:Jesse Sapolu

{{Short description|Samoan gridiron football player (born 1961)}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2024}}

{{Infobox NFL biography

| caption =

| number = 61

| position = Center
Guard

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1961|3|10|mf=y}}

| birth_place = Apia, Samoa

| death_date =

| height_ft = 6

| height_in = 4

| weight_lbs = 278

| high_school = Honolulu (HI) Farrington

| college = Hawaii

| draftyear = 1983

| draftround = 11

| draftpick = 289

| teams =

• San Francisco 49ers (1983–1997)

| highlights =

• 4× Super Bowl champion (XIX, XXIII, XXIV, XXIX)
• 2× Pro Bowl (1993, 1994)
• First-team All-WAC (1980)
• Second-team All-WAC (1981)

| statlabel1 = Games played

| statvalue1 = 182

| statlabel2 = Games started

| statvalue2 = 154

| statlabel3 = Fumble recoveries

| statvalue3 = 1

| pfr = SapoJe00

| HOF =

}}

Manase Jesse Sapolu (born March 10, 1961) is a Samoan former professional American football player in the National Football League (NFL). He played both center and offensive guard, and played his entire career for the San Francisco 49ers.

Sapolu attended Farrington High School and the University of Hawaii in Honolulu. Standing 6 feet 4 inches, 278 lbs., he was selected by the Oakland Invaders in the 17th round (199th pick overall) of the 1983 USFL draft, and selected by 49ers in the 11th round (289th pick overall) of the 1983 NFL draft. He signed with the 49ers on July 10, 1983.

Sapolu is one of six 49ers to own four Super Bowl championship rings (1984, 1988, 1989, and 1994), and the only one of those to earn a ring with the '94 team rather than their first title in 1981.{{Cite web |last=Janower |first=Jacob |date=8 February 2021 |title=Super Bowl winners by player: Who has the most rings in NFL history? |url=https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nfl/news/super-bowl-wins-by-player-most-rings-nfl-history/1iouj3efoz32o1moq05touj0vz |access-date=29 December 2021 |website=Sporting News}} He earned Pro Bowl honors in 1993 and 1994.

Since retiring in 1997, Sapolu and his wife Lisa have lived in Southern California,{{cite news |url=http://articles.dailypilot.com/2013-02-01/sports/tn-dpt-0201-jesse-sapolu-super-bowl-20130131_1_jesse-sapolu-heart-defect-motivational-speaker |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714153653/http://articles.dailypilot.com/2013-02-01/sports/tn-dpt-0201-jesse-sapolu-super-bowl-20130131_1_jesse-sapolu-heart-defect-motivational-speaker |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 14, 2014 |title=Sapolu remains passionate, humble |first=Steve |last=Virgen |newspaper=Daily Pilot |location=Orange County, California |date=February 1, 2013 }} and remains active in the community as well with the 49ers alumni.

Sapolu has been an integral part in establishing the Polynesian Pro Football Hall of Fame, of which he is a co-founder. He now runs Men In The Trenches (MITT) in California.{{Cite web |title=MITT 2020 Opening Day - February 2020 |url=http://sapolumeninthetrenches.com/index.html}}