RIP Mosi Tatupu

On February 23rd, former Patriot and Ram, Mosi Tatupu died at the age of 54 in Attleboro, MA.  The cause of his death has still not been disclosed, but it known that he suffered from high-blood pressure.

Mosi was a native American Samoa born in Pago Pago.  He graduated from Punahou School in Hawaii in 1974, after setting the state career rushing record (3,367 yards), which stood for 17 years.  He is a member of the Hawaii Sports Hall of Fame.

Mosi, whose son, Lofa, plays middle linebacker for the Seattle Seahawks, went to USC and made 4 post-season bowl appearances with the Trojans.  He had 1,424 combined yards (1,277 rushing and 147 receiving) and 19 touchdowns.  He also played in the Hula Bowl in 1978.  From 1997-2006, the Hula Bowl and Maui Quarterback Club gave the Mosi Tatupu Award to the College Football Special Teams Player of the Year. 

Mosi played 13 seasons with the Patriots (1978-1990) as a running back and special teams player, making the Pro Bowl in 1986.  He was a fan favorite, having his own cheering section in Foxboro called "Mosi's Mooses."  As a Patriot, he played in 194 games and combined, had 3,258 yards and 20 touchdowns.  During the season opener last year, he was named to the Patriots 50th Anniversary Team.  

He also played 5 games with the LA Rams (1991) before he retired.  He recorded no stats while he was there.

More recently, he was an assistant coach at Curry College from 2002-2007.  He joined the staff as a running backs coach under former teammate and hall of famer, Steve Nelson.  In 2004, he took on special teams as well.  Even though Nelson left after the 2005 season, Mosi stayed on for another 2 seasons.  Curry's program won 5 NEFC championships (2003-2007) and made 5 NCAA DIII Tournament appearances.  While he was gave up his official title as coach after the 2007 season in order to spend time with his family in Seattle, he remained closely involved with the team and still went to the practices and games when time allowed.

I attended Curry for two years from 2004-2006 and as an athlete there, I saw him all the time and I cannot tell you what I wonderful person he was and what an absolute tragedy this is.  He was not only a great person, he was also a great coach.  I was friends with lots of guys on the football team and they all loved him.  No matter who you talk to, students, athletes, coaches, no one will have a bad word to say about him.  To quote Skip Bandini, the current head coach at Curry, "Mosi was just the best guy you would ever want to be around."

RIP Coach, you will truly be missed.