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Sione Po'uha
File:Sione Pouha.JPG
Free agent
Nose tackle
Personal information
Date of birth: (1979-02-03) February 3, 1979 (age 45)
Place of birth: Salt Lake City, Utah
High School: Salt Lake City (UT) East
Height: 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) Weight: 325 lb (147 kg)
Career information
College: Utah
NFL Draft: 2005 / Round: 3 / Pick: 88
Debuted in 2005 for the New York Jets
Career history
Career highlights and awards
  • 2004 All-MWC First Team
Career NFL statistics as of 2012
Tackles     263
Sacks     4.5
Forced Fumbles     1

Sione Sonasi "Bo" Po'uha[1] (pronounced /siˈoʊni bɵˈuːhə/ see-OH-nee boh-OO-hə; born February 3, 1979) is an American football nose tackle who is currently a free agent. Pouha played college football at the University of Utah. He also is an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Early years[]

Pouha began playing football at the young age of nine.[1] Pouha attended East High School in Salt Lake City, Utah, where he was a two-year first-team all-region player and captained East High's state championship team in 1996. He earned USA Today honorable mention All-American honors as senior in 1996 and was a Deseret News and Salt Lake Tribune first-team all-state selection.[2] Pouha would sign a letter of intent with Utah in 1997.[2]

Pittsburgh Mission[]

Upon signing his letter of intent, Pouha would leave on a Mormon mission that took place in Pittsburgh between 1998 and 2000.[3] During his mission, Pouha rose at 5:30 every morning.[3] He spent three hours studying Scripture from 6 A.M. to 9 A.M. and would spend the next twelve hours sharing his beliefs and testimony going door-to-door.[3]

College career[]

In his senior season at Utah, Pouha earned All-Mountain West Conference first-team honors and was named USA Today All-America honorable mention after starting ten games, recording 36 tackles, four passes defended and one interception, and helped lead Urban Meyer's Utes to the 2005 Fiesta Bowl. Pouha had never considered playing beyond the college level; however, during his senior season he changed his mind after receiving a phone call from an agent.[1]

Professional career[]

2005[]

Pouha, who was considered a "project" player,[4] was drafted by the New York Jets in the third round of the 2005 NFL Draft. Pouha would appear in fourteen games as a rookie, recording ten tackles and one pass defended.

2006[]

Following his rookie season, Pouha suffered a torn ACL on the fourth day of training camp and was subsequently placed on the injured reserve list.[3]

2007[]

Motivated following his ACL injury which sidelined him in 2006,[3][4] Pouha would play in all sixteen games during the season, starting one game. Pouha recorded 39 tackles and had one pass defended.

2008[]

Pouha would once again appear in all of the team's sixteen matchups, recording 23 tackles, and would record his first half-sack of his career against the New England Patriots' Matt Cassel.

2009[]

Pouha went into the 2009 season as the back-up defensive tackle. Six games into the season, the Jets lost Pro Bowl starter Kris Jenkins who suffered a torn ACL. The injury would thrust Pouha into the spotlight as he became the team's starting nose tackle, starting the team's next thirteen games. Pouha would achieve multiple career highs, starting a career-high fourteen games and making a career 61 tackles, 34 of which were solo. Pouha and teammate Mike DeVito would help improve the rushing defense from twenty-first to fourth overall in the NFL.[5][6] Pouha and the team would enter the postseason until falling against the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC Championship.

2010[]

Pouha started the first game of the 2010 season alongside a returning Kris Jenkins. Six plays into the team's Monday night home opener against the Baltimore Ravens, Jenkins once again suffered a torn ACL.[7] Pouha, again, assumed Jenkins' role as nose tackle alongside teammates Mike DeVito and Howard Green.[7] Pouha is considered to be an excellent run-stopper and as the season progresses, the team would like to see Pouha more involved in pass-rushing and getting to the quarterback.[7] Pouha and the Jets made the postseason for the second straight year but lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC Championship.

2011[]

In Week 14 of the 2011 NFL season, Pouha tackled running back Jackie Battle in the end zone for a safety vs the Kansas City Chiefs.

2013[]

Po'uha was released by the Jets on March 12, 2013.[8]

Personal[]

Pouha was born to Sonasi and Susana Pouha.[5] He married his college sweetheart, Keiti Kaufusi Pouha, while he was still attending the University of Utah.[1] The couple have four children, two sons, Viliami and Sonasi; and two daughters, Leilani and Kesaia.[5] Pouha is of Tongan descent.[7]

Pouha majored in behavior science and health.[5]

Pouha created a beverage business named Bula.[1] Pouha has described the beverage as a "relaxation drink" that is a combination of kava and valerian root.[1] The drink is currently sold online and in stores in northern California.[1]

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Zimmerman, Lisa (October 5, 2010). "A Little Inspiration". TheJetsBlog.com. http://www.thejetsblog.com/2010/10/05/a-little-inspiration/. Retrieved October 5, 2010.
  2. 2.0 2.1 "Sione Pouha". Utah Utes. http://utahutes.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/pouha_sione00.html. Retrieved September 21, 2010.
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Bishop, Greg (December 27, 2007). "Spiritual Journey Guides an Imposing Jets Tackle". New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/27/sports/football/27jets.html. Retrieved September 21, 2010.
  4. 4.0 4.1 Waszak Jr., Dennis (August 13, 2007). "Reshaped Pouha could make a big impact on Jets' defensive line". USA Today. http://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/2007-08-13-1053985531_x.htm. Retrieved September 21, 2010.
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 "Sione Pouha". New York Jets. http://www.newyorkjets.com/team/roster/Sione-Pouha/6fc94335-5d85-487d-9047-c91da35f1d9f. Retrieved September 21, 2010.
  6. Cimini, Rich (September 18, 2010). "Examining the Kris Jenkins factor". ESPN New York. http://espn.go.com/blog/new-yorkjets/post/_/id/1799/examining-the-kris-jenkins-factor?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter. Retrieved September 21, 2010.
  7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Vrentas, Jenny (September 17, 2010). "In Kris Jenkins' absence, Jets are hoping DT Sione Pouha is as generous as his Christmas gifts". The Star-Ledger. http://www.nj.com/jets/index.ssf/2010/09/in_kris_jenkins_absence_jets_a.html. Retrieved September 21, 2010.
  8. Orr, Conor (12 March 2013). "Santonio Holmes agrees to restructured deal, will remain with Jets, report says". The Star-Ledger. Archived from the original on 12 March 2013. http://www.webcitation.org/6F4SHPw5C. Retrieved 12 March 2013.

External links[]

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