Maa Junior Tanuvasa (born November 6, 1970) is a Samoan-born former professional football defensive lineman. He played college football at Hawaii. He was selected by the Los Angeles Rams in the eighth round of the 1993 NFL draft. He is best known for his time as a defensive end for the Denver Broncos from 1995 to 2000, where he was a member of two Super Bowls.
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| Position: | Defensive line | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | November 6, 1970 Nuʻuuli, American Samoa | ||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 270 lb (122 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | Mililani (HI) | ||||||||
| College: | Hawaii | ||||||||
| NFL draft: | 1993 / round: 8 / pick: 209 | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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Early life and college
editTanuvasa was an Interscholatic All-Star in football and track and field at Mililani High School in Mililani, Hawai'i. He moved on to the University of Hawaii, where he starred for three years, amassing 190 tackles and 10 sacks and helping Hawaii to the 1992 Western Athletic Conference championship.
Professional career
editHe was selected in the eighth round by the Los Angeles Rams in the 1993 NFL draft and spent his rookie year with them.[1] In 1994, he was cut by the Rams and spent a part of the season on the Pittsburgh Steelers' practice squad.
His first NFL season was with the Broncos in 1995, when he played one game. He worked his way into the rotation by the 1996 season, and by 1998, was a regular starter. He led the Broncos in sacks in the 1998 and 1999 seasons.[2][3] He was on the Bronco teams which won the 1997 and 1998 Super Bowl championships.
After the 2000 season with the Broncos, he joined the San Diego Chargers for one year, and the Atlanta Falcons for the next. He since returned to his native Hawai'i, where he served as an assistant football coach at his alma mater, Mililani High School.[4]
He was inducted into the Hawai'i Sports Hall of Fame in 2006.[5]
References
edit- ^ "1993 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
- ^ "1998 Denver Broncos Rosters, Stats, Schedule, Team Draftees". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved August 13, 2024.
- ^ "1999 Denver Broncos Rosters, Stats, Schedule, Team Draftees". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved August 13, 2024.
- ^ "Hawai'i Sports Hall of Fame Website". www.hawaiisportshalloffame.com. Archived from the original on April 11, 2013. Retrieved February 2, 2022.
- ^ StarBulletin.com | Sports | /2006/02/08/