After talking with Shaun Nua, one of the first things you notice about him is the size of his hands. They're massive. The 6-foot-5, 270 pound lineman's hands are calloused from hours spent tugging and pulling at the jerseys of opposing linemen on his way to the quarterback. They have lifted and pushed weights hundreds of times during countless lifting sessions dedicated to making him a more physical and dominant pass rusher.
You then can't help but notice the size of this guy's heart. He's always smiling and gracious to those he meets. In fact, when asked what his advice to the youth would be, he said they need to stay humble, thankful and to always be courteous to the ladies.
But it's his love of the game of football that really sticks out. The game of football just oozes out him. Everything about this guy screams football. Over and over he kept repeating, "man, I just love this game."
Not on this island
That's interesting coming from a guy who picked up football as a high school freshman but never really played competitively until his junior year. That would end up being his first and last year playing high school football, because he missed his entire senior year due to torn ligaments in his knee.
Nua is from Pago Pago in American Samoa. Let's just say that American football isn't the most popular sport on island. Instead they play rugby, volleyball and occasionally cricket. But every Sunday afternoon, their television would pick up NFL games broadcast over the satellite.
"When I was little we would always get the Sunday games, and I always wanted to try it," Nua said. "My friends and I in elementary school would try to play football, but we didn't know the rules so it always ended like rugby."
It wouldn't be until Nua was a freshman in high school that he would eventually get a chance to learn the sport. But even then, he never had a chance to really play all that much. Because the island had no youth football programs, or even JV football, Nua's only chance to play was on the practice squad against his teammates.
"I wish they had a JV program or Pop Warner or anything like that. It wasn't that organized. It was okay, but mostly it was a lot of fun."
Trying it Out
But even if it was just a little bite of what football was really like, the taste of the sport stayed with him. After his senior year in high school, Nua left the American Samoa to live with his sister who was attending Arizona State University in Tempe, Ariz.
While he was there, the doctor looking at the knee he had injured playing football suggested Nua try out for the football team at Eastern Arizona, three hours away.
"At that point I was just desperate. I wanted to play football so bad," Nua said. "I was willing to play anywhere."
He decided football was worth shot so took the leap and he tried out. He made the team and was an impact player from the very first beginning.
It was in Arizona that Nua finally was able to develop his game. He mastered the finesse of pass rushing and gained his seemingly unquenchable thirst for sacking the quarterback.
"The best part of the game is sacking the quarterback," Nua said. "There is nothing like it. When you sack the quarterback, it is the greatest feeling ever."
Even more important, playing football at Eastern Arizona taught him not only how to play the game physically, but mentally as well.
"Playing at Eastern Arizona University helped me understand the game so much more. It was really good for me," Nua said.
Coming to a Different Place
In 2001, BYU showed interest in having the 270-pound defensive lineman play football in Provo and brought him up for a visit to watch the Utah game. After watching the game, Nua was convinced Provo was the place for him.
"On my recruiting trip, I attended the 2001 Utah game when we beat them here at home," Nua said. "With the crowd cheering and the excellent coaching staff, I was just like whoa, I gotta come here."
But what he didn't know is how much different Provo is than any other place he'd ever lived. The religion, school, people, culture and altitude were all new to the island native. While many island athletes who come to BYU are LDS, or at least have some sort of LDS connection, Nua did not. Although he did have some exposure to the LDS religion in Arizona, for the most part it was new to him.
"It's definitely different here," Nua said. "It was an adjustment, but I really respect the LDS religion and what they are trying to do here. I understand that with the honor code they are just trying to protect us."
But fortunately for him, the strong island ties in the area eased the strain of the adjusting to a new culture.
"The Polynesian culture here has helped me so much. It has made me feel at home a little more," Nua said. "When I was at Eastern Arizona I was homesick for a whole year. But here they understand me better, it's almost like I'm back home. I love everybody here."
When football opened up in the spring of 2002 he made an immediate positive impression. During the 2002 season he was a significant contributor to the team. He recorded four sacks and 20 tackles--including 13 solo tackles. But the next year, the nagging knee problems that seem to shadow him surfaced again and forced him out of spring 2003 drills. As a result, Nua decided to sit the year out and redshirt the remainder of the 2003 season.
Now Nua is recharged and his play so far during the 2004 season shows he came ready to do some damage.
Through eight games so far, Nua is second on the team's sack list with three and has recorded 20 tackles. Nine of those are unassisted.
Nua would love a crack at the next level. This is something he has dreamed about every since those early days of watching NFL games on the island.
"Playing in the NFL is a dream. I think about it everyday," Nua said. "But if it does not happen, I am ready for it. I am ready for whatever."
Taking it Back to the Islands
If the NFL doesn't coming knocking on his door, or whenever his playing days are over, Nua feels his future is coaching. He wants to teach and help develop athletes in the sport about which he's so passionate.
Eventually, he wants to take what he learns in the U.S. and take it back to American Samoa where he can develop the talent there.
"When I am done playing football I want to start coaching at a high school here in the states. Then, after I gain some experience, I want to go back and coach on the islands," Nua said.
"It's something we need to take advantage of. I mean, there is so much talent down there."
Nua believes the islands are a huge untapped resource that could regularly produce top quality athletes.
The problem, however, is not that people aren't familiar with the sport, it's that many of the coaches have never actually played so they don't really know how to coach football.
"Coaching was a huge mixture down there. A lot of the coaches had no idea how to play American football." Nua said. "My head coach did, but the other guys would just try and do their best."
Because access to college football is limited on the island, it was simply not possible for Nua's coaches and family to watch him play very often. For starters, the games at Eastern Arizona were never televised.
However, once he transferred to BYU they were able to occasionally pick up the games on ESPN but that was about it.
It wasn't until Gabe Reid, another football player from American Samoa, offered a solution.
"A lot of times my family didn't get the games until Gabe Reid's family told my Dad that they could watch the games at the Mormon church," Nua said. "I guess a lot of people gather there to watch BYU football. That's my favorite part, just knowing that my family is watching."
But even though his family is hundreds of miles away and he has had to adjust to a different culture and lifestyle, his heart still remains as big and full as the island he came from.
Nobody who sports the blue and white is as thankful for the chance to be here as Nua says he is.
"A lot of people say that football players take advantage of their situation and are not thankful for what they have." Nua said. "I just want everybody to know I am just so thankful for everything. It has been great; I love playing here and representing BYU."
History of Samoan Players at BYU
Before Wheel of Fortune became a popular TV show for contestants to buy a vowel, the names with many vowels started streaming to Provo.
Polynesia's pipeline to BYU started years ago when tackle Harry Bray of Hilo, Hawai`i transferred from Weber College in 1951.
Polynesian players have contributed a lot to BYU football. Vai Sikahema (1980-85) was the first Tongan to play in the NFL and many Tongans like him have played for the Cougars.
Before the Tongans, the Samoans contributed to BYU's grid success. Shaun Nua isn't the first Samoan to play for the Cougars.
The following BYU football players were born in Samoa: Pulusila Filiaga, Mekeli Ieremia, Adney Reid, Gabe Reid, Spencer Reid, and Sim Tiatia.
Alema Fitisemanu was a true freshman on the 1984 national championship team.
Fitisemanu's grandfather was once offered a high position in society if he would renounce his religion. His grandfather replied, "I would rather bea deacon in the Mormon Church than the King of Samoa." Fitisemanu was born in Salt Lake City, but grew up in Samoa. He is now managing a school in Western Samoa for troubled juveniles.
Ieremia was from Western Samoa and played defensive tackle for BYU from 1974-77. Ieremia was a two-time All-Western Athletic Conference performer for the Cougars. He sailed part-way around the world from Samoa with an author who let Ieremia live with him in 1972 at Tarrytown, New York following that voyage.
Samoans other than Nua currently on the team include Matt Ah You, Mania Brown, Jake Kuresa, Vince Feula, and Isley Filiaga.
Previous BYU players who are Samoan include Charlie, C.J., Harland and Kingsley Ah You; Aissac Aiono; Famika, Brad, Robert and Matt Anae; Donny and Mark Atuaia; Bristol Olomua; Ifo and Mao Pili; Allen and Thor Salanoa; and Keith Uperesa.
A Samoan firedancer named Murphy Su'a was a baseball All-American for BYU in 1979 and his son, Justin, currently pitches for BYU as a junior.