Ed Taʻamu
Personal information
Born: (1979-11-08) November 8, 1979
Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.
Height:6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight:380 lb (172 kg)
Career information
High school:Honolulu (HI) ʻIolani
College:Utah
Position:Offensive lineman
NFL Draft:2002 / Round: 4 / Pick: 132
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
Player stats at ArenaFan.com

Ed Ta'amu (born November 8, 1979) is a former arena football offensive lineman. He was originally drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the fourth round (132nd overall) of the 2002 NFL Draft. He played college football at Utah.

Ta'amu played for the Minnesota Vikings, Houston Texans, Spokane Shock and Kansas City Brigade.

As a rookie in the National Football League in 2002, he was one of 28 Samoan players in the league.[4] As well, as of October 4, 2008, he was one of 16 Polynesian players in the Arena Football League.[5]

High school career

Ta'amu attended Iolani School where he was an All-America Honorable Menchin as a senior in 1997.

College career

Ta'amu attended the University of Utah, where he was a two-year starter. Ta'amu was an academic non-qualifier in 1997, meaning he did not have the grades to play football. He joined the team in 1998, as a backup defensive end, as well as backup long snapper.[6] On the season, he recorded three tackles. In 1999, he was a backup defensive tackle, a position where he did not receive much playing time, so in turn, he was switched to offensive line. In 2000, he started all but one game.

Career summary

Ta'amu was a two-time All-Mountain West Conference selection. He recorded 123 knockdowns blocks, including a school record 25 against Brigham Young during his senior season.[7]

Ta'amu was graded at 86.8% for blocking consistency and played in 20 of 26 games during his final two seasons. He also set new school weight room records with a 625-pound squat and 412-pound hang clean.[8] As a senior, he also bench pressed 455 pounds.[8] He was also selected to the All-Mountain West Conference Second-team, as well as a First-team selection by the Las Vegas Review-Journal and Collegefootballnews.com.[8]

Professional career

Pre-draft

Ta'amu received an invitation to the 2002 NFL Scouting Combine.[9] He was rated as the sixth best guard out of 43.[9] He was projected to be drafted in the third to fourth round of the draft.[9]

Pre-draft measurables
HeightWeight40-yard dash10-yard split20-yard splitVertical jumpBench press
6 ft 1+3⁄4 in
(1.87 m)		 335 lb
(152 kg)		 5.30 s1.83 s3.04 s29 in
(0.74 m)		28 reps
All values from NFL Combine[10]

National Football League

Ta'amu was selected in the fourth round (132nd overall) of the 2002 NFL Draft by the Minnesota Vikings on April 21,[11][12] and was signed on July 17.[12] However, he suffered a knee injury and was waived by the team on September 2, 2002.[12][13] The next day, he was signed to the Vikings practice squad.[12] Then on October 16, he was placed on the practice squad's injured reserve, ending his season.[12] He was then signed by the Houston Texans on January 8.[14] He was later placed on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list on July 25.[14] He was then waived by the Texans on September 2, 2003.[14]

af2

He spent the next two years rehabbing his knee before being able to compete in a full season of professional football for the Spokane Shock of af2, in 2006. He played alongside future Kansas City Brigade teammates Charles Frederick, Jerome Stevens, Chris Cook, and Neil Purvis. That season, the Shock won ArenaCup III.

Arena Football League

On January 5, 2007 Ta'amu signed with the Kansas City Brigade of the Arena Football League. However, when the AFL folded, he became a free agent and now plays for the Spokane Shock

Kansas City Brigade

As a rookie in 2007, he began the season on injured reserve. He then started the final four games of the season, including the first ever playoff game in franchise history. In 2008, he recorded three tackles. After the season, he was released by the Brigade.[15]

Spokane Shock

After a year of waiting, the AFL was reformed and when the Spokane Shock became part of the revamped AFL, Ta'amu was once again signed by Spokane in the off season and is on the active roster.


Personal life

In 2002, Ta'amu was one of 28 Samoan players in the National Football League,[4] the most notable being Tiaina "Junior" Seau.[4] As of October 4, 2008, Ta'amu was one of 16 Polynesian players in the Arena Football League.[5]

Ta’amu’s son, Alofa Tunoa (Noa) is an ice hockey player who was selected third overall by the Edmonton Oil Kings in the 2023 WHL U.S. Priority Draft.[16]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ "Ute Football Team's 2000 Season Comes To A Close". UtahUtes.CSTV.com. University of Utah. November 28, 2000. Retrieved October 22, 2008.
  2. ↑ "1999 Results". UtahUtes.CSTV.com. University of Utah. Archived from the original on December 19, 2007. Retrieved October 22, 2008.
  3. ↑ "Utes Winners In Vegas!". December 25, 2001. Retrieved October 22, 2008.
  4. 1 2 3 "Samoan football players in the NFL". ESPN.com. ESPN. May 28, 2002. Retrieved October 22, 2008.
  5. 1 2 Markham, Makani. "AIGA Foundation Polynesian Football News and Notes". Retrieved October 22, 2008.
  6. ↑ "Weekly Football Release". UtahUtes.CSTV.com. University of Utah. September 21, 1998. Retrieved October 22, 2008.
  7. ↑ "Utah Football Team Best In Nation In Sacks Allowed". UtahUtes.CSTV.com. University of Utah. January 15, 2002. Retrieved October 22, 2008.
  8. 1 2 3 "Redskins Draft Russell In Third Round, Vikings Take Ta'amu In Fourth". UtahUtes.CSTV.com. University of Utah. April 22, 2002. Retrieved October 22, 2008.
  9. 1 2 3 "Ed Taamu, DS #6 OG, Utah". NFLDraftScout.com. Retrieved October 22, 2008.
  10. ↑ "2019 Draft Scout: QB Rankings".
  11. ↑ "2002 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 18, 2023.
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 "Vikings: Roster Moves". Vikings.com. Minnesota Vikings. Archived from the original on December 11, 2008. Retrieved October 22, 2008.
  13. ↑ "Minnesota Vikings Transactions - 2002". ESPN.com. ESPN. Retrieved October 22, 2008.
  14. 1 2 3 "2003 Transactions". HoustonTexans.com. Houston Texans. Archived from the original on April 4, 2008. Retrieved October 22, 2008.
  15. ↑ "2009 AFL Free Agency - A complete list of 2009 AFL free agents and their 2008 teams: KANSAS CITY BRIGADE". KCBrigade.com. Arena Football League. October 6, 2008. Archived from the original on October 23, 2008. Retrieved October 22, 2008.
  16. ↑ "Oil Kings sign 2023 U.S. Priority Draft third-overall pick Alofa Tunoa Ta'amu". Western Hockey League . Retrieved May 10, 2023.
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