He was a boxer before he played football, and now former BYU and NFL punt returner Vai Sikahema has been inducted into the Class of 2016 Polynesian Football Hall of Fame, announced Wednesday.
This year’s induction includes five inductees from a list of 25 finalists. They include Charles “Charlie” Teetai Ane (Samoan); Rockne Crowningburg Freitas (Hawaiian); Troy Polamalu (Samoan); Al Lolotai (Samoan); and Sikahema (Tongan).
Sikahema, the first Tongan to play in the NFL, was born in Nuku’alofa, Tonga, and is the son of a prize-fighter, who wanted his son to follow in his footsteps. After migrating from Tonga to Hawaii before settling in Mesa, Arizona, Sikahema took up boxing, but his true talent was carrying a football.
Known for his quick feet, speedy burst and innate ability to find daylight as a return specialist, Sikahema was also a member of BYU’s 1984 undefeated national championship team. His NFL career included selection to two Pro Bowls. His playing time included big plays for the Arizona Cardinals, Green Bay Packers and Philadelphia Eagles, a tenure that spanned eight seasons. He was selected by Arizona in the 10th round, the 254th player overall in the 1986 NFL draft.
In 2008, Sikahema, who had fought in 80 amateur boxing matches, accepted a challenge from Major League slugger Jose Canseco to fight him in a celebrity boxing match for $25,000. Canseco told promoters he had earned black belts in Kung Fu, Taekwondo, and had experience in Muay Thai. Sikahema knocked out Canseco in the first round at Bernie Robbins Stadium in Atlantic City and donated the purse to charity.
He is currently a television news anchor for NBC10 in Philadelphia and has been a key figure in counseling budding high school football players with ties to the Pacific Islands as well as a stake leader and bishop for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Pennsylvania.
Sikahema is a two-time Emmy winner and is enshrined in the BYU Sports and Philadelphia Broadcast halls of fame.
The Class of 2016 will be honored during the Polynesian Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement Weekend to be held Jan. 29-30, 2016 in Oahu, Hawaii.
More information can be found at www.PolynesianFootballHOF.org.
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