was his longest catch since 2004. During week 15 against the Detroit Lions, Manumaleuna recorded one reception for one yard and one touchdown on a pass from quarterback

Philip Rivers Philip Michael Rivers (born December 8, 1981) is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 17 seasons, primarily with the Chargers franchise. He played college football at NC State and was se ...

. He recorded two receptions for 18 yards against the

Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their hom ...

in the AFC Wild Card game. He then recorded one reception for three yards in the AFC Divisional Championship game. In 2008, he played 16 games, starting 11, and caught 15 passes for 127 yards and two touchdowns. The following year, he played in 16 games with 5 starts and caught 5 passes for thirteen yards.

Chicago Bears

On March 5, 2010, Manumaleuna signed a five-year $15 million deal ($6.1 guaranteed) contract with the Chicago Bears on the first day of free agency. He was released on July 28, 2011, after one season in Chicago.

Personal

Manumaleuna means "

bird-of-paradise The birds-of-paradise are members of the family Paradisaeidae of the order Passeriformes. The majority of species are found in eastern Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and eastern Australia. The family has 44 species in 17 genera. The members of this ...

". Manumaleuna’s off-the-field interests include playing

and spending time with his family. He is a second-generation NFL player. His father,

Frank Manumaleuga Frank Toto'a Manumaleuna (May 9, 1956 – June 1, 2022) was an American football linebacker who played three seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Chiefs in the fourth round of the 1979 ...

, played

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, ...

for the

from

1979 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the '' International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the '' Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the so ...

1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The FMLN launches its first major offensiv ...

. Frank played at

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California ...

in the early 1970s. Brandon showed early signs of following in his father’s footsteps. At the age of 11, he won the NFL’s

Punt, Pass, and Kick Punt, pass and kick (PP&K) was a skills competition offered by the US National Football League for children aged 6 to 15. Overview PP&K began in 1961 and at one time, event highlights were shown by CBS Sports as part of its NFL coverage. The co ...

Competition. Manumaleuna is a 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 ch ...

References

External links

San Diego Chargers bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Manumaleuna, Brandon 1980 births Living people Latter Day Saints from California American football tight ends Arizona Wildcats football players St. Louis Rams players San Diego Chargers players Chicago Bears players American sportspeople of Samoan descent African-American players of American football People from Harbor City, Los Angeles Players of American football from Los Angeles Players of American football from Torrance, California 21st-century African-American sportspeople 20th-century African-American people