The autumn of 1987 crackled with tension thicker than the shoulder pads on the Los Angeles Raiders practice field. The NFL players were on strike, and the owners, refusing to blink, filled rosters with replacements. Into this pressure cooker stepped John Tautolo, a veteran lineman with UCLA Bruins grit etched into his bones.
He wasn’t just playing for a paycheck; he was snapping the ball in a bizarre chapter of football history, embodying a resilience forged long before this unexpected call back to the trenches. Little did he know, decades later, his son Sam Tautolo would anchor an offensive line half a country away, inheriting not just the position, but the profound legacy of family that defined the Tautolo name.
For new Iowa State center Sam Tautolo, arriving in Ames felt like finding a familiar rhythm. The 6’3”, 305-pound junior wasn’t just stepping onto a new campus; he was walking a path paved by generations. “Athletics are all in the family,” Sam acknowledged, a simple statement echoing with the weight of Samoan tradition – faasamoa – and gridiron pedigree. His father, John, navigated the Bruins’ offensive line before a journeyman pro career.
Cousins like Matt Toeaina and Matt Tuiasosopo, plus UA standout Conan Amituanai, cemented the family’s athletic dynasty. Even sisters Emma (UCLA hoops) and Hannah (Regis volleyball) contributed to the legacy. Sam, however, was a late bloomer. He didn’t strap on football pads until his freshman year at Valley View High in Long Beach, California. His sheer size made an immediate impression. “The coach bumped me up to the junior varsity right away,” Sam recalled. “Then they moved me to center.” The transition wasn’t seamless. “The first time I snapped the ball it was over the quarterback’s head.”
It’s a value rooted in profound sacrifice. Faamaise – the family’s ‘sports taxi’ and homemaker – suffered a devastating stroke in 1969, leaving her fully paralyzed. Overnight, her five sons became caregivers. “Although they were angered and frustrated with the caregiving tasks that a trained nurse should be performing, the boys helped feed, change and bathe their mother out of love,” the family history notes.
The strain proved too much for their father, David, a Navy lifer working at McDonnell Douglas. He left David Jr., the eldest, in charge, promising financial support but abandoning the emotional battlefield. Despite this heartbreak, the brothers persevered. David Jr. sacrificed college football to care for their mom; the others – Terry, Ray, John, and Eric – all played college ball, with Terry (Eagles, 49ers) and John reaching the NFL. Faamaise passed in 1987; David Sr. in 2012.
Gridiron battles to Global bridges: John Tautolo’s unfolding legacy
John’s path mirrored that resilience. A dominant D-lineman at Millikan HS, considered California’s best, he chose UCLA’s #1 ranked 1977 recruiting class. Injuries and team needs saw him switch to the O-line, where he flourished, earning Second-team All-Pac-10 honors by 1980.
His pro journey was a testament to adaptability: a knee injury derailed him with the Patriots; he latched on with the Giants, starting two games at tackle; a season with the Portland Breakers of the USFL followed. Then came the call in 1987’s strike season.
He started three games at left tackle for the Raiders, sharing a huddle with legends like Howie Long who crossed the picket line, crediting John with “five years of professional football” across leagues and roles. Post-football, John dipped into Hollywood, appearing as an extra alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger in ‘The Running Man’ – a fitting cameo for a man who’d weathered real-life battles far tougher than any sci-fi gladiator arena.
Seeing Sam earn his shot at Iowa State, appearing in five games as a junior in 2011 (including the monumental upset over #2 Oklahoma State) and anchoring the line in all 13 games as a senior in 2012, was the reward for that generational perseverance. John knew the mettle required. “Sam has worked hard for this opportunity,” he stated simply.
For John, football was just one chapter. He pivoted towards fostering global understanding, deeply involved with UCLA’s international programs, hosting students abroad and passionately advocating for cultural immersion. “My advice to a student who wants to pursue an international career is to go study abroad…Develop a global mindset and global IQ,” he urged, emphasizing that true connection means stepping outside comfort zones:
“You have to depart from that group to find and be able to immerse yourself…with locals who are from that country…that is where there is another, deeper level of study abroad experience.” His wisdom echoes the Tautolo ethos: “Connection is the only antidote. I challenge you to better connect…across ideologies, across borders or political aisles. Be deeply curious about their origin story, their why…understand what matters most to them.”
From the paralyzing adversity faced by Faamaise and her sons in Long Beach, to John snapping the ball in the surreal strike games of ’87, to Sam identifying defensive fronts in the heartland, the Tautolo story is a powerful narrative of lineage. It’s a saga written in sweat, sacrifice, and the unbreakable snap of family – a legacy far more enduring than any stat line or play call.
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