Siaosi Toutoupau'u "Fili" Moala(born June 23, 1985) is an American former professionalfootballplayer who was adefensive endin theNational Football League(NFL). He playedcollege footballfor theUSC Trojans,and was selected by theIndianapolis Coltsin the second round of the2009 NFL draft.
 Moala flashing the "Fight On" sign after a 2008 fall practice | |||||||||
| No. 95 | |||||||||
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| Position: | Defensive end | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | June 23, 1985 Buena Park, California,U.S. | ||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 308 lb (140 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | Western(Anaheim, California) | ||||||||
| College: | Southern California | ||||||||
| NFL draft: | 2009/ round: 2 / pick: 56 | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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Early life
editMoala was the only son in a five-child family and was not permitted by his mother to play football until high school; however he did participate in basketball and baseball.[1]Moala playedhigh school footballatWestern High SchoolinAnaheim, California,where he was teammates withMike Iupati.As a senior in 2002 he was a Super Prep All-Farwest, Prep Star All-West, Tom Lemming All-West and Tacoma News Tribune Western 100 selection.
College career
edit
Moala originally signed with theUniversity of Southern Californiain 2003, but did not qualify for admission. He attendedCypress Collegefor one year, but did not play football there, before transferring into USC. During his first year at USC in2004he wasredshirted.In2005he started two games for the Trojans recording eighttackles.
During his sophomore season in2006,Moala pushed for and eventually won the starting spot, starting the last seven games and received All-Pac-10honorable mention.[1]He finished the season with 20 tackles,2+1⁄2sacks,and onefumblerecovery. As a junior in2007he started all 13 games recording 33 tackles,2+1⁄2sacks, and was an All-Pac-10honorable mention.
With the departure of top-10 draft pick defensive tackleSedrick Ellis,Moala was expected to step up on the Trojans' defensive line in the2008 season.[2]In the off-season and into the beginning of the 2008 season, Moala suffered fromback spasmsthat limited his time in practices; he did not register a tackle during the 52–7 rout against the Trojans' first opponent,Virginia,which ran aspread offensethat did not emphasize the run.[3]Moala showed marked improvements in the following game againstOhio State,where he made a sack and contributed to a defensive line that had6+1⁄2tackles for losses, including five sacks.[4]Moala had a strong game againstArizona State,where he made three tackles, recovered a fumble, and blocked two third-quarterfield goalattempts, tying theNCAArecord for blocked field goals in a quarter.[5]
Professional career
editPre-draft
editEntering his senior season, Moala began receiving heavy media attention as one of the best defensive linemen going into the season and a potential top-2009 NFL Draft pick in early mock drafts, withESPN's draft expertTodd McShaynaming him a possible first pick.[6][7][8][9]
He was considered one of the best defensive tackle prospects for the2009 NFL draft.[6][8][9]However, durability concerns let him slip to the second round.[10]
| Height | Weight | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
305 lb (138 kg) |
5.07 s | 1.69 s | 2.90 s | 30+1⁄2in (0.77 m) |
8 ft 4 in (2.54 m) |
25 reps | |||||
| All values fromNFL Combine(no 20-ss, 3-cone because of left groin strain).[11] | ||||||||||||
Indianapolis Colts
editMoala was selected by theIndianapolis Coltsin the second round of the2009 NFL draft.[12]
Moala re-signed with the Colts to a one-year contract on March 4, 2013.[13]He re-signed with the Colts again on March 10, 2014.[14]
Houston Texans
editOn August 19, 2015, Moala signed a one-year contract with theHouston Texans.[15]
Personal life
editMoala has been married to Jordan Moala since May 2009. The couple have five children, Litani, June, Anabelle, Faamika, and Ascieli, and they reside in Santa Ana, California.
Three of Moala's cousins have played at eitherOregon StateorOregon:Tevita Moala (Oregon State, 1999–2000),Haloti Ngata(Oregon, 2002–2005), and Eric Moala (Oregon State, 2005–2006).[1]
References
edit- ^abcJonathan Kay,A Fili for his role,USCFootball.com, November 10, 2007, Accessed June 3, 2008.
- ^Gary Klein,Lofty predictions don't impress USC football player Fili Moala,Los Angeles Times,August 25, 2008, Accessed October 15, 2008.
- ^Gary Klein and David Wharton,Fili Moala ready to get physical,Los Angeles Times,September 11, 2008, Accessed October 15, 2008.
- ^Gary Klein,USC's defensive line steps up its production,Los Angeles Times,September 17, 2008, Accessed October 15, 2008.
- ^Gary Klein and David Wharton,USC's Fili Moala won't block this out of his memory,Los Angeles Times,October 12, 2008, Accessed October 15, 2008.
- ^abTony Pauline,Never too early: Here's a dozen first-round prospects for '09 draft,Sports Illustrated,April 29, 2008, Accessed June 3, 2008.
- ^Matt Hayes,Ranking the BCS-conference players by positionArchived2008-06-05 at theWayback Machine,Sporting News,June 2, 2008, Accessed June 3, 2008.
- ^abRivals.com 2009 NFL Mock Draft,Rivals.com, April 29, 2008, Accessed June 3, 2008.
- ^abTodd McShay,Defenders earn four of top five spots in first 2009 mock draft,ESPN.com, April 29, 2008, Accessed June 3, 2008.
- ^"Fili Moala - 2009 Draft Tracker - SI.com".Archived fromthe originalon April 29, 2009.RetrievedApril 9,2013.
- ^"Hall of Football".
- ^"2009 NFL Draft Listing".Pro-Football-Reference.com.RetrievedMay 13,2023.
- ^Alper, Josh (March 4, 2013)."Colts re-sign Fili Moala".NBCSports.com.RetrievedNovember 28,2013.
- ^Alper, Josh (March 10, 2014)."Colts Re-Sign DE Fili Moala".NBCSports.com.RetrievedMarch 10,2014.
- ^Doughtery, Drew (August 19, 2015)."Texans add Quintin Demps and Fili Moala".houstontexans.com.Archived fromthe originalon August 20, 2015.RetrievedAugust 19,2015.
External links
edit
- Indianapolis Colts bioArchived2013-03-13 at theWayback Machine
- USC Trojans bio