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Isaac Sopoaga

{{Short description|American Samoan gridiron football player (born 1981)}}

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

{{Infobox NFL biography

| image = Isaac Sopoaga.JPG

| caption = Sopoaga in the 2013 NFL season

| name = Isaac Sopoaga

| number = 90, 97

| position = Nose tackle

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1981|9|4|mf=y}}

| birth_place = Pago Pago, American Samoa

| height_ft = 6

| height_in = 2

| weight_lbs = 330

| high_school = Samoana {{nowrap|(Utulei, American Samoa)}}

| college = Hawaii

| draftyear = 2004

| draftround = 4

| draftpick = 104

| pastteams =

| highlights =

  • Second-team All-WAC (2002)

| statlabel1 = Total tackles

| statvalue1 = 235

| statlabel2 = Sacks

| statvalue2 = 8.5

| statlabel3 = Forced fumbles

| statvalue3 = 1

| statlabel4 = Fumble recoveries

| statvalue4 = 2

| pfr = SopoIs20

}}

Isa'ako "Isaac" Sopoaga (pronounced {{IPAc-en|s|oʊ|p|oʊ|ˈ|ɑː|ɡ|ə}} {{respell|soh|poh|AH|gə}}; born September 4, 1981) is a former American football nose tackle. He was selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the fourth round of the 2004 NFL draft. He played college football at Hawaii.

Early life

Sopoaga attended Samoana High School in Pago Pago, Eastern School District, American Samoa and was a letterman in football, basketball, and baseball. In football, he was a two-time All-League selection and as a senior, he was named the League's Defensive Player of the Year. He played rugby growing up in Samoa.{{Cite news |last=Tsai |first=Stephen |date=July 1, 2010 |title=Ex-Warrior Sopoaga returns to find peace, strength |url=https://www.staradvertiser.com/2010/07/01/sports/ex-warrior-sopoaga-returns-to-find-peace-strength/ |access-date=1 July 2010 |work=Star Advertiser}} Isaac also attributes his strong throwing arm, reportedly being able to throw the ball 78 yards flat footed, to throwing 1–2 pound rocks at coconuts up to 70 feet high hanging from the trees. He would eventually develop enough strength and accuracy to knock down five or six coconuts in a matter of five minutes according to his own account.{{cite web |url=https://brobible.com/sports/article/vernon-davis-strongest-nfl-players/ |title=Vernon Davis Reveals The Strongest NFL Players He's Ever Played With In His 14-Year Career |publisher=BroBible |date=29 October 2020 |access-date=8 October 2021}}

College career

Sopoaga began his collegiate career at the College of the Canyons. As a freshman, he was suspended for two games after hitting an opposing player.{{cite news|url=http://www.thefreelibrary.com/TOP+CAT+SOPOAGA+IS+A+FORCE+FOR+COUGARS.-a083401738|title=Top Cat Sopoaga is a Force for the Cougars|work=Los Angeles Daily News|date=September 29, 2000|access-date=April 10, 2013|archive-date=March 2, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170302030102/https://www.thefreelibrary.com/TOP+CAT+SOPOAGA+IS+A+FORCE+FOR+COUGARS.-a083401738|url-status=dead}} In his sophomore season in 2000, he recorded 31 sacks, which still stands as the single-season record in California community college football. He then decided to sit out the 2001 season to establish residency. Sopoaga was inducted into the College of the Canyons Athletic Hall of Fame in 2011.[http://www.canyons.edu/offices/athletics/2010HOF.html College of the Canyons Athletic Hall Of Fame Set To Induct Class of 2011] {{webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20130626174341/http://www.canyons.edu/offices/athletics/2010HOF.html |date=2013-06-26 }}

He then attended the University of Hawaii, where he started his junior and senior years, and collected 128 tackles (70 solos) with four sacks for minus 28 yards, 15 stops for losses of 56 yards, eleven quarterback pressures, a pair of fumble recoveries, two forced fumbles and three pass deflections in 25 games with the Warriors.{{cite web |url=http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/football/2004draft/Sopoaga,Isaac-DT-Hawaii.htm |title=Isaac Sopoaga, DT, Hawaii |publisher=USA Today |date=18 May 2005 |access-date=3 October 2022}}

Professional career

=Pre-draft=

Projected to be an early second round selection, Sopoaga was ranked as the No. 4 defensive tackle available in the 2004 NFL draft.{{Cite web |url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/football/2004/draft/breakdowns/by_position/dt.html |title=SI.com - 2004 NFL Draft - Breakdown by Position - DT |access-date=2013-04-10 |archive-date=2014-03-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140305054912/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/football/2004/draft/breakdowns/by_position/dt.html |url-status=dead }} {{As of|2018}}, Sopoaga is one of only seventeen prospects to repeat more than 40 lifts at the {{convert|225|lb|kg|adj=on}} bench press at the NFL Scouting Combine since 1999. While he was noted for his "outstanding strength" and quickness off the snap, scouts criticized his tendency to "get tall, which negates his power," as well as his lack of hand technique.{{Cite web |url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/football/2004/draft/players/43244.html |title=SI.com - 2004 NFL Draft - Isaac Sopoaga |access-date=2013-04-10 |archive-date=2004-09-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040915215512/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/football/2004/draft/players/43244.html |url-status=dead }} Sopoaga was eventually selected in the fourth round, 104th overall, by the San Francisco 49ers. He was the highest selected Hawaii Warriors defensive lineman since Al Noga in 1988.

{{nfl predraft

| height ft = 6

| height in = 2¼

| weight = 317

| dash = 4.97

| ten split = 1.75

| twenty split = 2.92

| shuttle = 4.66

| cone drill = 7.79

| vertical = 30½

| broad ft = 8

| broad in = 3

| bench = 42

| wonderlic =

| arm span =

| hand span =

| note = All values from NFL Combine{{Cite web|url=http://www.nfldraftscout.com/ratings/dsprofile.php?pyid=58901&draftyear=2004&genpos=DT|title=Isaac Sopoaga|work=NFLDraftScout.com|access-date=October 18, 2010 }}

}}

=San Francisco 49ers=

Sopoaga was selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the fourth round (104 overall) in the 2004 NFL draft. Sopoaga missed the entire 2004 season with an injury.{{Cite web |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/2004/draft.htm |title=2004 NFL Draft Listing |website=Pro-Football-Reference.com |access-date=2023-05-06}} In 2008, the 49ers stated that they would use Sopoaga as a defensive end.{{cite web |url=https://www.49ers.com/news/sopoaga-ready-to-step-up-519265 |title=Sopoaga Ready to Step Up |publisher=49ers |date=11 May 2008 |access-date=8 October 2021}} For the 2010 season, Sopoaga started at left defensive end in the 49ers 3-4 defense.

In the October 17, 2010 game against the Oakland Raiders, Sopoaga lined up as a fullback and successfully blocked for Frank Gore deep in the red zone near the end of the game. The play resulted in a first down which allowed the 49ers who were leading 17 to 9 to run out the clock and win the game. In a Monday press conference following the game 49ers head coach Mike Singletary said that putting Sopoaga in as fullback was an idea he presented to former offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye earlier in 2010. Singletary gave credit to Bill Walsh's playing of guard Guy McIntyre as a fullback rather than Mike Ditka's playing of lineman William "The Fridge" Perry as a fullback on Singletary's Chicago Bears team, since Walsh started the trend and Ditka followed.{{Cite web |url=http://www.49ers.com/news-and-events/article-2/Singletarys-Notebook-Oct-18/133dbdcb-808a-4f02-97b4-52587815446e |title=Singletary press conference October 18, 2010 |access-date=October 18, 2010 |archive-date=October 22, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101022165654/http://www.49ers.com/news-and-events/article-2/Singletarys-Notebook-Oct-18/133dbdcb-808a-4f02-97b4-52587815446e |url-status=dead }} Prior to the 2011 season the 49ers parted ways with nose tackle Aubrayo Franklin, leaving a void at the nose tackle position which was filled by Sopoaga. On October 30, 2011, playing from fullback position, Sopoaga caught a pass for a key first down in the fourth quarter of the 49ers' 20–10 victory over the Cleveland Browns.

At the end of the 2012 season, Sopoaga and the 49ers appeared in Super Bowl XLVII. In the game, he had four combined tackles as the 49ers fell to the Baltimore Ravens by a score of 34–31.{{Cite web |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/201302030sfo.htm |title=Super Bowl XLVII - San Francisco 49ers vs. Baltimore Ravens - February 3rd, 2013 |website=Pro-Football-Reference.com |access-date=2017-12-02}}

=Philadelphia Eagles=

Sopoaga signed a three-year, $12 million deal with the Philadelphia Eagles on March 12, 2013.{{cite web | last=Brady | first=James | title=Eagles sign Sopoaga, Phillips | website=SBNation.com | date=2013-03-12 | url=https://www.sbnation.com/nfl/2013/3/12/4096670/isaac-sopoaga-jason-phillips-eagles-contract | access-date=2024-12-24}}

=New England Patriots=

On October 29, 2013, Sopoaga was traded to the New England Patriots along with a sixth-round pick for a fifth-round draft pick in the 2014 draft.{{cite tweet|user=EaglesInsider|author=Dave Spadaro|number=395274816124510208|date=29 October 2013|title=#Eagles get a 5th-round pick from New England for Isaac Sopoaga and a 6th-round pick.}}

=Arizona Cardinals=

Soon after working out for the Arizona Cardinals on August 20, 2014, Sopoaga officially signed with them.{{cite web|last1=Gantt|first1=Darin|title=Cardinals find some defensive line depth with Isaac Sopoaga|date=20 August 2014|url=http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/08/20/cardinals-find-some-defensive-line-depth-with-isaac-sopoaga/|publisher=Pro Football Talk|access-date=20 August 2014}} The Cardinals released Sopoaga on August 30, 2014.{{Cite web |url=http://www.azcardinals.com/news-and-events/article-2/Cardinals-Cut-To-53/552f8ee4-1e2a-4da1-b6a7-3e4f0a52e2d2 |title=Cardinals Cut To 53 |access-date=2014-08-31 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140901194443/http://www.azcardinals.com/news-and-events/article-2/Cardinals-Cut-To-53/552f8ee4-1e2a-4da1-b6a7-3e4f0a52e2d2 |archive-date=2014-09-01 |url-status=dead }}

NFL career statistics

class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"

! colspan="2"| Legend

Bold

| Career high

=Regular season=

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
rowspan="2"| Year

!rowspan="2"| Team

!colspan="2"| Games

!colspan="5"| Tackles

!colspan="5"| Interceptions

!colspan="4"| Fumbles

GPGSCmbSoloAstSckTFLIntYdsTDLngPDFFFRYdsTD
2005SFO

| 16 || 1 || 22 || 16 || 6 || 0.0 || 3 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 1 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0

2006SFO

| 15 || 2 || 22 || 17 || 5 || 1.5 || 3 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 3 || 1 || 1 || 0 || 0

2007SFO

| 16 || 5 || 27 || 14 || 13 || 1.5 || 3 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 1 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0

2008SFO

| 16 || 15 || 40 || 26 || 14 || 1.0 || 4 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 1 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0

2009SFO

| 16 || 16 || 29 || 19 || 10 || 1.0 || 1 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 1 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0

2010SFO

| 16 || 16 || 25 || 17 || 8 || 1.5 || 2 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 1 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0

2011SFO

| 15 || 15 || 31 || 20 || 11 || 0.0 || 1 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 1 || 0 || 1 || 0 || 0

2012SFO

| 15 || 9 || 27 || 21 || 6 || 1.0 || 3 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0

rowspan="2" | 2013PHI

| 8 || 7 || 10 || 7 || 3 || 0.0 || 1 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0

NE

| 6 || 2 || 2 || 1 || 1 || 1.0 || 1 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 1 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0

colspan="2"|13988235158778.5220000101200

=Playoffs=

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
rowspan="2"| Year

!rowspan="2"| Team

!colspan="2"| Games

!colspan="5"| Tackles

!colspan="5"| Interceptions

!colspan="4"| Fumbles

GPGSCmbSoloAstSckTFLIntYdsTDLngPDFFFRYdsTD
2011SFO

| 2 || 2 || 3 || 3 || 0 || 0.0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0

2012SFO

| 3 || 1 || 7 || 6 || 1 || 1.0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0

colspan="2"|5310911.00000000000

Personal life

A native of American Samoa, Sopoaga was raised in the village of Fagasa, an isolated fishing community.{{cite news|url=http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2009/Oct/05/br/hawaii91004033.html|title=Niners' Sopoaga savors more than a win|newspaper=San Jose Mercury News|date=October 5, 2009 }} He is one of nine children (four brothers, four sisters) of Suitupe and Lagiselota Sopoaga.

He owns a second home in Hawaii, where he spends the off-season.{{cite news|url=http://www.staradvertiser.com/sports/20100701_Ex-Warrior_Sopoaga_returns_to_find_peace_strength.html?id=97570034|title=Ex-Warrior Sopoaga returns to find peace, strength|newspaper=Honolulu Star-Advertiser|date=July 1, 2010 }}

Sopoaga's nephew, Penei Sewell, won the Outland and Morris trophies playing college football for the Oregon Ducks and is an All-Pro and 2× Pro Bowl offensive tackle taken 7th overall by the Detroit Lions in the 2021 NFL draft.

References

{{Reflist|30em}}

External links

{{commons}}

  • [http://www.hawaiiathletics.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=3450 Hawaii Athletics bio] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131225173212/http://www.hawaiiathletics.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=3450 |date=2013-12-25 }}
  • [https://web.archive.org/web/20120919081556/http://www.49ers.com/team/roster/isaac-sopoaga/9ebd9e31-35b6-4534-b60b-b33c15f7e417/ San Francisco 49ers bio]
  • [http://www.philadelphiaeagles.com/team/roster/Isaac-Sopoaga/1e6725e0-7175-4e24-9899-7c2fcac0b6d9 Philadelphia Eagles bio] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130404050314/http://www.philadelphiaeagles.com/team/roster/Isaac-Sopoaga/1e6725e0-7175-4e24-9899-7c2fcac0b6d9 |date=2013-04-04 }}

{{49ers2004DraftPicks}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sopoaga, Isaac}}

Category:1981 births

Category:Living people

Category:Players of American football from American Samoa

Category:American sportspeople of Samoan descent

Category:College of the Canyons Cougars football players

Category:American football defensive tackles

Category:Hawaii Rainbow Warriors football players

Category:San Francisco 49ers players

Category:Philadelphia Eagles players

Category:New England Patriots players

Category:Arizona Cardinals players

Category:Sportspeople from Pago Pago

Category:Pacific Islander American players of American football