Haloti Ngata

Etuini Haloti Ngata (born January 21, 1984) is an American football defensive end and nose tackle for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the University of Oregon and earned All-American honors. The Baltimore Ravens chose him in the first round of the 2006 NFL Draft, and he has been selected for the Pro Bowl four times.

Early years
Ngata, of Tongan ancestry, was born in Inglewood, California. He attended Highland High School in Salt Lake City, Utah and was a three-year starter on the defensive line. As a senior, he recorded over 100 tackles and led his team to the state quarterfinals, following a 12-2 record and a berth in the State Championship as a junior. Ngata was named the 2001 Utah Gatorade Player of the Year and a first-team USA Today All-USA selection. He played in the 2002 U.S. Army All-American Bowl.

Ngata was listed as a five-star recruit and the No. 2 overall prospect in the nation by Rivals.com. He chose Oregon over BYU, Nebraska, Texas A&M, and Washington.

Ngata also played rugby in high school, and helped lead the Highland Rugby Club to the National Rugby Championship. He was red carded in the championship match.

College career
A devout member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Ngata said he felt most at home at Brigham Young University, but struggled to make his college decision. He eventually signed a national letter of intent to play for the Oregon Ducks football team of the University of Oregon. Ngata tore his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) on a punt coverage play in 2003 and missed the rest of that season. But over the next two seasons, Ngata became one of the best players in college football. Ngata totaled 107 tackles, 17.5 tackles for a loss, and 6.5 sacks total in the 2004 and 2005 seasons. He was a second-team All-Pac-10 selection in 2004, a first-team All-Pac-10 selection in 2005. Following his senior season in 2005, he was recognized as the Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year and a consensus first-team All-American, Oregon's first in 43 years. Ngata also earned praise as a dangerous special teams player, blocking 7 kicks during his 3 year career at Oregon.

He had a 495 lb bench press max, which ranks second all-time among Oregon Ducks football players, behind only Igor Olshansky's 505 lb.

2006 NFL Draft
Ngata decided to leave Oregon a year early because his mother, 'Ofa, was in the early stages of kidney dialysis. She died from her illness on January 13, 2006.

Ngata was selected by the Baltimore Ravens in the first round (12th overall) in the 2006 NFL Draft. It was the first time in franchise history the Ravens used a first round pick on a defensive lineman. Ngata became the highest selected defensive lineman from the current Pac-12 conference since Andre Carter in 2001.

Early career
On July 28, 2006, Ngata ended a brief contract holdout by agreeing to a 5-year contract worth up to $14 million with the Baltimore Ravens. In his rookie season, he started in all 16 games and finished the campaign with 31 tackles, one sack and an interception. The following season, he made 63 tackles and three sacks. Ngata had two interceptions in 2008.

2009 season
During the 2009 season, Ngata started all 16 Ravens regular season and both post season games. During the regular season, he recorded 36 tackles, of which 26 were unassisted and 1.5 sacks. He was selected for the first time in his career to play in the NFL Pro Bowl.

2010 season
After an outstanding 2010 season which included 63 tackles and 5.5 sacks, Ngata was selected to the 2010 All-Fundamentals Team by USA Football and the NFL Players Association.

2011 season
On February 15, the Ravens placed their franchise tag on Ngata. On September 20, he was signed to a 5-year deal worth $61 million.

The Ravens opened the 2011 season at home against the Pittsburgh Steelers on September 11. In the game Ngata forced a fumble and tipped a pass that led to a Ray Lewis interception; the Ravens won 35-7. Two weeks later against the Saint Louis Rams, Ray Lewis sacked Sam Bradford. Bradford fumbled, and the ball was recovered by Ngata who scored his first career regular season touchdown.

On October 2, 2011, during the Ravens game against the New York Jets, Ngata sacked Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez, causing Sanchez to fumble the ball. Ravens linebacker Jarrett Johnson picked up the fumble and returned it for a touchdown. The Ravens won the game 34-17. After reviewing the hit, the NFL levied a $15,000 fine against Ngata for roughing the passer even though no penalty was called by officials during the game.

Ngata finished the season with a career-high 64 tackles (36 unassisted), along with 5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, and 5 passes defended. Ngata also earned his third straight Pro Bowl appearance.

Ngata is known throughout the NFL for being a very versatile player. He mainly lines up at strongside defensive end in the Baltimore Ravens 3-4 base defense, but sometimes lines up at nose tackle. In their 4-2 nickel package, he lines up at defensive tackle. This versatility makes Ngata one of the most dominant defensive linemen in the NFL.

2012 season
During the 2012 season, Ngata played mostly defensive tackle and sometimes defensive end. He collected 5 sacks and 51 tackles overall. He was also part of the championship-winning team in Super Bowl XLVII as the Ravens beat the 49ers 34-31.

Personal
Ngata is the cousin of Indianapolis Colts defensive end Fili Moala, as well as UNLV Rebels starting guard Sifa Moala. He married Christina Adams in June 2007. Ngata also lost his father, who worked as a truck driver, in a traffic accident during his time at Oregon. He is also related to Jabari Parker.