Learn How to Haka From Tuihalamaka

By now, most Arizona Wildcats fans have heard of the Haka dance, the traditional Maori war dance that's taken on a life of its own in athletics. The UA has been performing it off and on since 2009; former quarterbackNick Foles talked about it with Jon Gruden this spring.

Well, the Wildcats need Haka helpers. As we reported Saturday, Arizona's players will perform the dance in front of the Zona Zoo before every home game; first-year coach Rich Rodriguez wants the student section to learn it, and perform it with them. While it's an ambitious request —  I like this year's team's chances of making the Rose Bowl better — we're happy to pass along this how-to video from defensive tackle Sione Tuihalamaka. Watch, and enjoy.

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Top Vegas QB Commits to Cats For Class of '13

Jarrett Kahanuolaokalani Solomon Jr. goes by Anu, a (much) shortened version of his middle name and a nod to his Hawaiian heritage.

Call him an Arizona Wildcat.

Solomon verbally committed to the UA on Sunday morning, giving first-year coach Rich Rodriguez a quarterback to build around starting in 2013.

Few players in the nation have been as productive as Solomon, a 6-foot-1-inch, 205-pound senior-to-be from Las Vegas Bishop Gorman High School.

In three seasons as a starter, Solomon has thrown for 7,579 yards - already a state of Nevada record - and 104 touchdowns. His 754 rushing yards and 11 ground scores speak to an electric runner.

The Scout.com recruiting service lists Solomon as a three-star recruit and the nation's 31st-best quarterback. He visited Tucson during Arizona's spring drills, and witnessed one of Rodriguez's manic practices in person. Solomon chose the UA over offers from Arizona State, Colorado, UCLA, Utah and UNLV.

"Rich Rodriguez is a different guy. His competitiveness kind of shocked me, how he kept score with the offense and the defense. I liked it," Solomon said. "I just thought of it like this: Where am I going to succeed in the future, and where will I be comfortable at? Arizona stood out the most out of those categories."

Of Solomon's stats, none are more impressive - or important - than his 43-3 mark as a starter. The Gaels went 16-1 last season and, sparked by Solomon's five first-half touchdown passes, scored 72 points in the 4A state championship game.

The 17-year-old Solomon is the first premier quarterback to verbally commit to Rodriguez, an offensive guru whose spread-option system requires a quick, capable triggerman.

The Wildcats tried to lure Old Tappan (N.J.) star Devin Fuller

in January, but he chose UCLA instead. The UA missed on Scottsdale Chaparral do-everything back Davonte Neal

a month later.

Solomon said he's can't wait to move south. Born on Oahu, Solomon moved with his family to Las Vegas - "We call it the ninth island," he quipped - seven years ago. He's friends with former UA running back Keola Antolin, another Gorman product, and familiar with Arizona's long history with Hawaiian and Polynesian players.

But that wasn't the main reason he chose Arizona, he said.

"First off, Arizona's a great school," he said. "Rich Rodriguez is going to do great things in the future, and I want to be a part of that."

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Joe Salave’a Interviews For Assistant Coaching Position With Stoops

Former Arizona and NFL defensive tackle Joe Salave’a, who has strong ties to the Polynesian football community, is in the running to fill one of the vacancies on Mike Stoops’ coaching staff.

Salave’a was back on campus this weekend on an interview.

The Wildcats lost their main connection to Polynesian recruits when defensive tackles coach Mike Tuiasosopo left last week to take a position at Colorado.

(Related from TucsonCitizen.com: Ricky Hunley: ‘I would absolutely love’ to join Stoops’ coaching staff)

The Samoan-born Salave’a, who has two years of college coaching experience at San Jose State under Dick Tomey, is popular and well-known on the islands. He founded the Joe Salave’a Foundation in 2001, which, according to his former San Jose State bio, “specializes in free football clinics for youngsters in American Samoa and Hawaii.”

“Coach Tui did a heck of a job re-establishing that pipeline that was lost there for a while,” Salave’a told TucsonCitizen.com on Saturday night. “Knowing the culture, that’s very important. …

“That is one of the components of the program that needs to be continued and needs to be nourished.”

Salave’a, 35, had a nine-year NFL career after being picked in the fourth round of the 1998 draft by Tennessee. He joined Tomey, his former coach at Arizona, at San Jose State in 2008.

“In the course of my NFL career, I was doing my own camps through my foundation,” Salave’a said. “It was an easy transition as far as working with young people, but I wasn’t really sure that coaching was where I was going until Coach Tomey gave me the opportunity to go up there.

“I fell in love with the kids, and, of course, with Coach Tomey, you’re coming full circle and have a chance to pay it forward. It was great. … The experience of being mentored under him for two years was awesome. I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”

Salave’a was out of coaching this season. Sort of. He spent a month in training camp with Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll and his staff as part of the NFL’s Bill Walsh Minority Coaching Fellowship.

Back in his home base of Las Vegas, Salave’a volunteered when he could with the football team at Liberty High School.

“I have two little ones and they started school this past fall, so daddy wasn’t in a hurry to go anywhere in the country to find work,” Salave’a said.

“It was important that I stuck around and saw my kids go to school and go to teacher-parent conferences and all that stuff. I kind of helped out at a local high school, and when you do that, you kind of get revitalized.

“Now is a good time to get going as far as coaching is concern.”

Salave’a said that Stoops has not given him any timetable for the hiring decision. Stoops has two vacancies on his defensive staff; co-defensive coordinator and secondary coach Greg Brown also left for Colorado.

Stoops told reporters on Friday he would be conducting interviews this weekend and next.

Salave’a said he has heard recently about job possibilities from a couple of other Pac-10 schools, but “you never want to go against your school.”

“When this thing came around,” he added, “it was like all that had never happened. I am always going to be looking for that opportunity to get back to this institution and this community that gave so much to me.

“I have a lot invested here. When you walk the halls, you see pictures of Tedy Bruschiand some of the game photos on the walls, and you’re right there as if it’s yesterday.”

As a player at Arizona, Salave’a was known for his determination and toughness, earning second-team All-Pac-10 honors in 1996 and first-team honors in 1997. He originally had only three years of eligibility at Arizona because he was initially academically ineligible under NCAA Proposition 48.

But the NCAA later passed a ruling that allowed such student-athletes to regain that year of eligibility if they graduated in four years. Salave’a did and returned in 1997.

“To me, this is a personal thing,” he said of this job opportunity.

“Here is a program that gave me more than I gave it back. I’m more motivated in that regard to really contribute to the success of the program that Coach Stoops and the guys have established.”

Salave’a was scheduled to return to Las Vegas on Sunday afternoon, and then he’ll wait to hear from Stoops.

“I’m happy they even thought highly enough of me to bring me in and visit with me,” Salave’a said.

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Antolin Runs Over Washington

The ebb and flow of the game drained dry when Keola Antolin broke the longest play from scrimmage for Arizona in the second quarter during the Wildcats’ 44-14 romp over Washington.

Not only did Antolin twist and sidestep his way past Washington sophomore safety Justin Glenn on the 78-yard touchdown sprint in the second quarter, he effectively ran over the Huskies’ psyche. Only 18 seconds before Antolin’s run, Washington had cut the lead to 17-14 with 7:55 left in the second quarter on a Chris Polk 7-yard touchdown run.

Another Pac-10 classic at Arizona Stadium was in the making. The Huskies drove 55 yards on seven plays and appeared to be ready to match the UA drive-for-drive. That’s when Antolin went into overdrive on the very next offensive play from scrimmage after Polk’s touchdown.

“That was a long run, man,” Antolin said incredulously. “I felt like I ran 300 yards.”

“We challenged the offensive line to be more a physical unit, and to protect the quarterback better,” said UA coach Mike Stoops, whose team had more rushing yards a game (120.7) than only Washington State (80.1) in the Pac-10 entering the game.

“We were hard on those guys this week and they responded in a positive way.”


It helps to be blocking for a quick and physical runner like Antolin, who at 5-foot-8 and 186 pounds is hard to see charging into the line and tough to tackle once a defensive player is able to get a hand on him. Including Saturday night’s performance, in the last three games, Antolin has rushed for 281 yards on 43 carries (6.5 yards per attempt).

When asked if this is the best he’s played in his career, Antolin thought for a second and said, “Yes it is.” He also tried to deflect credit for his long touchdown run, giving props to a clear-out block from Grigsby. But his juke of poor Justin Glenn allowed him to break free and break Washington’s back.

“All week in practice coaches say you have to make a guy miss,” Antolin said. “I made (Glenn) miss and I went all the way.”

Antolin was so winded that he said it took him four minutes to recuperate. He did not lose energy on the sprint, however, while separating himself from Glenn and other Washington defenders.

“There was no way I was going to let anybody catch me,” Antolin said, “or else I know I’d hear about it from the coaches.”

Arizona center Colin Baxter knows all too well what it’s like to hear coaches in practice challenging players, especially this week for the beleaguered offensive line. He acknowledged, “You know, Coach Stoops is an excited guy …”

“We felt like we weren’t playing up to our potential,” Baxter said. “If Matt in there it enables us to do some QB run stuff … so that opened some stuff up.

“We hit on our assignments and our techniques.”

Antolin gets the glory of a 78-yard highlight-reel run. What does the offensive line get after a difficult week in practice and an effective performance Saturday night? A free lunch courtesy of Antolin?

“He should buy us one,” Baxter said with a laugh. “The bottom line is we did what we were supposed to do. I’ll take the win.”

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Vuna Tuihalamaka Signs w/ the Indianapolis Colts

Former Arizona Linebacker Vuna Tuihalamaka signed a free agent contract with the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday.

Tuihalamaka was a juco player who played sparingly but became a force to reckon with his senior season, his first as a full-time starter in FBS. Teams didn't have much film on him but liked the way he had a nose for where the ball was going.

Player Bio:

Arizona: 1L... The eldest of three Tuihalamakas on the club, Vuna is expected to start at middle linebacker in 2009 after a solid year in '08 following transfer from junior college... Came in game-ready and played in all 13 contests, finishing with 23 tackles, a dozen of those in backup play... Also had eight hits on kicking units... Earned coaches' citations for special teams player of the week honors against California and BYU... Enrolled in January '08...

El Camino College: First-team J.C. Grid-Wire All-America in 2006 as sophomore at California state juco champion El Camino Community College... 148 tackles in 14 games, with 14.5 for losses... Mission Conference national division Defensive Player of the Year for coach John Featherstone, 1st-team inside linebacker... SuperPrep Juco 100, No. 23 prospect... California Community College athlete of the month for October 2006... Season-high 15 tackles vs. Cerritos... 18 tackles as a freshman, with 2 TFL, 1 sack and four PBUs...

High School: Hawthorne, Calif., High School, 2005...

Personal: Academic major is sociology.... Attended Pima College in Tucson in fall 2007... Cousin of UA brothers, defensive end Apaiata and tackle Sione Tuiahalamaka... Recruited by coach Mike Tuiasosopo...

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Arizona Adds a Samoan Football Recruit, Extending a Rich Tradition

The Arizona football team, building on its tradition of recruiting American Samoa and players of Polynesian heritage, has added defensive tackle Aiulua Fanene to its recruiting class.

Fanene, the brother of defensive end Jonathan Fanene of the Cincinnati Bengals, is from Tafuna High School on the island and was part of a recent “60 Minutes” feature on football in Samoa. You can watch it here. I’d recommend watching the whole thing if you haven’t seen it, but the part with Fanene begins at about the 6:12 mark.

Fanene was recruited by UA defensive line coach Mike Tuiasosopo, who has known the family since he recruited Jonathan to Utah.

In a 2006 story in the Tucson Citizen, Tuiasosopo talked about Arizona’s connection to the island.

“Others claim they have been there, but if anybody has a history, or can make that claim it is Arizona,” said Tuiasosopo, who was born in Samoa and has a nearly endless list of relatives who have played football in the United States.

“Utah and BYU can make a claim they have been involved because of their Mormon influence, but Washington and Oregon, I get a tickle out of that. They can say that now, but trust me, Arizona has a history.”

Former Arizona coach Dick Tomey, who had previously been the head coach at Hawaii, was, “instrumental in building the Samoan pipeline,” as described in a 2003 Sports Illustrated story titled “Football in Paradise.” And not just the pipeline to Arizona — the prolific pipeline from Samoa to colleges to the NFL.

The magazine wrote than Tomey had more than 120 Samoan players on his rosters at Hawaii and Arizona, spanning 24 years.

“There are no athletes that are, in my estimation, more competitive, more athletic or more family-oriented, or who fit into a team concept as well as Samoan athletes,” Tomey told SI. “The more we could get on our team, the better I felt.”

The Wildcats have sent at least a dozen players of Polynesian ties to the NFL: DL Stan Mataele, OL Mu Tagoai, OL Pulu Poumele, OT Edwin Mulitalo, TE Brandon Manumaleuna, DE Van Tuinei, OL Makoa Freitas, OL Makai Freitas, OL Steven Grace, OL Kili Lefotu, OL Manu Savea and DT Joe Salave’a.

The long list of Polynesian players at Arizona includes quarterbacks George Malauulu and Willie Tuitama. Malauulu is the president of the AIGA Foundation, which, according to its blog, seeks to “bring exposure to Pacific Islander football players excelling at the high school, collegiate and professional level.”

Many of the current and former Arizona players with Polynesian ties come from Hawaii or the West Coast, but some have come directly from American Samoa, including Savea and the late Young Thompson.

Salave’a, who was born in Samoa, lost several family members in last September’s devastating tsunami and has been active in relief efforts through his foundation.

In another good story on the subject, this one a 2000 story from the Seattle Post-Intelligencer written by Ted Miller, now of ESPN.com, then-UA defensive coordinator Rich Ellerson was quoted about the values of the Samoan culture.

“Their physical profile is outstanding for the game,” Ellerson said, “but I think the cultural profile — the family values, the idea of sacrifice, taking pride in your performance, the importance of toughness — that’s also important. Their chances of success are impacted by how close they are to their culture.”

Family values, sacrifice, pride and toughness: In the 60 Minutes profile, Aiulua Fanene was said to “do a day’s work before school under the direction of his father, David.”

Fanene will see plenty of friendly faces when he arrives in Tucson, and he won’t be faced by the rigors of coach Mike Stoops‘ fall camp.

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Willie Tuitama is Waiting on the NFL and Your Table

Willie Tuitama is the Arizona Wildcats all-time leading passer and was the MVP of last year's Las Vegas Bowl. But right now what he really wants to know is which type of dipping sauce you want with your wings.

A tragically untimely DUI weeks prior to this year's NFL Draft left the former Wildcat quarterback undrafted. Now he finds himself a part-time staffer at a Buffalo Wild Wings in Tucson while enrolled in four fall semester classes at Arizona.

Which sounds about right for a guy who would have only been a low-round pick anyway. Toss in a glaring character issue that arises at the worst possible time and you're gonna be waiting out another shot at football for a little while. Tuitama told an Arizona Daily Star reporter that he had a "pro opportunity" coming up this week, though he wouldn't elaborate on it, only that he'd be willing to drop all the extra schooling for another chance at being a QB.

If anything, he seems like a prime UFL candidate, that is a college QB from a marginal program who has put up lots of stats. However, because of personal factors, may not be attractive to the NFL at the moment. If he can demonstrate continued success there, he could salvage a career he nearly squandered in one ill-considered night.

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