Vincent Keoni Manuwai (July 12, 1980 – November 4, 2018) 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 wi ...

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 ...

. He was drafted in the third round of the

2003 NFL Draft The 2003 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League (NFL) teams selected amateur college football players. The draft is known officially as the "NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting" and has been conducted annually since 1936. T ...

by the

Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. The team pla ...

. He played college football for 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 ...

Warriors A warrior is a person specializing in combat or warfare, especially within the context of a tribal or clan-based warrior culture society that recognizes a separate warrior aristocracies, class, or caste. History Warriors seem to have be ...

Early years

Manuwai was born in

Honolulu, Hawaii Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the island o ...

. He attended Farrington High School in Honolulu, where he earned

varsity letter A varsity letter (or monogram) is an award earned in the United States for excellence in school activities. A varsity letter signifies that its recipient was a qualified varsity team member, awarded after a certain standard was met. Description ...

s three times each in football and track and field and once in basketball. In football, he earned All-Conference and All-State honors. In track and field, he was All-League in the shot put, and first team All-League and second team All-State in the

discus throw The discus throw (), also known as disc throw, is a track and field event in which an athlete throws a heavy disc—called a discus—in an attempt to mark a farther distance than their competitors. It is an ancient sport, as demonstrated by th ...

. Vincent Manuwai graduated from Farrington High School in 1999.

College career

Manuwai attended the

, where he played for the

Hawaii Warriors football The Hawaii Rainbow Warriors football team represents the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa in NCAA Division I FBS college football. It was part of the Western Athletic Conference until July 2012, when the team joined the Mountain West Conferenc ...

team. He was a three-year starter and played all positions on the line. He was regarded as one of the best pass protectors in the country. He did not allow a sack in his last 35 games as a starter with 60 knockdowns. Manuwai honors include:

All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...

first-team choice by ''

College Football News ''College Football News'' (''CFN'') is a magazine and website published by College Football News, Inc., headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. News coverage includes scores, statistics, rankings, and reports on college football games. Analysis includ ...

'' as a senior, All- WAC first-team, received the Warrior Club Award (team's best player). He majored in sociology.

Professional career

Jacksonville Jaguars

Manuwai was drafted by the

in the third round (72nd pick overall) of the

. Manuwai was one of the key factors in Jacksonville's rushing success. Through the 2007 season, Manuwai started all but one game for the Jaguars and was the most successful player on the offensive line. With Manuwai as guard, the Jaguars offense rushed for 2,541 yards in 2006 and 2,391 in 2007. In 2008, however, he suffered

anterior cruciate ligament The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of a pair of cruciate ligament Cruciate ligaments (also cruciform ligaments) are pairs of ligaments arranged like a letter X. They occur in several joints of the body, such as the knee joint and th ...

(ACL) and

medial collateral ligament The medial collateral ligament (MCL), or tibial collateral ligament (TCL), is one of the four major ligaments of the knee. It is on the medial (inner) side of the knee joint in humans and other primates. Its primary function is to resist outwar ...

(MCL) injuries and was placed on injured reserve for the remainder of the season. He returned in 2009, and spent the season overcoming his injury and other obstacles. In 2010, he was replaced on the starting line by Justin Smiley. He recovered the starting spot when Smiley was injured in October, and became a significant factor in the emergence of Jacksonville's formidable running game. On July 29, 2011, Manuwai was released by Jacksonville.

Atlanta Falcons

The Atlanta Falcons signed Manuwai on March 9, 2012. He was released on July 28, 2012.

Death

Manuwai died on November 4, 2018, at the age of 38, after reportedly collapsing while moving into an apartment in

Honolulu Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the island ...

, Hawaii. The cause of death was an ecstasy intoxication.

References

External links

Atlanta Falcons bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Manuwai, Vince 1980 births 2018 deaths American football offensive guards Hawaii Rainbow Warriors football players Jacksonville Jaguars players Atlanta Falcons players Players of American football from Honolulu American sportspeople of Samoan descent Drug-related deaths in Hawaii