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Paea was taken with the 53rd overall pick in the second round of the [[2011 NFL Draft]] by the [[Chicago Bears]] and on July 29, 2011, he signed a 4-year contract with the Chicago Bears.
Paea was taken with the 53rd overall pick in the second round of the [[2011 NFL Draft]] by the [[Chicago Bears]] and on July 29, 2011, he signed a 4-year contract with the Chicago Bears.


In a Sunday Night Football game on October 16 against the [[Minnesota Vikings]], as well as his NFL debut, Paea sacked [[Donovan McNabb]] in the end zone for a safety, being the first Bears player to record a safety in his debut since at least 1970.<ref>http://www.chicagobears.com/news/NewsStory.asp?story_id=8262</ref>
In a Sunday Night Football game on October 16 against the [[Minnesota Vikings]], as well as his NFL debut, Paea sacked [[Donovan McNabb]] in the end zone for a safety, being the first Bears player to record a safety in his debut since at least 1970.<ref>[http://www.chicagobears.com/news/NewsStory.asp?story_id=8262 Hester's injury not considered serious]. Chicagobears.com (2011-10-17). Retrieved on 2012-02-28.</ref>


==References==
==References==

Revision as of 00:18, 28 February 2012

Stephen Paea
refer to caption
Paea (left) in a game vs. Louisville in 2010
Chicago Bears
Personal information
Born: (1988-05-11) May 11, 1988 (age 36)
Auckland, New Zealand
Career information
College:Oregon State
NFL draft:2011 / round: 2 / pick: 53
Career history
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of Week 15, 2011
Tackles:11
Sacks:3.0
Forced fumbles:0

Stephen Paea (pronounced /ˈpaɪ.ə/ PY-ə; born May 11, 1988) is an American football defensive tackle for the Chicago Bears.

He played college football at Oregon State University. He was taken with the 53rd overall pick in the second round of the 2011 NFL Draft by the Bears.

Early years

Born in Auckland, New Zealand, Paea grew up on Vavaʻu, Tonga, which was where he played rugby as a young boy. When he was 16, his family moved to the United States, originally to Lawrence, Kansas, where his cousin Chris Maumalanga was playing for the Kansas Jayhawks.[1] After a year, they moved to Provo, Utah, where Paea attended Timpview High School. Playing defensive line at only 240 pounds, he drew little attention by Division I schools, so he decided to enroll at nearby Snow College in Ephraim.

After redshirting his initial year at Snow, he added more than 20 pounds to his frame and started the 2007 season as the No. 2 tackle on the depth chart. Finally drawing the attention of major schools, he transferred to Oregon State in mid-season after graduating from Snow with an associate's degree in December 2007.[2]

College career

Making an immediate impact for the Beavers, Paea played in all 13 games, starting 12 of them, and recorded 41 tackles, 11 for a loss, and five quarterback sacks. He was selected to College Football News′ All-Sophomore Second Team and was an All-Pac-10 Honorable Mention.

As a junior, he registered a team-leading 8.5 tackles for loss and was co-leader for sacks with three. He was named All-Pacific-10 First Team and received the Morris Trophy for the best defensive lineman in the conference.

In February 2010, a YouTube video showed him bench-pressing 225 pounds 44 times.[3][4]

Paea was invited to the 2011 Senior Bowl, but tore the lateral meniscus in his right knee on the opening practice, causing him to miss the remainder of the event.[5]

Paea was a nominee for the Bill Hayward Athlete of the Year Award at the 2011 Oregon Sports Awards.

Professional career

2011 NFL Draft

At the NFL Combine, recorded 49 repetitions in the 225-pound bench press, the highest since Justin Ernest's 51 reps in 1999.[6][7]

Chicago Bears

Paea was taken with the 53rd overall pick in the second round of the 2011 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears and on July 29, 2011, he signed a 4-year contract with the Chicago Bears.

In a Sunday Night Football game on October 16 against the Minnesota Vikings, as well as his NFL debut, Paea sacked Donovan McNabb in the end zone for a safety, being the first Bears player to record a safety in his debut since at least 1970.[8]

References

  1. ^ Stephen Paea: From Tonga to Oregon State
  2. ^ Beavs land athletic tackle from Snow College
  3. ^ Stephen Paea Bench Press on YouTube
  4. ^ "Beaver from Tonga learning on the fly". Arizona Daily Star. October 7, 2010.
  5. ^ Mortensen, Chris (January 25, 2011). "Sources: DT Stephen Paea tears lateral meniscus in knee at Senior Bowl". ESPN.
  6. ^ Saunders, Patrick (February 23, 2010). "Don't put too much stock in NFL combine". Denver Post.
  7. ^ "Paea shatters combine bench-press mark". NFL.com. February 27, 2011.
  8. ^ Hester's injury not considered serious. Chicagobears.com (2011-10-17). Retrieved on 2012-02-28.

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