The NFL Draft was yesterday and there were a few athletes from the Bay among those waiting to be chosen. One young man in particular stood out and his story is pretty remarkable.
Of Tongan decent, Tevita Tuliʻakiʻono Tuipulotu Mosese Vaʻhae Fehoko Faletau Vea aka Vita Vea spent his early childhood in EPA. A big name, for a big man. Too big to play Pop Warner as a child, Vita instead attended an after school tennis program at Stanford and ended up playing the game from second grade until eighth grade when his family moved to Milpitas.
Now weighing in at about 250 pounds, Vita was that running back you didn't WANT to tackle. Check out his Trojan highlight reel:
After High School, Vita ended up at the University of Washington. Having to sit-out a year to be eligible to enroll, he passed his time taking online classes to keep up. There he became a standout defensive tackle and grew to 6'4" and 350 pounds .Even at his size, he was one of the fastest and most agile guys at the NFL combine.
In 2009 amid the recession, his parents lost their house and the family was forced to live in their SUV for a couple of months before they could get back on their feet. Now a Tampa Bay Buccaneer, Vita has vowed to buy his parents a new house! Such a good son! Go Vita and good luck in the NFL!
PS...I had to slip in a pic of him and his lady just because, true love.