Isaac Sopoaga facts for kids
Sopoaga with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2013
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| No. 90, 97 | |||||||||
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| Position: | Nose tackle | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | September 4, 1981 Pago Pago, American Samoa |
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| Height: | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 330 lb (150 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | Samoana (Utulei, American Samoa) | ||||||||
| College: | Hawaii | ||||||||
| NFL Draft: | 2004 / Round: 4 / Pick: 104 | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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| Player stats at PFR | |||||||||
Isa'ako "Isaac" Sopoaga (pronounced soh-poh-AH-guh; born September 4, 1981) is a former professional American football player. He played as a nose tackle, a strong defensive position. Isaac was chosen by the San Francisco 49ers in the fourth round of the 2004 NFL draft. Before joining the NFL, he played college football for the University of Hawaii.
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Early Life and Unique Skills
Isaac Sopoaga grew up in Pago Pago, American Samoa. He went to Samoana High School where he was a star athlete. He played football, basketball, and baseball. In football, he was named the League's Defensive Player of the Year during his senior year.
Growing up in Samoa, Isaac also played rugby. He developed a very strong throwing arm by throwing rocks at coconuts! He said he could knock down five or six coconuts in just five minutes. This amazing strength helped him later in his football career.
College Football Journey
Isaac started his college football career at the College of the Canyons. In his second year, 2000, he set a record with 31 sacks in one season. This is still the record for California community college football!
After that, he went to the University of Hawaii. He played as a starter during his junior and senior years. While playing for Hawaii, he made 128 tackles and had four sacks. In 2011, Isaac was honored by being added to the College of the Canyons Athletic Hall of Fame.
Becoming a Pro Football Player
Getting Ready for the NFL
Before the 2004 NFL draft, experts thought Isaac Sopoaga would be picked early. He was known for his incredible strength. At the NFL Scouting Combine, he lifted 225 pounds on the bench press 42 times! This was one of the highest numbers ever recorded.
Even though he was strong, some scouts thought he needed to improve his hand techniques. Still, the San Francisco 49ers chose him in the fourth round. He was the highest-picked defensive lineman from the University of Hawaii since 1988.
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand size | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 2+1⁄4 in (1.89 m) |
317 lb (144 kg) |
33+1⁄2 in (0.85 m) |
11 in (0.28 m) |
5.05 s | 1.80 s | 2.94 s | 4.66 s | 7.79 s | 30.5 in (0.77 m) |
8 ft 3 in (2.51 m) |
42 reps | |
| All values from NFL Combine | ||||||||||||
Playing for the San Francisco 49ers
Isaac Sopoaga joined the San Francisco 49ers in 2004. He missed his first season because of an injury. Over the years, he played different defensive positions, including defensive end and nose tackle.
In 2010, Isaac did something surprising and exciting! He lined up as a fullback in a game against the Oakland Raiders. He successfully blocked for Frank Gore, helping the 49ers win the game. Later that year, he even caught a pass while playing fullback, which helped the 49ers get a key first down against the Cleveland Browns.
At the end of the 2012 season, Isaac and the 49ers made it to Super Bowl XLVII. They played against the Baltimore Ravens in a very close game. The 49ers lost 34–31, but Isaac had four tackles in the big game.
Moving to Other Teams
After his time with the 49ers, Isaac Sopoaga signed with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2013. Later that year, he was traded to the New England Patriots. In 2014, he briefly signed with the Arizona Cardinals before being released.
NFL Career Statistics
Isaac Sopoaga had a long career in the NFL. Here are some of his statistics from regular season and playoff games.
Regular season
| Year | Team | Games | Tackles | Interceptions | Fumbles | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Cmb | Solo | Ast | Sck | TFL | Int | Yds | TD | Lng | PD | FF | FR | Yds | TD | ||
| 2005 | SFO | 16 | 1 | 22 | 16 | 6 | 0.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2006 | SFO | 15 | 2 | 22 | 17 | 5 | 1.5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2007 | SFO | 16 | 5 | 27 | 14 | 13 | 1.5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2008 | SFO | 16 | 15 | 40 | 26 | 14 | 1.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2009 | SFO | 16 | 16 | 29 | 19 | 10 | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2010 | SFO | 16 | 16 | 25 | 17 | 8 | 1.5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2011 | SFO | 15 | 15 | 31 | 20 | 11 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2012 | SFO | 15 | 9 | 27 | 21 | 6 | 1.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2013 | PHI | 8 | 7 | 10 | 7 | 3 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| NE | 6 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Career Totals | 139 | 88 | 235 | 158 | 77 | 8.5 | 22 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
Playoffs
| Year | Team | Games | Tackles | Interceptions | Fumbles | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Cmb | Solo | Ast | Sck | TFL | Int | Yds | TD | Lng | PD | FF | FR | Yds | TD | ||
| 2011 | SFO | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2012 | SFO | 3 | 1 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Career Totals | 5 | 3 | 10 | 9 | 1 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
Personal Life and Family
Isaac Sopoaga grew up in a small fishing village called Fagasa in American Samoa. He is one of nine children in his family, with four brothers and four sisters.
He also has a home in Hawaii, where he spends time when he's not playing football.
Isaac's nephew, Penei Sewell, is also a very successful football player. Penei played college football for the Oregon Ducks and won important awards like the Outland and Morris trophies. He was chosen 7th overall in the 2021 NFL draft by the Detroit Lions and has become an All-Pro and two-time Pro Bowl offensive tackle.
