Casey Tiumalu

Casey James Tiumalu (born June 19, 1961)[1] is an American former professional football player who was a running back for the Los Angeles Rams in the National Football League (NFL). He played one season for the Rams in 1987. He played college football for the BYU Cougars, where he was a two-time all-conference selection in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC).

Casey Tiumalu
Personal information
Born: (1961-06-19) June 19, 1961
San Diego, California, U.S.
Height:5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Weight:206 lb (93 kg)
Career information
High school:Helix (La Mesa, California)
College:BYU
Position:Running back
Undrafted:1984
Career history
Career highlights and awards
  • First-team All-WAC (1983)
  • Second-team All-WAC (1982)
Career NFL statistics
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR

High school career

Tiumalu was a three-year letterman on the varsity football team at Helix High School in La Mesa, California, and earned All-California Interscholastic Federation honors as a senior.[2] He led Helix to a 17–10 win over San Pasqual in the 1978 CIF championship.[3] Tiumalu scored all but two of the Highlanders' 17 points, running for two touchdowns and kicking a 38-yard field goal, which was the longest in the history of the finals.[4] He finished with 160 yards rushing on 14 carries after only rushing twice for six yards in the first half.[5]

College career

Tiumalu wanted to attend the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa out of high school, but the school did not pursue him after initially expressing interest.[6] Undersized and not highly recruited,[7] he attended Grossmont College in El Cajon, California, where he was team captain and its most valuable player, while also earning junior college All-American honors.[2]

After transferring to Brigham Young University, Tiumalu led the Cougars in rushing in each of his two seasons.[2] While he originally wanted to go to a program that ran the ball, he said that BYU's pass-oriented offense "[got] the ball to me enough here". Previously, Cougars' running backs were often relegated to being blockers.[3] Tiumalu ran for 661 yards on 119 carries as a junior in 1982,[2] when he was named to the All-WAC second team.[8] In his senior year in 1983, he earned first-team all-conference honors,[9] and was named an honorable mention All-American by the Associated Press.[10] He rushed 139 times for 851 yards, including four games with over 100 yards. He also had a team-leading 60 receptions as the outlet man for quarterback Steve Young.[2] Tiumalu was named WAC Offensive Player of the Week after gaining 170 all-purpose yards to help lead BYU to a 24–6 win over Colorado State, which clinched an eighth straight WAC title for the Cougars. He had 15 carries for 107 yards and had eight catches for another 63 yards.[11]

Professional career

Despite his success at BYU, Tiumalu's 5-foot-8-inch (1.73 m) stature precluded him from receiving any minicamp invites from NFL teams.[12] He had a brief tryout in the United States Football League (USFL) with the Los Angeles Express,[13] who selected him in the 14th round of the 1984 USFL Draft.[14] He then signed with the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League,[13] but tore cartilage in his knee during the 1984 preseason and underwent surgery.[15] Estimated to be sidelined for six weeks,[15] he was released by the Roughriders.[16] Tiumalu played for the Los Angeles Rams in 1987, joining as a replacement player during the NFL strike that season.[17]

Personal life

Tiumalu's son Casey Jr. played football as a defensive lineman at Helix and later Vista High.[18]

Tiumalu was a cousin of NFL linebacker Junior Seau.[19]

References
  1. Hale, Val (ed.). "BYU 1983" (PDF). Office of Sports Information, Brigham Young University. p. 24. Retrieved February 12, 2022.
  2. Maffei, John (December 22, 1983). "Tiumalu — the back who no one wanted". Escondido Times-Advocate. p. C1. Retrieved January 29, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. Dolan, Steve (October 21, 1983). "BYU's Tiumalu Cetainly Not A Stranger". Los Angeles Times. Part III: pp. 1, 14. Retrieved January 29, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. Froide, Jerry (December 9, 1978). "Jack-of-all-trades makes Helix master of won". The Evening Tribune. San Diego, California. p. B-1. Retrieved March 29, 2022 – via NewsBank.
  5. Dolan, Steve (December 9, 1978). "Helix and Tiumalu Rush to CIF Title, 17–10". Los Angeles Times. Part III, p. 1. Retrieved March 29, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. Dunn, Marion (October 17, 1982). "Cats Shake 1st Half Lethargy; Blast 'Bows Out of WAC Lead". The Daily Herald. p. 1. Retrieved January 24, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. Janofsky, Michael (November 6, 1983). "Brigham Young: A Special Style On and Off the Field". The New York Times. Sect. 5, p. 1. Retrieved January 29, 2022.
  8. "10 Cougars Earn All-WAC Grid Honors". The Daily Herald. Provo Utah. November 26, 1982. p. 6. Retrieved January 30, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. "WAC Names Four Cats On Offense, Three on Defense". The Daily Herald. UPI. November 23, 1983. p. 5. Retrieved January 30, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. Nissenson, Herchel (December 6, 1983). "Y.'s Young, Hudson Highlight A.P. Team". The Salt Lake Tribune. p. C1. Retrieved January 29, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. "Running back Casey Tiumalu, who gained 170 yards Saturday..." United Press International. November 14, 1983. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
  12. Kenney, Kirk (October 16, 1985). "Tiumalu still trying to break down walls". The Evening Tribune. p. D-10. Retrieved March 29, 2022 – via NewsBank. Figuring NFL-type qualities do not come in 5-8 packages, however, such opportunities never materialized.
  13. "Riders Sign Four More". The Leader-Post. May 10, 1984. p. C2. Retrieved January 30, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. "UCLA running back Nelson signs pact with LA Express". The Desert Sun. Palm Springs, California. AP. January 23, 1984. p. C4. Retrieved January 29, 2022.
  15. Komosky, Dave (June 9, 1984). "Billy Jackson: he's everywhere". Star-Phoenix. p. A-9. Retrieved January 30, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. "Bennett running for Argos". Daily Herald-Tribune. The Canadian Press. June 14, 1984. p. 9. Retrieved January 30, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. "NFL's 'second season' begins today". The Daily Herald. Provo, Utah. AP. October 4, 1987. p. 10. Retrieved January 29, 2022.
  18. Monohan, Terry (December 14, 2004). "Vista's Tiumalu is second-generation CIF finalist". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
  19. Sikahema, Vai (May 4, 2012). "Vai Remembers His Friend Junior Seau". NBCPhiladelphia.com. Retrieved January 29, 2022.
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