Junior Tautalatasi
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| Position: | Running back | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | March 24, 1962 Oakland, California, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height: | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 207 lb (94 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | Encinal (Alameda, California) | ||||||||
| College: | Washington State | ||||||||
| NFL draft: | 1986 / Round: 10 / Pick: 261 | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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| Player stats at PFR | |||||||||
Taivale "Junior" Tautalatasi Jr. (born March 24, 1962) is a former American football running back. He played college football at Washington State and in the National Football League (NFL) for the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys.
Early years
Born in
He then transferred to Washington State University.[5] After redshirting the 1983 season, he played in 1984 and 1985 with the Washington State Cougars, while playing behind Rueben Mayes (conference rushing leader) and Kerry Porter.[5] With Washington State, Tautalatasi rushed for 402 yards and four touchdowns, averaging 6.3 yards per carry.[6]
Professional career
Philadelphia Eagles
Tautalatasi was selected by the
Buddy Ryan, Tautalatasi's head coach with the Eagles, was unable to pronounce his last name and referred to him most often as "Junior Smith".[13] In 1987, he posted 25 receptions for 176 yards and 26 carries for 69 yards.[3] On November 9, 1988, he was waived to make room for running back Walter Abercrombie.[14] Tautalatasi concluded the 1988 season with 48 receiving and 28 rushing yards.[3]
Dallas Cowboys
On September 26, 1989, he was signed by the Dallas Cowboys as a free agent. A backup running back, Tautalatasi had 157 receiving yards and 15 rushing yards in six games.[3] He was released on August 26, 1990.[15]
References
- ^ Aubrey, Coult (May 11, 1986). "Samoan running back could be Eagles surprise". The Morning Call. Allentown. Archived from the original on October 23, 2020. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
- ^ McGreehan, Mike (November 12, 2009). "Spotlight on Encinal's Hall of Fame athletes". Alameda Times-Star. Archived from the original on August 27, 2016. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e "Junior Tautalatasi". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
- ^ "CSM, Chabot to battle for GGC title again". San Francisco Examiner. September 15, 1982. p. 88. Retrieved October 22, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b Domowitch, Paul (May 10, 1986). "Tautalatasi Would Like To Come Out Of Hiding". Philadelphia Daily News. Archived from the original on October 17, 2015. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
- ^ "Junior Tautalatasi". Sports Reference CFB. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
- ^ "1986 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2023-10-03.
- ^ Hoffman, Rich (August 29, 1986). "Despite Brilliance, Junior Will Play 2nd Fiddle". Philadelphia Daily News. Archived from the original on January 31, 2016. Retrieved January 25, 2018.
- ^ Reid, Ron (August 20, 1986). "By Any Name, A Surprise". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on 2015-09-25. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
- ^ "Potential Trouble Awaits Tautalatasi After 'scope". Philadelphia Daily News. Archived from the original on December 31, 2015. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
- ^ Drago, Mike (19 August 1987). "Ryan displeased with Tautalatasi". Reading Eagle. p. 38. Retrieved 23 January 2018.
- ^ "Junior Tautalatasi 1986 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
- ^ Reid, Ron (August 11, 1986). "Ryan Promotes Waters And Tautalatasi To First String". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on February 1, 2016. Retrieved January 23, 2018.
- ^ "Abercrombie Joins Eagles". Reading Eagle. November 10, 1988. Retrieved January 25, 2018.
- ^ "Former Eagle Zendejas Released By Cowboys". The Philadelphia Inquirer. August 27, 1990. Archived from the original on January 31, 2016. Retrieved October 22, 2020.