Reno Mahe
Encyclopedia
Sateki Reno Mahe, Jr. is an American football
running back
who is currently a free agent
. He was signed by the Philadelphia Eagles
as an undrafted free agent in 2003. He played college football
at BYU.
to Sateki Reno Mahe Sr. and his wife, Eva, both from the island nation of Tonga
.Taualii, Chris. Down To Earth With Reno Mahe. Undated 2009 article via Voice of Tonga, Inc. online. One of eight children, Mahe moved with his family numerous times before settling in at Brighton High School
in Salt Lake City, Utah
.
Mahe played football
at Brighton, where he was named All-State twice. As a senior, he led his team to a 10-1 record and was chosen as the Gatorade
Utah Player of the Year. He also earned team MVP, All-Region, and region MVP honors in his final high school season. He lettered in football three times, and in basketball
two times.
A Mormon
, Mahe put his mission on hold after high school in order to concentrate on football. In 2009, he told an interviewer, "I really got caught up in the football world, and decided to play football. To this day, I still regret not going on my mission." The University of Utah
offered him a chance to play defense; Brigham Young University
offered him a chance to play offense. Though he was a fan of the Utes because his elder brother went to UU, he chose BYU for the opportunity to play offense. During his freshman season at BYU, fans knew him as Junior Mahe.
Mahe's wife, Sunny, was an All-American volleyball
player at BYU. Mahe is related to professional wrestler The Barbarian. He is also related to ex-Eagle Vai Sikahema
.
. He served as backup to star running back Ronney Jenkins
. Mahe rushed for 481 yards and scored 7 touchdowns during the season. Mahe scored a touchdown in his first-ever college football game, a 38-31 BYU loss against Alabama
in Tuscaloosa
.
After a promising freshman season, Mahe was suspended from BYU for one year because of Honor Code violations. He was kicked off the football team for having pre-marital sex. The BYU honor code stipulates that students must "be honest, live a chaste and virtuous life…use clean language" and abstain from alcohol, tobacco, tea, coffee and drugs. Mahe transferred to Dixie College
in St. George, Utah
. His only season at Dixie was sensational. He switched from running back to wide receiver
, and led the nation in receiving with 57 receptions for 1,387 yards (an average of 24.3 yards per reception) and 19 touchdowns. He was named a Junior College Gridwire Second Team All-American. He led the Western States Football League in receiving and scoring (122 total points) and was named to the All-WSFL First Team.
Mahe returned to BYU for his junior season in 2001. Under first-year coach Gary Crowton
, BYU had the highest scoring offense in the nation that year, and Mahe was a big part of the Cougars' success. He started all 14 games at wide receiver, and led the Mountain West Conference
in receiving with 91 receptions for 1,211 yards and 9 touchdowns. He was named to the All-MWC First Team. Mahe became a favorite of BYU fans for his heroic efforts in a game against rival Utah
. The Monday before the game he had an emergency appendectomy procedure where his appendix was removed with a laser. He still managed to play in the following game with blood running down his shirt. The appendectomy did not affect his playing ability: he caught 5 passes for 94 yards and a touchdown in BYU's 24-21 victory. When BYU's star running back Luke Staley
suffered a season-ending injury against Mississippi State, Mahe stepped up with a season-high 189 receiving yards (and 2 touchdowns) and the Cougars escaped with a 41-38 victory. The following game against Hawaii
, Mahe set another season high with 14 receptions for 181 yards and 2 touchdowns. He also filled in at running back, carrying the ball 8 times for 69 yards in Staley's absence. Despite Mahe's efforts, the Cougars lost, 72-45. The defeat shattered BYU's perfect season (they had a 12-0 record before the game against Hawaii).
Mahe's senior season at BYU wasn't as successful. The Cougars finished the season with a losing record, and Mahe's statistics declined. He totaled 59 receptions for 771 yards and 2 touchdowns. He was still good enough to earn All-MWC First Team honors again, and he finished his college career as one of the best receivers in BYU history.
as a rookie
free agent and made the team's 2003 opening day roster. He switched from wide receiver
to his original position, running back
. He took on a part-time job at Chickie's and Pete's restaurant in the summer before a training camp.
In four seasons with the Eagles, he saw limited action. He played in 38 games, rushing 43 times for 178 yards and catching 27 passes for 196 yards. His major contributions for the Eagles came on special teams. In 2005, he led the NFL in punt returning with 21 returns for 269 yards, an average of 12.8 yards per return. Mahe became a free agent before the 2007 season, but was re-signed to a one-year contract after the Eagles' lackluster special teams play led to a loss to the Green Bay Packers
in week one of the season. The Eagles elected not to re-sign him at the conclusion of the season.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
running back
Running back
A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
who is currently a free agent
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
. He was signed by the Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
as an undrafted free agent in 2003. He played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
at BYU.
Early life
Sateki Reno Mahe was born June 3, 1980, in Los AngelesLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
to Sateki Reno Mahe Sr. and his wife, Eva, both from the island nation of Tonga
Tonga
Tonga, officially the Kingdom of Tonga , is a state and an archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean, comprising 176 islands scattered over of ocean in the South Pacific...
.Taualii, Chris. Down To Earth With Reno Mahe. Undated 2009 article via Voice of Tonga, Inc. online. One of eight children, Mahe moved with his family numerous times before settling in at Brighton High School
Brighton High School (Utah)
Brighton High School in Cottonwood Heights, Utah is located about ten miles south of Salt Lake City. The school, which opened in 1969, is designed with two octagonal sections housing self-contained classrooms and a full auditorium. A gymnasium and support areas complete the building which is...
in Salt Lake City, Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
.
Mahe played football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
at Brighton, where he was named All-State twice. As a senior, he led his team to a 10-1 record and was chosen as the Gatorade
Gatorade
Gatorade is a brand of sports-themed food and beverage products, built around its signature product: a line of sports drinks. Gatorade is currently manufactured by PepsiCo, distributed in over 80 countries...
Utah Player of the Year. He also earned team MVP, All-Region, and region MVP honors in his final high school season. He lettered in football three times, and in basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
two times.
A Mormon
Mormon
The term Mormon most commonly denotes an adherent, practitioner, follower, or constituent of Mormonism, which is the largest branch of the Latter Day Saint movement in restorationist Christianity...
, Mahe put his mission on hold after high school in order to concentrate on football. In 2009, he told an interviewer, "I really got caught up in the football world, and decided to play football. To this day, I still regret not going on my mission." The University of Utah
University of Utah
The University of Utah, also known as the U or the U of U, is a public, coeducational research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. The university was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret by the General Assembly of the provisional State of Deseret, making it Utah's oldest...
offered him a chance to play defense; Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University is a private university located in Provo, Utah. It is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and is the United States' largest religious university and third-largest private university.Approximately 98% of the university's 34,000 students...
offered him a chance to play offense. Though he was a fan of the Utes because his elder brother went to UU, he chose BYU for the opportunity to play offense. During his freshman season at BYU, fans knew him as Junior Mahe.
Mahe's wife, Sunny, was an All-American volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
player at BYU. Mahe is related to professional wrestler The Barbarian. He is also related to ex-Eagle Vai Sikahema
Vai Sikahema
Vai S. Sikahema is a Tongan former American football player. The first Tongan ever to play in the National Football League , he played running back and kickoff returner in the league for eight seasons, from 1986 to 1993. He played college football for the Brigham Young University Cougars, and was...
.
College career
As a true freshman in 1998, Mahe had a significant role on the football team at Brigham Young UniversityBrigham Young University
Brigham Young University is a private university located in Provo, Utah. It is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and is the United States' largest religious university and third-largest private university.Approximately 98% of the university's 34,000 students...
. He served as backup to star running back Ronney Jenkins
Ronney Jenkins
Ronney Jenkins is an American football player from Los Angeles, California. At 5-foot-11 and 190 pounds, Ronney Jenkins is a relatively small football player, but he is noted for his tremendous speed.-High school career:...
. Mahe rushed for 481 yards and scored 7 touchdowns during the season. Mahe scored a touchdown in his first-ever college football game, a 38-31 BYU loss against Alabama
University of Alabama
The University of Alabama is a public coeducational university located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States....
in Tuscaloosa
Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Tuscaloosa is a city in and the seat of Tuscaloosa County in west central Alabama . Located on the Black Warrior River, it is the fifth-largest city in Alabama, with a population of 90,468 in 2010...
.
After a promising freshman season, Mahe was suspended from BYU for one year because of Honor Code violations. He was kicked off the football team for having pre-marital sex. The BYU honor code stipulates that students must "be honest, live a chaste and virtuous life…use clean language" and abstain from alcohol, tobacco, tea, coffee and drugs. Mahe transferred to Dixie College
Dixie State College of Utah
Dixie State College of Utah is a college located in St. George, Utah, United States.-History:...
in St. George, Utah
St. George, Utah
St. George is a city located in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Utah, and the county seat of Washington County, Utah. It is the principal city of and is included in the St. George, Utah, Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city is 119 miles northeast of Las Vegas, Nevada, and 303 miles ...
. His only season at Dixie was sensational. He switched from running back to wide receiver
Wide receiver
A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
, and led the nation in receiving with 57 receptions for 1,387 yards (an average of 24.3 yards per reception) and 19 touchdowns. He was named a Junior College Gridwire Second Team All-American. He led the Western States Football League in receiving and scoring (122 total points) and was named to the All-WSFL First Team.
Mahe returned to BYU for his junior season in 2001. Under first-year coach Gary Crowton
Gary Crowton
-External links:* *...
, BYU had the highest scoring offense in the nation that year, and Mahe was a big part of the Cougars' success. He started all 14 games at wide receiver, and led the Mountain West Conference
Mountain West Conference
The Mountain West Conference , popularly known as the Mountain West, is the youngest of the college athletic conferences affiliated with the NCAA’s Division I FBS . The MWC officially began operations in July 1999...
in receiving with 91 receptions for 1,211 yards and 9 touchdowns. He was named to the All-MWC First Team. Mahe became a favorite of BYU fans for his heroic efforts in a game against rival Utah
University of Utah
The University of Utah, also known as the U or the U of U, is a public, coeducational research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. The university was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret by the General Assembly of the provisional State of Deseret, making it Utah's oldest...
. The Monday before the game he had an emergency appendectomy procedure where his appendix was removed with a laser. He still managed to play in the following game with blood running down his shirt. The appendectomy did not affect his playing ability: he caught 5 passes for 94 yards and a touchdown in BYU's 24-21 victory. When BYU's star running back Luke Staley
Luke Staley
Lucas Staley is a former American football player who starred as a running back at Brigham Young University from 1999 to 2001.-High school career:...
suffered a season-ending injury against Mississippi State, Mahe stepped up with a season-high 189 receiving yards (and 2 touchdowns) and the Cougars escaped with a 41-38 victory. The following game against Hawaii
University of Hawaii
The University of Hawaii System, formally the University of Hawaii and popularly known as UH, is a public, co-educational college and university system that confers associate, bachelor, master, and doctoral degrees through three university campuses, seven community college campuses, an employment...
, Mahe set another season high with 14 receptions for 181 yards and 2 touchdowns. He also filled in at running back, carrying the ball 8 times for 69 yards in Staley's absence. Despite Mahe's efforts, the Cougars lost, 72-45. The defeat shattered BYU's perfect season (they had a 12-0 record before the game against Hawaii).
Mahe's senior season at BYU wasn't as successful. The Cougars finished the season with a losing record, and Mahe's statistics declined. He totaled 59 receptions for 771 yards and 2 touchdowns. He was still good enough to earn All-MWC First Team honors again, and he finished his college career as one of the best receivers in BYU history.
Philadelphia Eagles
Although he was not drafted into the NFL, Mahe joined the Philadelphia EaglesPhiladelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
as a rookie
Rookie
Rookie is a term for a person who is in his or her first year of play of their sport or has little or no professional experience. The term also has the more general meaning of anyone new to a profession, training or activity Rookie is a term for a person who is in his or her first year of play of...
free agent and made the team's 2003 opening day roster. He switched from wide receiver
Wide receiver
A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
to his original position, running back
Running back
A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
. He took on a part-time job at Chickie's and Pete's restaurant in the summer before a training camp.
In four seasons with the Eagles, he saw limited action. He played in 38 games, rushing 43 times for 178 yards and catching 27 passes for 196 yards. His major contributions for the Eagles came on special teams. In 2005, he led the NFL in punt returning with 21 returns for 269 yards, an average of 12.8 yards per return. Mahe became a free agent before the 2007 season, but was re-signed to a one-year contract after the Eagles' lackluster special teams play led to a loss to the Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
in week one of the season. The Eagles elected not to re-sign him at the conclusion of the season.