Jesse Sapolu
Manase Jesse Sapolu (born March 10, 1961) is a Samoan former American football player in the National Football League. He played both center and offensive guard, and spent his entire pro-football career in a San Francisco 49ers uniform.
 Sapolu in June 2009 | |||||||||
| No. 61 | |||||||||
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| Position: | Center / Guard | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | March 10, 1961 Apia, Samoa | ||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 278 lb (126 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | Honolulu (HI) Farrington | ||||||||
| College: | Hawaii | ||||||||
| NFL Draft: | 1983 / Round: 11 / Pick: 289 | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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Sapolu attended Farrington High School and the University of Hawaii in Honolulu. Standing 6 feet 4 inches, 278 lbs., he was selected by the Oakland Invaders in the 17th round (199th pick overall) of the 1983 USFL Draft, and selected by San Francisco 49ers in the 11th round (289th pick overall) of the 1983 NFL Draft. He signed with the San Francisco 49ers on July 10, 1983.
Sapolu is one of six 49ers to own four Super Bowl championship rings (1984, 1988, 1989, and 1994), and the only one of those to earn a ring with the '94 team rather than their first title in 1981.[1] He earned Pro Bowl honors in 1993 and 1994.
Since retiring in 1997, Sapolu has lived in Costa Mesa, California,[2] and remains active in the community as well with the San Francisco 49ers alumni.
Sapolu has been an integral part in establishing the Polynesian Pro Football Hall of Fame, of which he is a co-founder. He now runs Men In The Trenches (MITT) in California.[3]
References
- http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/rings
- Virgen, Steve (February 1, 2013). "Sapolu remains passionate, humble". Daily Pilot. Orange County, California.
- http://sapolumeninthetrenches.com/index.html
Further reading
- Sapolu, Jesse (2012). I Gave My Heart to San Francisco. Newport Beach: Celebrity Publishing. ISBN 9780983705963.
External links
- Hawaii Sports Hall of Fame profile
Media related to Jesse Sapolu at Wikimedia Commons