Mark Tuinei
| No. 71 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Offensive tackle | ||||
| Personal information | |||||
| Born: | March 31, 1960 Oceanside, California, U.S. | ||||
| Died: | May 6, 1999 (aged 39) Plano, Texas, U.S. | ||||
| Height: | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | ||||
| Weight: | 314 lb (142 kg) | ||||
| Career information | |||||
| High school: | Punahou School (Honolulu, Hawaii) | ||||
| College: | Hawaii | ||||
| Undrafted: | 1983 | ||||
| Career history | |||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||
| |||||
| Player stats at NFL.com · PFR | |||||
Mark Pulemau Tuinei (March 31, 1960 – May 6, 1999) was an American professional
Early years
Tuinei was born in Oceanside, California, and raised in Nānākuli, Hawaii. He attended Punahou School in Honolulu. He was named the Hawaii Prep Lineman of the Year as a senior, won the state shot put championship and was an All-Star basketball player on the same team as Barack Obama.[1]
College career
Tuinei played for two seasons at UCLA where he started at defensive tackle as a sophomore, finishing fifth on the team in tackles. The next year, he decided to drop out of the school before facing the possibility of being expelled after a fight incident.[2]
As a junior, he transferred back home to the University of Hawaiʻi, but was suspended for the year, after being indicted on assault charges that led to spending three months in prison. He was nagged by injuries his senior year and played in only seven games, including 5 starts at defensive tackle.[3]
In 2007, he was inducted into the Hawaii Sports Hall of Fame. In 2015, he was inducted into the Polynesian Hall of Fame.[4]
Professional career
 | This section needs additional citations for verification. (August 2023) |
Although he was selected by the Boston Breakers in the 19th round (227th overall) of the
Considered one of the strongest players on the team, in his first two years he played mostly on
In the
In
In 1987, he was progressing through his second season as the starting left tackle, when he sustained a left knee injury in the Thanksgiving game against the Minnesota Vikings, losing the last month on the injured reserve list. The next year he reinjured the same knee early in the season, but still saw action in 5 games before being put on injured reserve.
In 1989, he didn't miss a play in a game or a practice. In 1990, during a season that experienced a number of players being juggled around the offensive line, Tuinei remained a solid foundation at left tackle, by starting all 13 games he played, and missing 3 contests with a sprained right knee he suffered against the New York Jets.
In
In 1992, he started the first 5 games, but injured his back lifting weights in the week leading up to the Kansas City Chiefs contest. He was forced to sit out the game, but was able to return against the Los Angeles Raiders, contributing to Smith earning his second consecutive NFL rushing championship.
In
In 1995, he contributed to Smith winning his fourth rushing title, score an NFL record 25 rushing touchdowns and gain a club record 1,773 rushing yards. He received his second selection to the Pro Bowl, as part of a line that broke the team record by allowing just 18 sacks in a season.
The next year suffered a torn medial collateral ligament in his right knee in a preseason game against the
"We just all loved the guy," said former Cowboys
Tuinei was a key member of the Cowboys
On April 14,
Death
In May 1999, Tuinei was found unconscious in his antique Ford car, and he was pronounced dead upon arrival at a hospital in the Dallas suburb of Plano. He had been planning to return to Punahou School to serve as the offensive line coach. The autopsy revealed that Tuinei died of a combination of heroin and a form of the drug ecstasy. His death was ruled an accidental overdose. Upon the release of the autopsy results, Plano police chief Bruce Glasscock was quoted alleging that it was Tuinei's first experience with heroin.[5]
"What you had was a 39-year-old male, 6'5", in excess of 300 pounds, a healthy individual, took one shot of heroin and basically dropped dead as a result", Glasscock said during his press conference regarding Tuinei.[8]
Tuinei got the heroin from four people who belonged to a drug ring. The four men were charged, tried and convicted for conspiracy to distribute heroin and cocaine. Jesus Carbajal received a life sentence. Julian Solis Perez and Andres Milan were sentenced to eleven-year prison terms, and Favian Ramos received a twelve-year sentence.[9]
Family and personal life
Mark's brother,
In 1982, Mark Tuinei had a small role as a Samoan college student in the episode "Italian Ice" of the TV series Magnum, P.I.
At the time of his death, he was married to Pono Tuinei.[10]
References
- ^ "Barack Obama '79". Archived from the original on January 10, 2017. Retrieved February 19, 2017.
- ^ "UCLA out 3 gridders after fight". Retrieved February 19, 2017.
- ^ "Sports Watch". Retrieved February 19, 2017.
- NFL.com. Retrieved February 19, 2017.
- ^ a b Ramirez, Anthony (May 12, 1999). "Pro football; autopsy finds Tuinei died of drug overdose". The New York Times. Retrieved February 19, 2017.
- ^ "Mark Tuinei was Cowboys role model". Associated Press. Retrieved February 19, 2017.
- ^ "Cowboys waive veteran Tuinei". Retrieved February 19, 2017.
- ^ Report on death of Mark Tuinei, latimer.com. May 12, 1999. Accessed July 31, 2023.(subscription required)
- ^ "Sentencing in Case of Ex-Cowboy". The Associated Press. March 24, 2001. Archived from the original on July 13, 2019. Retrieved July 12, 2019.
- ^ "'A Football Life: The Great Wall of Dallas'- Where are they now?". NFL.com. Retrieved June 15, 2017.
