I think it’s just a good thing to recognize young men who’ve done well and wish them well as they move onto the next level. – BYU head football coach Kalani Sitake
When Alema Te’o’s older brother was offered a college football scholarship, his father’s response was confusion.
“What is a scholarship?” he said his father asked when told about the scholarship offer. “‘Go get a job.’ That was the message of the 1950s.” Te’o said his parents emigrated from Samoa in the 1950s because, like most immigrants, they hoped for better opportunities for their children. The problem is, Te’o said, it was difficult to recognize the value of some of those opportunities.
That was never more clear to the Alta head football coach and teacher than when he learned in 1999 that the high school graduation rate among Polynesians was around 50 percent. Stunned, he decided he needed to do something about it.
“It was a struggle we were going through,” he said of the low graduation rates in the late ’90s. “They didn’t understand the opportunities; they didn’t understand the process. … I thought, ‘What can we do?’ I know this, our kids are good at football. So I’ve got to find a way to tie in football to academics so hopefully they can see how it works on both ends and it will motivate them.”
The result isn’t just better high school graduation rates, it’s more college scholarships for Polynesian players than he ever imagined 15 years ago. In fact, Polynesian players have had so much success and such a massive impact on the sport that Te’o decided this year he wanted to honor the players who’d earned college scholarships with a banquet.
The inaugural All Poly Awards Banquet was a celebration of 36 young men who did what was necessary on the field and in the classroom to earn a chance at a free college education.
BYU head coach Kalani Sitake, who became the first NCAA head football coach of Tongan decent, said it’s important to celebrate everything the players are — on and off the field.
“I think it is just a good thing to recognize young men who’ve done well,” he said, “and wish them well as they move on to the next level.”
Utah linebackers coach Justin Ena said the dinner is important because it doesn’t just celebrate the accomplishments of the boys.
“I think it’s bringing brothers together,” Ena said. “It’s a true family. It’s not only recognizing them for their football talents, but for their culture, their growth.”
And maybe most important, he said, it allows the entire Polynesian community to celebrate their success.
Speaker after speaker advised the young men to thank their parents, extended families and community for the sacrifices made on their behalf.
Bingham standout Jay Tufele was one of the most highly recruited Utah prep players, earning a long list of accolades, including being named an Army All-American. He said being able to celebrate with the other local Polynesian players and their families was among the honors he will treasure most.
“This is on top of it all,” he said. “It has to do with my culture, and my culture is everything to me. It’s everything I represent, so it means a lot to me.”
The keynote address came from four-time Super Bowl champion and two-time Pro Bowler Jesse Sapolu, who spent his NFL career with the San Francisco 49ers. He admits he was a rarity when he was drafted in 1983.
“It was still in the pioneering stages when I came through,” Sapolu said. “But now we have Polynesian coaches in Division I. That’s how far we’ve come.”
Sapolu said it’s important to recognize not just the impact the Polynesian players have had on the game, but also their accomplishments in the classroom.
“What we’re more proud of tonight is that we know how difficult it is to qualify, through the (NCAA) clearinghouse and all of that,” Sapolu said. “It’s even tougher than when I came through. For these kids to pass through with flying colors, they need to be honored for it.”
Snow College defensive coordinator Misi Tupe said it isn’t just that Polynesians are physically built for the game of football, their culture also creates a compatibility with the demands of the game.
“I’ll explain it in one word — loyalty,” Tupe said. He said the loyalty these players are taught in their families and communities carries over as coaches try to teach players to be loyal to one another in a program.
Ena said there is nothing more sacred in Polynesian culture than family and that makes Polynesian players key in creating a familial environment in a locker room.
“It’s family,” Ena said. “It’s putting the guy next to you as a higher priority than yourself; being selfless is really what the Polynesian community is all about, and taking care of family before yourself.” Weber State’s Jay Hill attended and said that celebrating the fact that 47 young men have earned the opportunity to get a college education through football is something all coaches revel in.
“This is why we coach,” he said. “The fact that these kids have an opportunity to go to college and have it paid for, and it’s super exciting to have events like this where we’re celebrating it.”
There is no doubt that Polynesian players have had a huge impact on the game of football here in Utah.
“If you take Polynesian kids away from the game of football in Utah, it’s an average game,” Te’o said. “And I’m not trying to be cocky or over confident. That’s just a fact.”
Ena, who graduated from BYU and spent four years in the NFL, said he isn’t sure what impact his culture has had on the game he loves.
“I don’t know the impact of me on the game, but I know what the game has done for me,” he said. “And it’s been special. It’s one where you get to hang out with your brothers, practice with them, play with them, and really just be one and enjoy yourself. I love this game, and that’s why when you quit playing, you go on to coach it because it’s engraved in your heart.”
He said the affection all players have for the game is exceeded only by the affection they have for one and other. And that extends to the players they competed against.
That community pride shown brightly a number of times during Tuesday night’s dinner, but it was most evident when a coach from each school stood in a line to congratulate and hug every young man who earned a college scholarship. Whether the boys had accepted an offer to play at their school or not, there were hugs and sincere affection shared between the boys and the coaches.
“I think Polynesian people are just really excited about excellence at any level,” said Sitake. “This just happens to be through sports. We’re just as proud of the people who do it in arts or literature or music. This is just a way to celebrate the football part of it.”