Mao Tosi
 Tosi in 2011 | |||||||||
| No. 78 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Defensive tackle | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | December 12, 1976 Manuʻa District, American Samoa | ||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 341 lb (155 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | East Anchorage (Anchorage, Alaska) | ||||||||
| College: | Butler CC (1996–1997), Idaho (1998–1999) | ||||||||
| NFL draft: | 2000 / round: 5 / pick: 136 | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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Falemao "Mao" Tosi (born December 12, 1976) is a former American football player, a defensive tackle for two seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He is the only Samoan to date to be named Alaska's high school basketball player of the year.
Early years
[edit]Born in Manuʻa District, American Samoa, he moved with his family at age three to San Diego, California, and to Anchorage, Alaska, about a decade later.[1] When his parents returned to San Diego, he stayed in Anchorage with an older brother. At East Anchorage High School, he starred in basketball for the Thunderbirds with teammate Trajan Langdon.[2]
College
[edit]After graduation from high school in 1995, Tosi received a basketball scholarship to Butler Community College in El Dorado, Kansas, northeast of Wichita. The Grizzlies were ranked #1 in the country during the 1996–97 season, and finished third in the NJCAA Tourney during the 1995–96 season.
He received a scholarship to play basketball at the University of Idaho in Moscow, where he excelled as a dual-sport athlete,[2] also playing football for the Vandals at defensive tackle in 1998 and 1999.[3] In 1998, Idaho won the Big West Conference title and upset Southern Mississippi in the Humanitarian Bowl in Boise and finished with a 9–3 record.[4][5][6][7][8] The next year, the Vandals were 7–3 entering the final game against rival Boise State for the conference title,[9] but Tosi was kept out by the medical staff due to a neck stinger, and the Vandals were soundly defeated.[3][10]
Pro football
[edit]At the 2000 NFL draft, he was selected in the fifth round (136th) by the Arizona Cardinals, where he started ten games as a rookie and led the defensive line in tackles.[11] Injured in his third season in 2002, and was diagnosed with a genetic defect in his neck, spinal stenosis, which ended his playing career.[1]
NFL career statistics
[edit]| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | Games | Tackles | Interceptions | Fumbles | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Cmb | Solo | Ast | Sck | TFL | Int | Yds | TD | Lng | PD | FF | FR | Yds | TD | ||
| 2000 | ARI | 15 | 10 | 66 | 52 | 14 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2001 | ARI | 11 | 1 | 24 | 17 | 7 | 1.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 26 | 11 | 90 | 69 | 21 | 1.0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
After football
[edit]Tosi moved back to Alaska to raise his young family. In 2006, Tosi founded AK P.R.I.D.E. (Alaskan People Representing Integrity and Diverse Experiences) to combat gang activity and help teenagers.[12] In 2014 he ran unsuccessfully for the Anchorage Assembly.[13]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Doogan, Sean (July 23, 2013). "Mao Tosi: Next mayor of Anchorage?". Anchorage Daily News. (Alaska). Archived from the original on August 26, 2018. Retrieved August 25, 2018.
- ^ a b Meehan, Jim (March 6, 1998). "The Incredible Bulk". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Archived from the original on August 26, 2018. Retrieved August 25, 2018.
- ^ a b Pond, Alex (November 22, 1999). "Stinger forces tough conclusion for Tosi". Moscow-Pullman Daily News. (Idaho-Washington). p. 3B. Archived from the original on November 3, 2023. Retrieved April 28, 2024.
- ^ Meehan, Jim (December 31, 1998). "Destiny smiles on Idaho: UI stuns Southern Miss". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). p. C1. Archived from the original on October 5, 2023. Retrieved April 28, 2024.
- ^ Johnson, David (December 31, 1998). "Vandals seize the moment". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). p. 1A. Archived from the original on October 5, 2023. Retrieved April 28, 2024.
- ^ Sahlberg, Bert (December 31, 1998). "True Humanitarians". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). p. 1B. Archived from the original on October 5, 2023. Retrieved April 28, 2024.
- ^ Pond, Alex (December 31, 1998). "Vandals victorious". Moscow-Pullman Daily News. (Idaho-Washington). p. 1C. Archived from the original on October 5, 2023. Retrieved April 28, 2024.
- ^ "Idaho stuns S. Mississippi in Boise bowl". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. December 31, 1998. p. 2D. Archived from the original on October 5, 2023. Retrieved April 28, 2024.
- ^ Pond, Alex (November 20, 1999). "Vandals, Broncos put their seasons on the line". Moscow-Pullman Daily News. (Idaho-Washington). p. 1B. Archived from the original on November 3, 2023. Retrieved April 28, 2024.
- ^ Pond, Alex (November 22, 1999). "Broncos buck UI bowl bid". Moscow-Pullman Daily News. (Idaho-Washington). p. 1B. Archived from the original on November 3, 2023. Retrieved April 28, 2024.
- ^ "2000 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on October 27, 2018. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
- ^ "Mao Tosi…Big Man On The Move". Illaska. September 29, 2010. Archived from the original on November 26, 2022. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
- ^ Sean Doogan (April 12, 2014). "Lessons learned: First-time candidate Mao Tosi ready for another possible political run". Anchorage Daily News. Archived from the original on March 29, 2023. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
External links
[edit]- Alaska High School Hall of Fame – Mao Tosi
- Career statistics and player information from NFL.com · Pro Football Reference
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