Vai Sikahema facts for kids
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| No. 36, 45, 22 | |||||||||||||
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| Position: | Running back Return specialist |
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Born: | August 29, 1962 Nuku'alofa, Tonga |
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| Height: | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) | ||||||||||||
| Weight: | 181 lb (82 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school: | Mesa (Mesa, Arizona) | ||||||||||||
| College: | BYU | ||||||||||||
| NFL Draft: | 1986 / Round: 10 / Pick: 254 | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||
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| Player stats at PFR | |||||||||||||
| General Authority Seventy | |
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| April 3, 2021 | |
| Called by | Russell M. Nelson |
| Personal details | |
| Children | 4 |
Vai Sikahema (born August 29, 1962) is a famous Tongan broadcaster and former professional American football player. He played as a running back and return specialist in the National Football League (NFL). Since April 2021, he has also served as a general authority seventy for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Sikahema led his high school team in Arizona to the state championship game in 1979. He played college football for the Brigham Young University (BYU) Cougars. The St. Louis Cardinals picked him in the 1986 NFL draft. He also played for the Green Bay Packers and Philadelphia Eagles. He retired after the 1993 season.
Vai Sikahema was the first Tongan to play in the NFL. He played for eight seasons from 1986 to 1993. After his football career, he became a sports director for NBC 10 in Philadelphia. He worked there from 1994 to 2020.
Contents
Early Life and Family Journey
Vai Sikahema was born in Nukuʻalofa, the capital city of Tonga. In 1967, when he was five years old, his family traveled to New Zealand. They went there to be sealed in the Hamilton New Zealand Temple. This is a special ceremony in the LDS Church.
His family stayed in New Zealand for three months. His father worked hard shearing sheep to earn money for their trip back to Tonga. Later, his parents went to Church College of Hawai'i (now Brigham Young University–Hawaii). Vai and his brothers and sisters stayed with relatives in Tonga.
After a year, his parents earned enough money at the Polynesian Cultural Center to bring Vai to join them. His family later moved to Arizona in the U.S. They settled in Mesa, a town near Phoenix. There, they got legal resident status. This allowed them to bring his other siblings to join them.
Vai Sikahema went to Mesa High School. He played football there. He was named an all-state player twice. He also led his team to the 1979 high school state championship game.
College Football Career
In 1980, Sikahema started at BYU and played for their football team. As a freshman, he became a fan favorite. He returned a punt for a touchdown in BYU's big comeback win. This was in the 1980 Holiday Bowl against SMU. BYU won 46–45.
He played one more season in 1981, mostly as a return specialist. Then, he left school for two years. He served as an LDS Church missionary in South Dakota. Sikahema returned to BYU in 1984. That year, the Cougars had a perfect 13–0 record. They won the college football national championship.
By the end of his senior year in 1985, he set an NCAA record. He had the most punt returns (153) in a college career. The Washington Post newspaper said Sikahema helped BYU win against undefeated Air Force that season.
Professional Football Career
The St. Louis Cardinals picked Vai Sikahema in the tenth round of the 1986 NFL Draft. He made history as the first Tongan to play in the NFL.
He was a star on special teams for several teams. These included the St. Louis/Phoenix Cardinals, Green Bay Packers, and Philadelphia Eagles. Special teams are groups of players who handle kickoffs, punts, and field goals. In 118 games over eight seasons (1986 to 1994), he returned 527 kickoffs or punts. He gained a total of 8,102 yards.
Sikahema was chosen for the Pro Bowl twice, in 1986 and 1987. The Pro Bowl is an all-star game for the best players in the NFL. While playing for the Eagles in 1992, he did something famous. After scoring an 87-yard punt return touchdown, he punched the goalpost. This happened in a game against the New York Giants at Giants Stadium.
Broadcasting Career
After retiring from football in 1994, Sikahema started a new career. He was hired by WCAU, a TV station in Philadelphia. He began by doing weekend sports. The station was later sold to NBC, and Sikahema stayed.
He moved to weekday mornings, becoming a news anchor and the station's sports director. He worked there for 26 years before retiring in 2020. In March 2010, Sikahema also hosted a radio show. It was called the Early Midday Show on WPEN-FM 97.5 the Fanatic in Philadelphia.
On November 22, 2013, Sikahema was honored. He was inducted into the Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia Hall of Fame. He has also written columns for the Deseret News, often about religion.
Personal Life and Other Interests
Vai Sikahema has family who also played in the NFL. His older cousin, Deuce Lutui, played guard for the Arizona Cardinals. Another cousin, Reno Mahe, played for the Philadelphia Eagles. Vai's nephew by marriage is Jon Heder, an actor known for movies like Napoleon Dynamite.
In May 2008, Sikahema took on a challenge. Former baseball player Jose Canseco dared him to a celebrity boxing match. Canseco claimed to have black belts in several martial arts. Sikahema had wanted to be a boxer when he was younger. He had fought 80 amateur boxing matches.
The fight, called The War at The Shore, happened on July 12, 2008. It was in Atlantic City. Sikahema won by knockout in the first round. A knockout means one fighter is unable to continue. He donated his $5,000 prize to the family of a fallen police officer.
Sikahema is a member of the LDS Church. He lives in Mount Laurel Township, New Jersey, with his wife, Keala Heder, and their four children. He has served in various leadership roles in the LDS Church. He became a general authority seventy in April 2021. He also helped with the approval of the Philadelphia Pennsylvania Temple. He was a personal friend of Mayor Michael Nutter.
Honours
- National honours
Order of Queen Sālote Tupou III, Member (July 31, 2008).
