College Athlete of the Week

College athlete of the week

Player: Mychael Tuiasosopo

Year, school: Sophomore, Pacific Lutheran University

Sport: Football

Hometown: Everett (Mariner High School)

What he did: Had two sacks in the Lutes’ 20-17 win over Wh

itworth on Saturday, giving him 3.0 for the season. Tuiasosopo finished the game with three tackles on a day when the Lutes held Whitworth to 52 rushing yards before kicker Nick Kaylor (Bothell High School) kicked the game-winning, 36-yard field goal as time expired.

What’s next: Tuiasosopo and the Lutes (3-1) host 25th-ranked Menlo College (5-1) in a homecoming game on Saturday.

Two Minute Drill

You had two sacks in PLU’s 20-17 win over Whitworth on Saturday, which is pretty impressive. So have you found time to come up with a sack dance yet?

No. Shoot, I’m still working on it. I’m not very good at it, even though took a dancing class (at Mariner High School). I still can’t dance. I think I’ll just stick to screaming and yelling after a sack.

Dancing after a sack wouldn’t really be the PLU way, huh?

No, not really. We do know how to celebrate, but we just don’t dance much.

The Lutes won that game on a last-second field goal. What was it like watching the ball go through the uprights?

Man, it was pretty intense. We all lined up, and then they called a timeout to freeze the kicker. We all looked at each other like: let’s get this done. They brought it heavy on the left side of the line, which is my side of the line, but we were able to hold them off.

So you’re on the field-goal unit?

Yeah. I get to play offense once a game. To be able to be on the field for that was pretty awesome.

You have a pretty famous name in local athletics, being cousins with Marques, Matt and Zach Tuiasosopo. How often do you get asked about your name?

I get that quite a bit, yes.

How do you handle all the attention over your name? Do you see it as an honor?

It is. My uncles and cousins and brothers and dad worked hard for that name; they put blood and sweat into that name. It’s humbling when I’m asked if I’m a part of that group. It’s a real honor.

Did any of your famous cousins have a big impact on your game?

Not as much. They’re all busy doing work. We had a chance to hang out a little bit over the summer and talk a lot of football. We talked about last year, about my freshman year of college. They’ve tried to keep me up, saying the first year is always tough. My brothers (Tyler and Trenton) are always around to text me or call me. They’re always there to encourage me. But I’m not riding on their coattails; I’m working to make my own name.

Last year was a very unique year for you, since you had to leave the team and take a break from school. What can you tell us about that?

I got the privilege to start my first couple games as a freshman. It was really tough competition, and I was honored to be named the starter. My dad, he was diagnosed with colon cancer the previous year, and I had been going back home to be with him whenever I could. In October, he started to get really sick; it didn’t look all that good. I let them _ the school and the football team _ all know I would be with him for a couple of weeks. It was just a hard time. I didn’t drop out of school; I still did homework at the house. The professors really worked with me; they were good with me. It was really tough to see my dad go, but I was really proud that he got to see me play some college football.

How many PLU games did he get to attend?

He saw me play two games: the Cal Lutheran game and the Whitworth game.

How is his spirit with you now? I assume you feel his presence?

He’s always with me. Fridays, he would always make the pre-game meal: steak and potatoes. It sounds like a bad meal before a game, but it’s nothing a little Pepto Bismol can’t fix. He always gave us a pre-game talk, telling us to bring your God with you and saying that he loved us. Now I just picture that every time, right before we go out on the field. I think of that, of him telling me he loves me and ‘bring your God with you.’ I think about it before every game. I always say a prayer to myself before every game.

That’s a great image. And it says in your bio that you want to get into film production?

I want to be a movie producer, or a director. They don’t really have a class for that here. I’m taking communication courses, taking a media lab here. Right now, on my own, I’m making my own videos, making my own TV show and trying to submit it to college. It’s called ‘Parkland’s Finest.’ It’s about what we do here when we’re not in class. It’s just guys being guys. Talking about nothing. I’m trying to find connections to get me into performance art.

What kind of movies are you into?

I like action, drama, scary movies, romance – all of that.

What’s the best movie you’ve seen lately?

Shoot. I’ve got to say it’s the new X-Men movie, ‘First Class.’ I thought that was pretty neat. I liked the storyline and how they introduced the characters. It was pretty cool. It seems like it’s going to lead into a new X-Men movie. I like the storyline instead of just mindless action.

If you made a movie about your life, what would it be called?

I’d probably call it ‘The Table.’

Why’s that?

I remember writing a paper once about something that meant a lot to you. I wrote about the table. It’s a place where we would eat, be together, play together, talk about our lives. That’s time we’d spend as a family. I would write about that, just the experiences at the table. It means a lot. It’s about family time and spending time together … at one piece of furniture.

Who would play you in the movie?

(Laughs) I would like to say Dwayne Johnson, but he’s too ripped for my character. I’d have to find a small little chunky kid to play me.

In the scene where the Everett Herald reporter calls to tell you you’ve been named College Athlete of the Week, who would play me?

Oh, man. Probably Tom Cruise or a cool guy with swag. Maybe Matthew McConaughey or someone like that, someone who’s got the inside info.

In three years of doing these, that’s the best answer I’ve ever heard.

(Laughs) Thank you.

I’m not sure people that know me would agree, though. But, hey, Brad Pitt played Billy Beane, so …

It’s all good. I can’t see you right now, so I’m at a bit of a disadvantage.

Rest assured, I don’t look anything like Matthew McConaughey. Or Tom Cruise, for that matter.

That’s OK. It’s all good.