Frank Toto'a Manumaleuna (May 9, 1956 – June 1, 2022) was an

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 ...

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, p ...

who played three seasons with 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 ...

of 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). He was drafted by the Chiefs in the fourth round of the

1979 NFL Draft The 1979 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 draft was held May 3–4, 1979, at the Waldorf Astoria ...

. He first enrolled at the

University of California, Los Angeles 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 St ...

before transferring to

De Anza College De Anza College is a public community college in Cupertino, California. It is part of the Foothill-De Anza Community College District, which also administers Foothill College in nearby Los Altos Hills, California. The college is named after the ...

and lastly

San José State University San José State University (San Jose State or SJSU) is a public university in San Jose, California. Established in 1857, SJSU is the oldest public university on the West Coast and the founding campus of the California State University (CSU) sys ...

. Manumaleuna attended

Phineas Banning High School Phineas Banning High School is located in the Wilmington neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, and is a part of the Los Angeles Unified School District. History Banning High School was renamed in honor of General Phineas Banning when a n ...

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

. He was also a member of the

Oakland Invaders The Oakland Invaders were a professional American football team that played in the United States Football League (USFL) from 1983 through 1985. Based in Oakland, California, they played at the Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum. The team can trac ...

and

Portland Breakers The Portland Breakers were an American football team that played in the United States Football League (USFL) in the mid-1980s. Before moving to Portland, Oregon, the franchise was previously in Boston, Massachusetts as the Boston Breakers and ...

of the

United States Football League The United States Football League (USFL) was a professional American football league that played for three seasons, 1983 through 1985. The league played a spring/summer schedule in each of its active seasons. The 1986 season was scheduled to be ...

(USFL). Manumaleuna died on June 1, 2022, in

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

Early years

Manumaleuna participated in

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 ...

, basketball, baseball and track at Phineas Banning High School.

College career

Manumaleuna sustained a spine and neck injury during his only game for the

UCLA Bruins The UCLA Bruins are the athletic teams that represent the University of California, Los Angeles. The Bruin men's and women's teams participate in NCAA Division I as part of the Pac-12 Conference and the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF). ...

as a freshman in 1974 in Knoxville during a 17–17 tie with the

Tennessee Volunteers The Tennessee Volunteers and Lady Volunteers are the 20 male and female varsity college athletics, intercollegiate athletics programs that represent the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee. The Volunteers compete in NCAA Division I, ...

. However, he earned Chevrolet Player of the Game honors after making 25 tackles during the game. He also played one year of basketball for the Bruins. However, the UCLA medical staff would not clear him to resume football activities. Manumaleuna then played two years of

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 ...

at De Anza College and averaged fifteen yards per carry as a fullback. He transferred to play for the

San Jose State Spartans The San Jose State Spartans are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent San José State University. SJSU sports teams compete in the Mountain West Conference (MW) at the NCAA Division I level, with football competing in the Football B ...

from 1977 to 1978. He was inducted into the San Jose State University Sports Hall of Fame.

Professional career

Manumaleuna was selected by the

of the NFL with the 85th pick in the

. He played in 35 games, starting 29, for the Chiefs from 1979 to 1981. He played in 36 games, all starts, for the USFL's

from 1983 to 1984. Manumaleuna played for the

of the USFL during the 1985 season.

Personal life

Manumaleuna’s son

Brandon Manumaleuna Brandon Michael Manumaleuna (; born January 4, 1980) is a former American football tight end. He played college football at Arizona and was drafted by the St. Louis Rams in the fourth round of the 2001 NFL Draft. Manumaleuna has also been a mem ...

also played in the NFL. Frank's nephew Eathyn Manumaleuna spent time during the 2014 off-season with the

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

and

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 ...

References

External links

Just Sports Stats
{{DEFAULTSORT:Manumaleuga, Frank 1956 births 2022 deaths Players of American football from Hawaii American sportspeople of Samoan descent American football linebackers American football fullbacks UCLA Bruins football players UCLA Bruins men's basketball players De Anza Dons football players San Jose State Spartans football players Kansas City Chiefs players Oakland Invaders players Boston/New Orleans/Portland Breakers players People from Laie American men's basketball players Players of American football from Los Angeles