Vai Sikahema
Encyclopedia
Vai S. Sikahema is a Tonga
n former American football
player. The first Tongan ever to play in the National Football League
(NFL), 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 drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals
(now the Arizona Cardinals) in the tenth round of the 1986 NFL Draft
. He also played for the Green Bay Packers
and the Philadelphia Eagles
before retiring after the 1993 season. Since retiring he has served as Sports Director for WCAU
, the NBC
owned-and-operated station
in Philadelphia, where he has been since 1994.
Sikahema is an older cousin of fellow Tongan NFL player Deuce Lutui.
, the capital of Tonga
. His parents went to the Church College of Hawai'i (now Brigham Young University-Hawaii), leaving Vai and his siblings with relatives in Tonga. After a year of working at the Polynesian Cultural Center
they had enough money to bring Vai to join them. His family later moved to the U.S. state of Arizona
, settling in Mesa
, a suburb of Phoenix
. It was here that they got legal resident status and were eventually able to bring his other siblings to join them. Sikahema attended Mesa High School
, where he played high school football
.
, where he played college football
for the BYU Cougars
. As a freshman, he endeared himself to Cougar fans by returning a punt for a touchdown in BYU's 46-45 come-from-behind victory over SMU
in the 1980 Holiday Bowl. He played one more season after that (1981) - serving mainly as a return specialist - before leaving school for two years to serve as a Mormon missionary
in South Dakota
. Sikahema returned to BYU in 1984. That season, the Cougars posted a perfect 13-0 record, claiming college football's national championship. By the end of his senior year (1985), he held an NCAA record for most punt returns (153) in a career.
in the 1986 NFL Draft
. As such he became the first Tongan ever to play in the National Football League
.
He was a special teams standout for several teams, including the St. Louis/ Phoenix Cardinals
, Green Bay Packers
, and Philadelphia Eagles
. He was named to the Pro Bowl
twice (in 1986 and 1987). It was during his stint with the Eagles that he came up with the famous "goalpost punching" stunt after scoring a punt return touchdown in a 1992 game against the New York Giants
at Giants Stadium
.
owned and operated television station WCAU
in Philadelphia to do weekend sports. Surviving the station's sale to NBC
, Sikahema later moved to weekdays and is currently the Sports Director.
for the Arizona Cardinals
. Another cousin, Reno Mahe
, also played for the Philadelphia Eagles. Sikahema's nephew by marriage is actor Jon Heder
, star of the films Napoleon Dynamite
and Blades of Glory
.
In May 2008, Sikahema accepted an open challenge from former baseball player Jose Canseco
to fight him in a celebrity boxing match for $25,000. Canseco claims to have earned black belts in Kung Fu, Taekwondo
, and Muay Thai
, while Sikahema, who grew up wanting to be a professional boxer, had fought 80 amateur bouts while younger. It was suggested by some that he had boxed Sugar Ray Leonard during his amateur career, though the dates and ages don't tally: Leonard boxed as an amateur from 1969 aged aged 13, until 1976 aged 20; during this time Sikahema aged from 7 until 14 years old, making a match seemingly impossible. The Canesco fight was held on July 12, 2008, in Atlantic City at the Bernie Robbins Stadium
, and was dubbed The War at The Shore. Sikahema won by knockout in the first round and donated the $5,000 purse to the family of Sergeant Stephen Liczbinski, a fallen officer of the Philadelphia Police Department
.
Sikahema is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He has been a resident of Mount Laurel Township, New Jersey
together with his wife and four children.
In March 2010, Sikahema joined with The Philadelphia Inquirer
sports writer John Gonzalez as the hosts of the Early Midday Show on Philadelphia radio station WPEN-FM 97.5 the Fanatic.
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...
n former American 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...
player. The first Tongan ever to play in the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
(NFL), he played 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...
and kickoff returner in the league for eight seasons, from 1986 to 1993. 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...
for the 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...
Cougars, and was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
(now the Arizona Cardinals) in the tenth round of the 1986 NFL Draft
1986 NFL Draft
The 1986 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 29–30, 1986...
. He also played for 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...
and 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...
before retiring after the 1993 season. Since retiring he has served as Sports Director for WCAU
WCAU
WCAU, channel 10, is an owned-and-operated television station of the NBC Television Network, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. WCAU has its studios on the border between Philadelphia and Bala Cynwyd. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 34 from a transmitter in the...
, the NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
owned-and-operated station
Owned-and-operated station
In the broadcasting industry , an owned-and-operated station usually refers to a television station or radio station that is owned by the network with which it is associated...
in Philadelphia, where he has been since 1994.
Sikahema is an older cousin of fellow Tongan NFL player Deuce Lutui.
Early life
Sikahema was born in NukuʻalofaNukuʻalofa
Nukualofa is the capital of the Kingdom of Tonga. It is located on the north coast of the island of Tongatapu, in the southern most island group of Tonga.-Mythological origins:...
, the capital 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...
. His parents went to the Church College of Hawai'i (now Brigham Young University-Hawaii), leaving Vai and his siblings with relatives in Tonga. After a year of working at the Polynesian Cultural Center
Polynesian Cultural Center
The Polynesian Cultural Center is a Polynesian-themed theme park or living museum located in Laie, on the northern shore of Oahu, Hawaii. Dedicated on October 12, 1963, the PCC occupies owned by nearby Brigham Young University–Hawaii....
they had enough money to bring Vai to join them. His family later moved to the U.S. state of Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
, settling in Mesa
Mesa, Arizona
According to the 2010 Census, the racial composition of Mesa was as follows:* White: 77.1% * Hispanic or Latino : 26.54%* Black or African American: 3.5%* Two or more races: 3.4%* Native American: 2.4%...
, a suburb of Phoenix
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
. It was here that they got legal resident status and were eventually able to bring his other siblings to join them. Sikahema attended Mesa High School
Mesa High School (Mesa, Arizona)
Mesa High School is a public high school in Mesa, Arizona, United States. Mesa High School currently accommodates grades 9-12 as part of Mesa Public Schools.- History :...
, where he played high school football
High school football
High school football, in North America, refers to the game of football as it is played in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both of these nations....
.
College career
In 1980 Sikahema enrolled 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...
, where 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...
for the BYU Cougars
BYU Cougars
BYU Cougars is an American soccer team based in Provo, Utah, United States. The team plays in the USL Premier Development League , the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, in the Southwest Division of the Western Conference....
. As a freshman, he endeared himself to Cougar fans by returning a punt for a touchdown in BYU's 46-45 come-from-behind victory over SMU
Southern Methodist University
Southern Methodist University is a private university in Dallas, Texas, United States. Founded in 1911 by the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, SMU operates campuses in Dallas, Plano, and Taos, New Mexico. SMU is owned by the South Central Jurisdiction of the United Methodist Church...
in the 1980 Holiday Bowl. He played one more season after that (1981) - serving mainly as a return specialist - before leaving school for two years to serve as a Mormon missionary
Mormon missionary
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is one of the most active modern practitioners of missionary work, with over 52,000 full-time missionaries worldwide, as of the end of 2010...
in South Dakota
South Dakota
South Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...
. Sikahema returned to BYU in 1984. That season, the Cougars posted a perfect 13-0 record, claiming college football's national championship. By the end of his senior year (1985), he held an NCAA record for most punt returns (153) in a career.
Professional career
Sikahema was drafted by the St. Louis CardinalsArizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
in the 1986 NFL Draft
1986 NFL Draft
The 1986 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 29–30, 1986...
. As such he became the first Tongan ever to play in the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
.
He was a special teams standout for several teams, including the St. Louis/ Phoenix Cardinals
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
, 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...
, and 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...
. He was named to the Pro Bowl
Pro Bowl
In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...
twice (in 1986 and 1987). It was during his stint with the Eagles that he came up with the famous "goalpost punching" stunt after scoring a punt return touchdown in a 1992 game against the New York Giants
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
at Giants Stadium
Giants Stadium
Giants Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium, located in East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA, in the Meadowlands Sports Complex. Maximum seating capacity was 80,242. The building itself was 230.5 m long, 180.5 m wide and 44 m high from service level to the top of the seating bowl and 54 m high to...
.
After football
Upon retiring, Sikahema was hired by then-CBSCBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
owned and operated television station WCAU
WCAU
WCAU, channel 10, is an owned-and-operated television station of the NBC Television Network, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. WCAU has its studios on the border between Philadelphia and Bala Cynwyd. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 34 from a transmitter in the...
in Philadelphia to do weekend sports. Surviving the station's sale to NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
, Sikahema later moved to weekdays and is currently the Sports Director.
Personal life
Sikahema's younger cousin is Deuce Lutui, who currently plays guardGuard (American football)
In American and Canadian football, a guard is a player that lines up between the center and the tackles on the offensive line of a football team....
for the Arizona Cardinals
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
. Another cousin, Reno Mahe
Reno Mahe
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.-Early life:...
, also played for the Philadelphia Eagles. Sikahema's nephew by marriage is actor Jon Heder
Jon Heder
Jonathan Joseph "Jon" Heder is an American screenwriter, actor, and filmmaker. His feature film debut came in 2004 as the title character of the comedy film Napoleon Dynamite...
, star of the films Napoleon Dynamite
Napoleon Dynamite
Napoleon Dynamite is a 2004 comedy film co-written and directed by Jared Hess and Jerusha Hess and stars Jon Heder as Napoleon Dynamite. The film was Jared Hess' first full-length feature and is partially adapted from his earlier short film, Peluca....
and Blades of Glory
Blades of Glory
Blades of Glory is a 2007 American comedy film directed by Josh Gordon and Will Speck, and starring Will Ferrell and Jon Heder. The movie was released on March 29, 2007 by DreamWorks and MTV Films...
.
In May 2008, Sikahema accepted an open challenge from former baseball player Jose Canseco
José Canseco
José Canseco Capas, Jr. is a Cuban-American professional baseball manager, outfielder, and designated hitter for the Yuma Scorpions of the North American League and former Major League Baseball player. He is the identical twin brother of former major league player and current teammate Ozzie Canseco...
to fight him in a celebrity boxing match for $25,000. Canseco claims to have earned black belts in Kung Fu, Taekwondo
Taekwondo
Taekwondo is a Korean martial art and the national sport of South Korea. In Korean, tae means "to strike or break with foot"; kwon means "to strike or break with fist"; and do means "way", "method", or "path"...
, and Muay Thai
Muay Thai
Muay Thai is a combat sport from Thailand that uses stand-up striking along with various clinching techniques. It is similar to other Indochinese kickboxing systems, namely pradal serey from Cambodia, tomoi from Malaysia, lethwei from Myanmar and muay Lao from Laos...
, while Sikahema, who grew up wanting to be a professional boxer, had fought 80 amateur bouts while younger. It was suggested by some that he had boxed Sugar Ray Leonard during his amateur career, though the dates and ages don't tally: Leonard boxed as an amateur from 1969 aged aged 13, until 1976 aged 20; during this time Sikahema aged from 7 until 14 years old, making a match seemingly impossible. The Canesco fight was held on July 12, 2008, in Atlantic City at the Bernie Robbins Stadium
Bernie Robbins Stadium
Bernie Robbins Stadium is a 5,500-seat baseball-only stadium in Atlantic City, New Jersey that opened in 1998. It was built as the home of the Atlantic City Surf baseball team, which discontinued operations prior to the 2009 season. College teams have also used the stadium...
, and was dubbed The War at The Shore. Sikahema won by knockout in the first round and donated the $5,000 purse to the family of Sergeant Stephen Liczbinski, a fallen officer of the Philadelphia Police Department
Philadelphia Police Department
The Philadelphia Police Department is the police agency responsible for law enforcement and investigations within the City of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania...
.
Sikahema is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He has been a resident of Mount Laurel Township, New Jersey
Mount Laurel Township, New Jersey
Mount Laurel Township is a Township in Burlington County, New Jersey, United States, and is an edge city "suburb" of Philadelphia. As of the 2000 United States Census, the township population was 40,221...
together with his wife and four children.
In March 2010, Sikahema joined with The Philadelphia Inquirer
The Philadelphia Inquirer
The Philadelphia Inquirer is a morning daily newspaper that serves the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, metropolitan area of the United States. The newspaper was founded by John R. Walker and John Norvell in June 1829 as The Pennsylvania Inquirer and is the third-oldest surviving daily newspaper in the...
sports writer John Gonzalez as the hosts of the Early Midday Show on Philadelphia radio station WPEN-FM 97.5 the Fanatic.