Personal
- Born in Nuku'alofa, Tonga
- Served an LDS church mission to South Dakota
- Married to Keala Heder and has four kids
- Has a hobby of fire dancing
- B.A. in broadcast journalism from BYU, 2002
Career Highlights
- Drafted in the 10th round by the St. Louis Cardinals 1985
- Second team All-Western Athletic Conference (return specialist) 1985
- Honorable mention All-WAC as a return specialist 1984
- Was seventh nationally in kickoff returns with a 25.1 yard average 1984
- Averaged 9.5 yards per punt return 1984
- Returned a punt 89 yards for a touchdown vs. Tulsa 1984
- Had a 65-yard kickoff return vs. Tulsa to start the second half 1984
- Finished fourth in the WAC in punt returns with an 8l.6 average on 44 returns 1981
- Had an 83-yard punt return for a touchdown vs. SMU in the Holiday Bowl 1980
Before BYU
- Scored 112 points at Mesa High in 1978, including 29 points in one game
- Rushed for 314 yards in one game
- Was twice selected all-state
- Team was 0-4, but won five straight games before losing the state championship game
- Coached by Ben Arrendondo (Arizona State), the 1979 Arizona coach-of-the-year
After BYU
- Drafted in the 10th round by the St. Louis Cardinals 1985
- Moved to Arizona with the Cardinals, where he continued his education at ASU
- Went on to play for the Green Bay Packers and Philadelphia Eagles
- After retiring from football, he became a media specialist
- The sports director and anchor for NBC's Channel 10 in Philadelphia from 1994 to 2020
Post BYU Honors and Societies
- Made two Pro Bowl appearances with the St. Louis Cardinals
- Set the NFL Pro Bowl single-game punt return record with seven returns in one game
- Named to the 1992 All-Madden Team with the Philadelphia Eagles
- Inducted into the BYU hall of fame in 2002
2002 BYU Hall of Fame
BYU running back and return specialist Vai Sikahema first caught fans’ attention in the 1980 Holiday Bowl when he returned a punt for a touchdown in BYU’s 46-45 come-from-behind victory over SMU. From that time, nearly 22 years prior to his last football game for the Philadelphia Eagles in 1994, Sikahema's quickness, speed and heart were assets for football teams all around the country.
A native of Tonga, Vai first came to BYU in 1980 after playing high school football in Mesa, Arizona. He began his career on the junior varsity but also played with the varsity special teams.
His sophomore season in 1981, Sikahema was one of three BYU rushers with positive yardage in the 1981 Holiday Bowl vs. Washington State. He also ended up finishing fourth in the WAC in punt returns, with an 8.6 average on 44 returns.
Sikahema interrupted his college football career to serve a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to South Dakota between his sophomore and junior years. He came back to BYU in 1983 to redshirt.
During his 1984 season alone, Vai Sikahema was named honorable mention All-WAC, ranked seventh nationally in kickoff returns, named Special Teams Player of the Game vs. both Tulsa and UTEP, and listed as BYU’s fourth leading rusher on the Cougar team that won the National Championship. Not a bad record after a three-season hiatus!
Sikahema kept turning heads his senior year. He was named the Hartford-ESPN MVP twice for his performances against UCLA and Hawaii and made All-WAC Second Team as a return specialist. By the end of his BYU career, he had 153 punt returns, securing the BYU all-time record for career returns.
Vai then left BYU behind to play for the St. Louis Cardinals, during which time he made two Pro Bowl appearances. In the 1987 game, he set the NFL Pro Bowl single-game punt return record with seven returns in one game.
Vai moved to Arizona with the Cardinals, where he continued his education at ASU. He went on to play for the Green Bay Packers and Philadelphia Eagles. As an Eagle he was named to the 1992 All-Madden Team.
Sikahema then retired from the NFL and transitioned from player to media specialist, working for a Philadelphia television station for more than 25 years. He was inducted into the Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia Hall of Fame on November 22, 2013.
He graduated from BYU in 2002 with a bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism. Vai and his wife, Keala, are the parents of three sons and a daughter: Landon, L. J., Trey, and Lana.
Career Stats (returner)
| Career | Kickoff Returns | Punt Returns | Fumbles | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | GP | KR | YDS | AVG | LNG | TD | PR | YDS | AVG | LNG | TD | NO | LOST |
| 1985 | 13 | 10 | 138 | 13.80 | 45 | 0 | 46 | 431 | 9.37 | 72 | 0 | 5 | 3 |
| 1984 | 13 | 15 | 370 | 24.67 | 65 | 0 | 46 | 500 | 10.87 | 89 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
| 1981 | 13 | 13 | 204 | 15.69 | 33 | 0 | 43 | 274 | 6.37 | 37 | 0 | 7 | 2 |
| 1980 | 6 | 7 | 174 | 24.86 | 47 | 0 | 4 | 22 | 5.50 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| TOTALS: | 45 | 45 | 886 | 19.69 | 65 | - | 139 | 1227 | 8.83 | 89 | - | 16 | 7 |