Mao Tosi
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.
 Tosi in 2011 | |||||||||
| No. 78 | |||||||||
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| Position: | Defensive tackle | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | December 12, 1976 Manu'a, American Samoa | ||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 341 lb (155 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | Anchorage (AK) East | ||||||||
| College: | Idaho, Butler CC (KS) | ||||||||
| NFL Draft: | 2000 / Round: 5 / Pick: 136 | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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| Player stats at PFR | |||||||||
Early years
Born in Maun'a, 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
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
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. 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]
After football
Tosi moved back to Alaska to raise his young family. In 2006, Tosi began working with at-risk youth in Anchorage, and later founded a non-profit organization, AK P.R.I.D.E. (Alaskan People Representing Integrity and Diverse Experiences) Youth Programs.
References
- Doogan, Sean (July 23, 2013). "Mao Tosi: Next mayor of Anchorage?". Anchorage Daily News. (Alaska). Retrieved August 25, 2018.
- Meehan, Jim (March 6, 1998). "The Incredible Bulk". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Retrieved August 25, 2018.
- Pond, Alex (November 22, 1999). "Stinger forces tough conclusion for Tosi". Moscow-Pullman Daily News. (Idaho-Washington). p. 3B.
- Meehan, Jim (December 31, 1998). "Destiny smiles on Idaho: UI stuns Southern Miss". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). p. C1.
- Johnson, David (December 31, 1998). "Vandals seize the moment". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). p. 1A.
- Sahlberg, Bert (December 31, 1998). "True Humanitarians". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). p. 1B.
- Pond, Alex (December 31, 1998). "Vandals victorious". Moscow-Pullman Daily News. (Idaho-Washington). p. 1C.
- "Idaho stuns S. Mississippi in Boise bowl". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. December 31, 1998. p. 2D.
- Pond, Alex (November 20, 1999). "Vandals, Broncos put their seasons on the line". Moscow-Pullman Daily News. (Idaho-Washington). p. 1B.
- Pond, Alex (November 22, 1999). "Broncos buck UI bowl bid". Moscow-Pullman Daily News. (Idaho-Washington). p. 1B.
External links
- Alaska High School Hall of Fame – Mao Tosi
- Career statistics and player information from NFL.com · Pro Football Reference