Tevita Finau
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Hamilton, New Zealand
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 13, 1986 Hamilton, New Zealand |
| Height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) |
| Weight | 288 lb (131 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Kahuku (HI) |
| College | University of Utah |
| Career history | |
Playing | |
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |
Coaching | |
| |
| Stats at Pro Football Reference | |
Tevita Tolu Finau (Born January 13, 1986) is a New Zealand-born former professional American football defensive linemen and current football coach. He played college football at the University of Utah. He was signed by the Arizona Cardinals as an undrafted free agent in 2012.
He was also a member of the Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas Cowboys, New York Jets, and Houston Texans.
Born in Hamilton, New Zealand, to Tolu Halaapiapi and Finau Takinima, he has lived in New Zealand, Tonga, and in Hawaii. Finau attended three high schools in Hawaii: Lahainaluna High School as a freshman and sophomore, Maui High School his junior year, and Kahuku High & Intermediate School as a senior. He was a three-time first-team all-state honoree in basketball from 2002 to 2004. He helped Kahuku win the Hawaii State Football Championship in 2004.[1]
College career
Finau played two seasons of junior college football for Phoenix College before originally committing to play football at West Virginia University. The highly-touted recruit never made it to Morgantown however, and Finau eventually ended up enrolling at the University of Utah, where he appeared in 21 games in his two-year career for the Utes and finished with 72 tackles, 6 1/2 sacks, and 13 TFL's.[citation needed] He graduated with a bachelor's degree in Sociology from the University of Utah.
Professional career
Dallas Cowboys
Finau was signed to the Dallas Cowboys practice squad on November 14, 2012, after going undrafted and spending time in training camp with both the Arizona Cardinals and Philadelphia Eagles. Finau was released from the practice squad on November 27, 2012.[citation needed]
New York Jets
Finau was signed to the New York Jets practice squad on December 5, 2012.[2] He signed a future/reserve contract on December 31, 2013.[3] He was released on August 31, 2014.[4] He was signed to the team's practice squad a day later.[5]
Houston Texans
Finau was signed by the Houston Texans to a reserve futures contract on December 30, 2014. He was cut on September 6, 2015.[6]