Seau, Junior

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Junior Seau

1969-

American football player

Known for his dominance on the defensive side of the ball, Junior Seau entered the league in 1990 as a first-round draft pick by the San Diego Chargers and soon became a linebacker whose name was mentioned with other contemporary greats, such as Lawrence Taylor and Derrick Thomas . In a sport known for its brutality and the need for its players to maintain an air of indestructibility, Seau is a rarity in that he is truly a humanitarian, giving back as much as he gets, devoting much of his time away from the field to charitable endeavors.

Growing Up

Though fans know him as Junior Seau, he was born Tiaina Seau on January 19, 1969, in Oceanside, California. His father, Tiana Sr., and mother Luisa were natives of Samoa from the island of Aunuu, who came to America seeking medical help for Junior's older brother. Seau's father, though strict and unrelenting, had instilled early on in Junior a strong moral sense and a work ethic that Seau used during high school and then into college, propelling him to become one of the stars of today's NFL.

Growing up, Seau wanted to be a quarterback, but he led his school to the city championship as a linebacker

and tight end for Oceanside High School. He was named defensive player of the year, as well as earning all-state and USA Today All-USA honorable mention. He was an all-around outstanding athlete, excelling not only at football, but also in basketball and track, all the while doing very well in the classroom, being named to California's All-Academic team with a 3.6 grade point average.

When he graduated, he was recruited by the University of Southern California, but he did not have a very good first few years. As he recounted in Sports Illustrated, during his freshman year he couldn't suit up because he had scored ten points too low for the NCAA rules on his SATs. The setback only served to motivate Seau to work even harder. That spring he won USC's annual contest of strength, physical endurance and speed (known as the "Superman" contest), beating out every other player on the football team. It seemed that he was back on track, but then he injured his ankle prior to the start of the second season and was out for yet another year.

Finally, his junior year, two starters were injured, giving Seau the opportunity he needed to prove his worth. He had a great season, earning All-American Honors and the PAC-10 Defensive Player of the Year award. With only one season of college football under his belt, Seau opted to not take any more chances or risk injury and another season away from the field. He entered the National Football league (NFL) draft.

Playing for the Home Team

The San Diego Chargers picked up Junior Seau in the 1990 draft and he immediately made an impact on the team. He was moved to inside linebacker, and even though this was a position he wasn't familiar with, his enthusiasm for the game wasn't diminished and he did his best to accommodate.

At USC Seau had been an outside pass-rusher. Still, he managed in that rookie season to finish second on the team in tackles, making the change in positions almost seamlessly and learning quickly how to cover running backs on pass plays.

In his second season Seau earned a trip to the Pro Bowl, beginning a long string of Pro Bowl appearances. Then in the 1992 season, with new coach Bobby Ross at the helm, Seau was the catalyst for the Chargers, who finished with an 11-5 record and the division title. In what was the biggest turnaround in NFL history, the team went from losing their first four games to finishing with an 11-1 record the rest of the season.

Seau is the leader on the team, no doubt about it. In a 1994 AFC Championship game, Seau had sixteen tackles against the Pittsburgh Steelers and helped the defense hold a late surge by the Steelers in a game that the Steelers had said they would have no problem winning. Seau and the Chargers' defense held the Steelers to only sixty-six yards rushing. The Chargers would lose the Super Bowl to the San Francisco 49ers, but Seau would have eleven tackles and one sack in the game.

Chronology

1969	Born Tiaina Seau, Jr., in Oceanside, California, on January 19 to Tiaina Sr. and Luisa Seau.
1976	Learns English for the first time
1985	Voted Outstanding High School Athlete by Parade magazine
1986	Enters University of Southern California
1988	Receives big break in college when gets starting position two weeks before season starts
1990	Drafted fifth overall in the first round by the San Diego Chargers
1990	Voted second alternate to the Pro Bowl in first NFL season and named to Football news All-Rookie Team
1991	Starts the Junior Seau Foundation
1993	Daughter Sydney Beau born on August 7
1995	Son Jake Ryan born on October 18
1996	Opens "Seau's: The Restaurant" in San Diego
1997	Seau's restaurant voted "Best Sports Bar" of the year by the San Diego Restaurant Association
2000	Named to Chargers 40th Anniversary All-Time Team

Continues to Excel

Seau's impact on the field has been and continues to be great—even with a Chargers team that finished the 1990s with a struggle. In the past few years the team has turned things around, acquiring quarterback Doug Flutie and, most recently, Drew Brees. In 2002, Seau's Chargers were in playoff contention up until the final game of the season. Playing in an extremely tough AFC West division, the team just missed the playoffs.

Junior Seau seems to have fun with life, taking the opportunities afforded him by football and turning them around. He told ESPN's The Life that his one weakness is buying sunglasses (he buys a new pair almost weekly). Other than that, he doesn't see the need to spend all of the money he earns on himself. Though he was one of the first NFL players to begin his own apparel line, the "Say-Ow" Gear, Seau's impact off the field is probably greatest in the area of philanthropy.

He started his Junior Seau Foundation in 1992, an organization developed to help out kids who, like Seau, don't always have the best opportunities growing up. The foundation's purpose, as it says on the foundation's Web site, is "to educate and empower young people through the support of child abuse prevention, drug and alcohol awareness, recreational opportunities, anti-juvenile delinquency efforts and complimentary educational programs."

Though he'll be one of the most passionate players on the field, Junior Seau's work off the field and the contributions he makes to his community put Seau at the top of the list of NFL players who give back.

Career Statistics

		Tackles				Fumbles		Interceptions
Yr	Team	TOT	Solo	AST	Sack	FF	BK	INT	TD
SD: San Diego Chargers.
1990	SD	85	61	24	1.0	0	0	0	0
1991	SD	129	111	18	7.0	0	0	0	0
1992	SD	102	79	23	4.5	1	0	2	0
1993	SD	129	108	21	0.0	1	0	2	0
1994	SD	152	126	26	5.5	1	0	0	0
1995	SD	129	113	16	2.0	1	0	2	0
1996	SD	138	111	27	7.0	1	0	2	0
1997	SD	97	85	12	7.0	1	0	2	0
1998	SD	115	94	21	3.5	1	0	0	0
1999	SD	99	80	19	3.5	1	0	1	0
2000	SD	123	104	19	3.5	1	0	2	0
2001	SD	95	85	10	1.0	1	0	1	0
2002	SD	84	62	22	1.5	1	0	1	0
TOTAL		1481	1205	276	47.0	11	0	15	0

Awards and Accomplishments

1989	Voted unanimous first-team All-America at University of Southern California
1991	Begins string of eight consecutive Pro-Bowl appearances
1992	Voted AFC and NFL Defensive Player of the Year, as well as first-team All-Pro
1993	Named Chargers "Edge Man of the Year"
1994	NFL's Linebacker of the Year; True Value Hardware Man of the Year
1995	NFL First team All-Pro
1996	Named AP All-Pro First Team
2000	Named to Pro Football Hall of Fame's All-Decade team for the 1990s; named NFL Alumni Association's Linebacker of the year