Al Lolotai
.jpg) Lolotai, circa 1947 | |
| No. 26, 30 | |
|---|---|
| Position: | Guard |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | June 22, 1920 Western Samoa Trust Territory |
| Died: | September 30, 1990 (aged 70) Pago Pago, American Samoa |
| Height: | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
| Weight: | 224 lb (102 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school: | ʻIolani School (Honolulu, Hawaii) |
| College: | Weber JC Colorado A&M |
| Undrafted: | 1945 |
| Career history | |
| Stats at Pro Football Reference | |
Albert Lolotai (June 22, 1920 – September 30, 1990) was a Samoa-born American football offensive lineman. He played college football at Weber Junior College. Lolotai was the first Samoan American and Polynesian to play professional American football.[1]
Born in the Western Samoa Trust Territory, Lolotai grew up in Laie, Hawaii.[2] He attended Kahuku High School and graduated from 'Iolani School in Honolulu, Hawai'i. He then attended Weber Junior College (now Weber State University) in Ogden, Utah, playing on the Weber Wildcats football team from 1941 to 1942, and served in the Hawaii Territorial Guard during World War 2.[3] From 1945 to 1949, Lolotai played professional football, first in the National Football League for the Washington Redskins in 1945, then the Los Angeles Dons in the All-America Football Conference from 1946 to 1949, playing in 59 games with 32 starts and making one interception with Washington in 1945.[4]
Lolotai would eventually graduate from Colorado A&M, and with the founding of Church College of Hawaii in 1955, serve as its Athletic Director. He mentored many of the young Samoan football players coming up in the Laie community to keep up with their studies, get into good schools, and helped set them up for their future.
One of his sons, Tiloi, also attended 'Iolani School and then went to play football for Colorado as a defensive tackle, lettering from 1974-76.
References
- ^ Ruck, Rob (5 February 2016). "Football's Polynesian moment: Samoa's athletic outliers are paying a steep price for their commitment to the game". Salon. Retrieved 5 Feb 2016.
- ^ "First Tongan in the NFL Champions Education". Polynesian Cultural Center. 25 February 2016. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
- ^ "Serving in Hawaii_5". The Signpost. 27 May 1943. p. 6.
- ^ "Al Lolotai". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
External links
 | This biographical article relating to an American football offensive lineman born in the 1920s is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
- 1920 births
- 1990 deaths
- Samoan players of American football
- American football offensive guards
- Los Angeles Dons players
- Washington Redskins players
- Weber State Wildcats football players
- American sportspeople of Samoan descent
- Players of American football from Hawaii
- Junior college football players in the United States
- Samoan emigrants to the United States
- American football offensive lineman, 1920s birth stubs