1. Mosiula Mea'alofa "Lofa" Tatupu was born on November 15,1982 and is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker for six seasons with the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League.
20 Facts About Lofa Tatupu
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Lofa Tatupu was born in San Diego, California and graduated in 2001 from King Philip Regional High School in Wrentham, Massachusetts, where he played quarterback and linebacker in his junior and senior year.
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Lofa Tatupu spent his freshman year of college at the University of Maine before transferring to the University of Southern California, where he majored in sociology and played for the USC Trojans football team.
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Lofa Tatupu wore the number 58, which was later worn by another USC linebacker of Samoan heritage, Rey Maualuga.
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Lofa Tatupu played within the player development program managed by head coach Pete Carroll and assistant head coach for defense and linebacker coach Ken Norton Jr.
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Lofa Tatupu started 25 games during his two years for the Trojans.
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Lofa Tatupu finished his USC career with 202 tackles, nine sacks, seven interceptions, three fumble recoveries, three forced fumbles, 18 pass deflections, and one touchdown.
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Lofa Tatupu received first-team All-American honors from Sports Illustrated following the 2004 season.
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Lofa Tatupu was selected 45th overall in the second round of the 2005 NFL draft by the Seattle Seahawks.
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Seahawks general manager Tim Ruskell, who used two fourth-round picks to move up nine spots in the draft to get him, took some criticism for trading up for Lofa Tatupu, who was considered slightly undersized and a little slow.
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Lofa Tatupu quickly established himself as one of the top defensive players in the league as a rookie in 2005, in which he was named to the Pro Bowl, while leading the NFC Champion Seahawks in tackles, with 104, en route to their first Super Bowl appearance in franchise history.
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Lofa Tatupu was voted to the Pro Bowl for the first three years of his NFL career: 2005,2006 and 2007.
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In 2007, Lofa Tatupu was voted to the All-Pro team by the AP.
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In 2008, Lofa Tatupu was hampered by nagging injuries which resulted in him playing at a lower level than he has in the past, and as a result cost him a chance to play in four consecutive Pro Bowls.
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Lofa Tatupu emerged as the Seahawks' young and fiery leader on defense, making his teammates more attentive to preparation by watching more game tape and calling defensive signals on the field.
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On October 19,2009, during a game versus the Arizona Cardinals, Lofa Tatupu tore his left pectoral muscle after a collision with teammate Deon Grant and was ruled out for the rest of the season, a huge loss to the already ailing Seahawks.
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Lofa Tatupu was released by Seattle on July 31,2011, after he and the Seattle Seahawks could not come to an agreement on a re-structured contract.
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On March 10,2012, Lofa Tatupu signed a two-year, $5.75 million contract with the Atlanta Falcons.
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On July 24,2012, Lofa Tatupu suffered a torn pectoral and would miss the entire 2012 NFL season.
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The Seahawks announced on February 9,2015, that Lofa Tatupu would be joining Pete Carroll and new defensive coordinator Kris Richard's staff as assistant linebacker coach.