Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

A long, tough road’

Lui Fuga will finally play in a football game in Sam Boyd Stadium on Friday night. But he'll be wearing the Green, Black, White and Silver of Hawaii instead of the Scarlet and Gray of UNLV.

When Fuga, a 6-foot-1, 301-pound defensive tackle from Waipahu High School in Hawaii, reported in 1998 for the start of fall practice at UNLV, it looked as though he would be starting quite a few games for Rebels there. UNLV beat out such schools as Arizona, Utah and San Diego State for his services.

That was still during the Jeff Horton era of UNLV football. But about a week after arriving in Las Vegas, and before officially registering for fall classes, Fuga left the Rebels' training camp in Mesquite and returned home to Hawaii.

"I wanted to be near my son (Toa) while he was growing up," Fuga said. "Just before I left for the airport to fly to Las Vegas that summer I found out that my girlfriend at the time was pregnant."

Fuga said his family encouraged him to "stay in Las Vegas and stick it out. But I didn't want to be the kind of father who is never around for his son."

So Fuga returned to Hawaii and enrolled part-time as a student in a junior college. He enrolled at the University of Hawaii the following year and started two games as a true freshman and had two tackles and a sack in the Warriors' Jeep Oahu Bowl game against Oregon State.

He had 42 tackles the following season despite playing with two very painful shoulder injuries. He was named the team's co-Most Inspirational Player for his performance.

Fuga then redshirted in 2003 after having two separate surgeries to repair the shoulders.

"They kept popping out," he said. "I had one operated on in December and then had another one done in the summer."

He spent the 2001 season rehabilitating the shoulders. He eventually got his bench press back up to where it was before the injuries, 475 pounds.

"That was my goal," he said. "I just wanted to get back to that point again so I wouldn't have that hanging over my head when I did get back on the field."

That would be in the 2002 season-opener against Eastern Illinois. But Fuga's season ended after just six plays with a knee injury.

"They did a high-low on me," Fuga said. "It really was a cheap shot. I was engaged with a guy up high and then another charged me low out of nowhere."

Fuga was eventually granted his second medical hardship year by the NCAA and is still listed as a junior.

Fuga rotates behind all-WAC tackle Isaac Sopoaga and Lance Samuseva. He said he got to play about 20 plays in Saturday's 61-32 loss to USC.

"It's been a long, tough road," Fuga said. "A lot of people have told me that I should just hang it up because of all the injuries and everything. But when you love playing the game that's hard to do."

If there is one plus from all the injuries for Fuga its the fact that he has been able to focus on his academics. He already has earned a degree in communications and is now working on another degree in education administration.

And of course he gets to spend time with Toa, who is 4 years old.

"I don't get to spend as much time with him as I'd like because I'm not together with his mother anymore," Fuga said. "But I'm there for him, which I wouldn't have been to able to do if I had stayed at UNLV. Overall, I think everything has worked out for me at Hawaii."

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