Kaluka Maiava (born December 27, 1986) 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 ...

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, ...

who played for the Cleveland Browns and Oakland Raiders 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). He was drafted by the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (A ...

in the fourth round of the

2009 NFL Draft The 2009 NFL Draft was the seventy-fourth annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, New York, on April 25 and 26, 2009. ...

. He played college football at USC. He is currently a head coach of the

Hawaii Preparatory Academy Hawaii Preparatory Academy (also known as HPA) is a coeducational, private, day and international boarding school in Kamuela, Hawaii, providing K-12 education. The school has an annual day tuition at the Lower School (K-5) of $22,900, $25,300 at t ...

football team.

High school career

Maiava attended

Henry Perrine Baldwin High School Henry Perrine Baldwin High School is a public high school in Wailuku, Hawaii. Serving in the major commercial, industrial, and municipal communities of the island of Maui, its curriculum offers a wide range of courses, including Advanced Placemen ...

Wailuku, Hawaii Wailuku is a census-designated place (CDP) in and county seat of Maui County, Hawaii, United States. The population was 17,697 at the 2020 census. Wailuku is located just west of Kahului, at the mouth of the Iao Valley. In the early 20th cent ...

on the island of Maui. His junior year, he had 157 tackles, 22 tackles for loss and 8 sacks. Before his senior season, Maiava nearly transferred to

Kahuku High School Kahuku High & Intermediate School, located in Kahuku CDP, City and County of Honolulu, Hawaii, United States, on the island of Oahu, serves approximately 1,850 students in grades seven through twelve and is part of the Windward District on the is ...

on the island of

Oahu Oahu () ( Hawaiian: ''Oʻahu'' ()), also known as "The Gathering Place", is the third-largest of the Hawaiian Islands. It is home to roughly one million people—over two-thirds of the population of the U.S. state of Hawaii. The island of O� ...

, where his uncle was an assistant coach, to get more attention at a program known for its NFL alumni; however, his strong performance in football camps on the

mainland Mainland is defined as "relating to or forming the main part of a country or continent, not including the islands around it egardless of status under territorial jurisdiction by an entity" The term is often politically, economically and/or dem ...

influenced him to remain at Baldwin.Paul Honda
Hard work takes Maiava
''Honolulu Star-Bulletin'', October 15, 2004, Accessed January 8, 2009. His senior year, he had 147 tackles, 39 tackles for loss, 8 sacks, 8 forced fumbles and 5 blocked kicks, as well as a punt return for a TD. As a student, he achieved a 3.6 grade point average and an

SAT The SAT ( ) is a standardized test widely used for college admissions in the United States. Since its debut in 1926, its name and scoring have changed several times; originally called the Scholastic Aptitude Test, it was later called the Schol ...

score of 1010 (old scoring system).Stacy Kaneshiro
Maiava glad to be done with recruiting process
''Honolulu Advertiser'', January 30, 2005, Accessed January 8, 2009. He modeled himself after Chicago Bears linebacker

Brian Urlacher Brian Urlacher (; born May 25, 1978) is an American former football linebacker who spent his entire 13-season career in the National Football League (NFL) with the Chicago Bears. He played college football for the New Mexico Lobos, where h ...

. Considered the top recruit coming out of Hawaii and one of the top prospects at the linebacker position, Maiava was heavily recruited.Kaluka Maiava - Football Recruiting
Rivals.com, Accessed January 8, 2009. A number of major programs offered him

scholarships A scholarship is a form of financial aid awarded to students for further education. Generally, scholarships are awarded based on a set of criteria such as academic merit, diversity and inclusion, athletic skill, and financial need. Scholarsh ...

, including

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 ...

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

Oregon Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. T ...

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...

BYU Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day S ...

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the wes ...

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

UTEP The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) is a public research university in El Paso, Texas. It is a member of the University of Texas System. UTEP is the second-largest university in the United States to have a majority Mexican American stu ...

; however, he was not strongly recruited by the

University of Hawaii 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, th ...

, then under

June Jones June Sheldon Jones III (born February 19, 1953) is an American football coach and former player who is currently the Offensive Coordinator of the Seattle Sea Dragons. Jones was the head football coach at the University of Hawaii at Manoa from 1 ...

. His final three choices were USC, UCLA and Colorado. In the summer before his senior year, while attending camps on the mainland, he was invited to make an official visit to UCLA. Impressed by their facilities and coaching staff, he made a soft verbal commitment to UCLA in July 2004. However, Maiava decided to visit other programs and eventually drawn to USC, where he was attracted to the energy of the players and coaches, the program's popularity and the Hollywood atmosphere. He committed to USC on October 11, 2004; he joined the same class as fellow Trojans linebacker

Brian Cushing Brian Patrick Cushing (born January 24, 1987) is a former American football linebacker. He played college football at USC, and was drafted by the Houston Texans in the first round of the 2009 NFL Draft and played his entire 9-year career for the ...

. He is the first player from Maui to play for USC.Dan Weber
Maiava makes most of his shot
''The Press-Enterprise'', December 25, 2008, Accessed January 8, 2009. In February 2005, the Council of the County of Maui honored him with a resolution congratulating him for all of his high school football achievements.Resolution 05-17: CONGRATULATING KALUKA MAIAVA ON HIS HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL ACHIEVEMENTS
, Council of the County of Maui, February 18, 2005, Accessed January 8, 2009.

College career

Maiava attended USC and played for the USC Trojan football team (2005-2008 seasons) under

head coach A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches. In some sports, the head coach is instead called the "manager", as in assoc ...

Pete Carroll Peter Clay Carroll (born September 15, 1951) is an American football coach who is the head coach and executive vice president for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). He was previously the head football coach at USC from ...

and Linebacker Coach

Ken Norton Jr Kenneth Howard Norton Jr. (born September 29, 1966) is an American football coach and former linebacker who most recently served as the defensive coordinator for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL) from 2018 to 2021. He ...

. The 2008 linebacker corps at USC, featuring

, Maiava,

Clay Matthews III William Clay Matthews III (born May 14, 1986) is an American former professional football player who was an outside linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). The six-time Pro Bowl selection and two-time All-Pro played primarily with the ...

, and Rey Maualuga, was ranked as one of the most talented linebacker corps in college football history. During his freshman season at USC, Maiava was selected by the team as co-special teams player of the year along with kicker

Mario Danelo Mario Danelo (July 3, 1985 – January 6, 2007) was an American college football placekicker for the University of Southern California. High school career Danelo was an all–Los Angeles linebacker at San Pedro High School in San Pedro, Califor ...

, he also won the Trojans' Service Team Defensive Player of the Year.Gary Klein
The Best in the Nation Is Also Trojan MVP
''Los Angeles Times'', December 14, 2005, Accessed January 8, 2009. In 2006, he had 34 tackles, including 3½ for losses while playing in 12 games and again winning the team's Co-Special Teams Player of the Year Award. During his junior, 2007 season, he was a key reserve, making 44 tackles, including 4½ for losses, two sacks, two pass deflections and a forced fumble while appearing in all 13 games and starting once, against

Arizona State Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public research university in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, ASU is one of the largest public universities by enrollment in the ...

. During that season's

bowl game In North America, a bowl game is one of a number of post-season college football games that are primarily played by teams belonging to the NCAA's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). For most of its history, the Division I Bowl Subdivi ...

, the

2008 Rose Bowl The 2008 Rose Bowl Game presented by Citi, the 94th Rose Bowl Game, played on January 1, 2008 at the Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, California, was a college football bowl game. The contest was televised on ABC, the 20th straight year the network ...

, he suffered a wrist injury and was unable to participate in spring practices.Kalani Takase
Baldwin alum starts at USC
''Honolulu Advertiser'', July 9, 2008, Accessed January 8, 2009. Going into his senior, 2008 season, he replaced All-American, top-10

NFL Draft The National Football League Draft, also called the NFL Draft or (officially) the Player Selection Meeting, is an annual event which serves as the league's most common source of player recruitment. Each team is given a position in the drafting o ...

selection Keith Rivers in a linebacking corp that included highly touted NFL prospects

and Rey Maualuga. He had a strong senior season, finishing the regular season with 62 tackles, 7½ for losses, three pass deflections and an interception while making all 12 starts. He won the team player of the game award against rival- Notre Dame, and had the highest number tackles in games were USC struggled against opposing teams' rushing attack. In the

2009 Rose Bowl The 2009 Rose Bowl, the 95th edition of the annual game, was a college football bowl game played on Thursday, January 1, 2009 at the same-named stadium in Pasadena, California. Because of sponsorship by Citi, the first game in the 2009 edition ...

Game, Maiava became the third straight linebacker from USC to have won the most valuable defensive player of the game, following 2009 bowl game teammates Cushing (2007) and Maualuga (2008).Gary Klein
USC's Stafon Johnson to return; C.J. Gable might not
''Los Angeles Times'', January 2, 2009, Accessed January 8, 2009. Maiava was one of twelve USC players, including the four senior linebackers

, Maiava,

, and Rey Maualuga, who attended the by-invitation-only 2009

NFL Scouting Combine The NFL Scouting Combine is a week-long showcase occurring every February at Lucas Oil Stadium (and formerly at the RCA Dome until 2008) in Indianapolis, where college football players perform physical and mental tests in front of National Foo ...

(top rated NCAA Division 1 teams might send only one to three senior players to the Combine).Ted Miller
Pac-10 NFL combine invitees
, ESPN.com, February 2, 2009, Accessed February 2, 2009.

Awards and honors

Defensive MVP *2008 coaches Second-team All- Pac-10 *2005-2006 USC Special Teams player of the Year

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables

Cleveland Browns

Maiava was drafted by the

in the fourth round, 104th overall in the

Oakland Raiders

On March 13, 2013, Maiava signed a three-year, $6 million contract with the Oakland Raiders. On July 10, 2013, Maiava was charged with assault and criminal property damage. Maiava was released by the Raiders on November 17, 2014.

Personal life

Maiava's father, Scott Mahoney, attended and played football for Kamehameha Schools and the University of Colorado as an offensive lineman. His mother, Kathryn, works for an airline, which allowed the family the ability to take free trips to the mainland during Maiava's high school recruiting period. His brother, Kai, also played football at Colorado and UCLA. He is the grandson of

professional wrestler Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring o ...

Neff Maiava Neff Alfred Maiava (May 1, 1924 – April 21, 2018) was an American Samoan professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances in the United States with the Honolulu, Hawaii-based promotion 50th State Big Time Wrestling in the late-1950s ...

, and the nephew of

Dwayne Johnson Dwayne Douglas Johnson (born May 2, 1972), also known by his ring name The Rock, is an American actor and former professional wrestler. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, he was integral to the develop ...

, who played football at

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at ...

before gaining fame as professional wrestler "The Rock".

References

External links

Oakland Raiders bio

Cleveland Browns bio

{{DEFAULTSORT:Maiava, Kaluka 1986 births Players of American football from Honolulu American sportspeople of Samoan descent USC Trojans football players Cleveland Browns players Oakland Raiders players American football linebackers Living people