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Sione Fua

Sione Fua
refer to caption
Fua in the 2013 NFL season
No. 94, 98, 70
Position:Nose tackle
Personal information
Born: (1988-06-15) June 15, 1988 (age 36)
Lodi, California, U.S.
Height:6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight:307 lb (139 kg)
Career information
High school:Crespi Carmelite (Encino, California)
College:Stanford
NFL draft:2011 / round: 3 / pick: 97
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Total tackles:35
Forced fumbles:1
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Sione Fua (/siˈoʊneɪ ˈfuːɑː/ see-OH-nay FOO-ah; born June 15, 1988)[1] is an American former professional football player who was a nose tackle in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected in the third round of the 2011 NFL draft by the Carolina Panthers after playing three seasons of college football for the Stanford Cardinal. Fua is of Tongan descent.

Early life

Fua was born in Lodi, California.[2] A native of the San Fernando Valley, Fua attended Crespi Carmelite High School in Encino, California. He did not play football until high school, but quickly became the varsity's best two-way lineman. As junior in 2004, Fua did not give up a quarterback sack and helped Crespi win the CIF Southern Section Division X championship.[3] As a senior, Fua had over 60 tackles and eight sacks, while Crespi repeated as division champs, defeating Lompoc 24–14.[4]

College recruiting information
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight 40‡ Commit date
Sione Fua
OG 		Encino, CA Crespi 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 290 lb (130 kg) 4.9 Feb 1, 2006 
Star ratings: Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 75

Regarded as a three-star recruit by Rivals.com, he was listed as the No. 47 defensive tackle prospect in the class of 2006.[5] He chose Stanford over offers from Brigham Young, California, and Oregon.

Besides football, Fua was also an accomplished wrestler. Competing in the heavyweight division, where he constantly had to keep his weight below the 275-pound (125 kg) maximum, Fua won a CIF State Wrestling Championship as a senior in 2006. He beat fellow Polynesian Romney Fuga of Huntington Beach Edison High School, who himself became a nose tackle at Brigham Young.[6] Fua became the only wrestler from the San Fernando Valley to win a state title.[6]

College career

Fua enrolled in Stanford in 2006. In his true freshman year, Fua played in all 12 games and finished with 16 tackles, including seven solo stops. He then missed the 2007 season while on a LDS Church mission, but retained a year of eligibility. Fua returned for the 2008 season and played in all 12 games with seven starts. He recorded 17 total tackles, including 11 solo.

As a junior, Fua started the last 11 games of the season at defensive tackle and finished with 24 tackles, including 3.0 for loss, and 1.5 quarterback sacks. He earned an honorable mention All-Pac-10 selection.

Professional career

Pre-draft

Projected to be a fourth-round selection, Fua was listed as the No. 15 defensive tackle in the 2011 NFL draft by Sports Illustrated.[7] The scouting report acknowledged he "displayed consistent progress" in college and "possesses the skill and potential to break into a starting lineup," but raised concerns about his marginal productivity in college.[8]

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
6 ft 1+3⁄8 in
(1.86 m) 		308 lb
(140 kg) 		34 in
(0.86 m) 		10+1⁄2 in
(0.27 m)		 5.28 s 1.77 s 2.86 s 4.54 s 7.54 s 24 in
(0.61 m)		 8 ft 5 in
(2.57 m)		 30 reps
All values from NFL Scouting Combine.[9][10]

Carolina Panthers

Fua (94) on the sidelines of a game against the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2011

Fua was selected with the 97th pick in the 2011 NFL draft by the Carolina Panthers.[11] After starting in eleven games for the Panthers in 2011, he was placed on the injured reserve list on December 6.

Fua was cut on August 31, 2013.[12] He re-signed on September 11, 2013. In the week of November 8, the Panthers announced that they would be switching Fua to the guard position.[13] On November 12, Fua was waived by the Panthers.[14]

Denver Broncos

Fua was signed by the Denver Broncos on November 27, 2013 following an injury that led to starting defensive tackle, Kevin Vickerson, to be placed on injured reserve.[15]

Cleveland Browns

Fua was signed by the Cleveland Browns on October 14, 2014, following a season-ending ACL injury to defensive end Armonty Bryant.[16]

Personal life

Sione Fua is of Tongan descent, the oldest son of George and Helen Fua.[6] His younger brother, Alani Fua, played as a linebacker on the Arizona Cardinals.

His father, George Fua, of San Mateo, played tight end for Ricks College, San Joaquin Delta College, and Cal State Northridge in the late 1980s and early 1990s.[17] He went undrafted in the 1991 NFL draft and briefly played professional football in the Arena Football League, with the Sacramento Attack and Miami Hooters.[18] He now operates a construction company in Northridge, California.

Since August 2012, Sione Fua is married to Ivy (née Avanessian) of North Hills, who currently is a graduate of University of California, San Francisco School of Dentistry and a practicing pediatric dentist. They have one son.[19]

References

  1. ^ "Sione Fua". NFL.com. Retrieved May 2, 2018.
  2. ^ "Sione Fua Biography". ESPN. Retrieved December 12, 2023.
  3. ^ Sondheimer, Eric (February 1, 2005). "Fua Gets Ready to Be Courted". Los Angeles Times.
  4. ^ "Looking Back at More Than a Half-Century of Crespi Football Memories". Encino-Tarzana Patch. November 23, 2010. Archived from the original on June 30, 2013.
  5. ^ "Defensive tackles 2006". Rivals.com. January 31, 2010.
  6. ^ a b c "Fua is Pride of the Valley: Crespi Senior Becomes Area's First State Champ". Los Angeles Daily News. March 12, 2006. Archived from the original on June 28, 2013. Alt URL
  7. ^ "View Draft by Positions". CNN. Archived from the original on April 17, 2011.
  8. ^ "Sione Fua". CNN. Archived from the original on March 8, 2013.
  9. ^ "NFL Events: Combine Player Profiles - Sione Fua". NFL.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved April 10, 2013.
  10. ^ "Hall of Football".
  11. ^ "2011 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved February 26, 2019.
  12. ^ "Carolina Panthers cut-down analysis - Carolina Panthers Blog- ESPN". August 31, 2013.
  13. ^ Newton, David (November 8, 2013). "Reasons Chandler can succeed on OL". ESPN.com. Retrieved January 19, 2014.
  14. ^ Sione Fua waived by Panthers
  15. ^ Gantt, Darin (November 27, 2013). "Broncos put Kevin Vickerson on IR, sign Sione Fua". NBCSporst.com. Retrieved January 19, 2014.
  16. ^ Alper, Josh (October 14, 2014). "Browns sign Sione Fua, place Armonty Bryant on IR". Pro Football Talk. Retrieved October 14, 2014.
  17. ^ Hiserman, Mike (September 1, 1990). "Fua More Than Just a Routine Performer : College football: Cal State Northridge's starting tight end is also an accomplished dancer". Los Angeles Times.
  18. ^ George Fua's profile at ArenaFan.com
  19. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on March 4, 2016. Retrieved April 10, 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
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