HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – It’s been over two decades since Chris Fuamatu-Maafala was punishing defenses with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Now, his son is leading the Saint Louis Crusaders rush attack.
Tenari Fuamatu-Maafala is the son of former NFL running back Chris Fuamatu-Maafala.
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With a dad that spent seven seasons in the league as a bruising force, many would think his son was destined to be a running back too.
However, Chris never forced Tenari to play football. In fact, he had his doubts.
“With all the concussion stuff that came out, I was kind of nervous for him. He was a mellow kid and football was the farthest thing. We tried all different sports, soccer, but he gravitated towards football,” said Chris Fuamatu-Maafala.
Tenari Fuamatu-Maafala added, “I played a lot of positions when I was young. I played lineman, I played guard, I played D-end, but you know, God just moved things and put pieces in my life and now I’m a running back.”
Once he started lining up in the back field, that opened the door for dad to pick apart his game and give some tough love.
Tenari said, “When I was playing youth at Ruthless Football, I thought I did pretty good on this run and I came to the sideline all happy and he sat me down and he said, ‘You thought that run was good?’ and I said yeah, and he said, ‘No, that wasn’t a good run.’ After the game, we watched film on that run for like an hour straight. Watching film with that guy, it never ends.”
Chris added, “It’s hard. It’s your son and you gotta be honest … He has good vision, he has a good feel because he has horrible eyes, decent footwork, but he’s got to get faster.”
Chris, a Saint Louis alum, was a sixth-round pick drafted to the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1998.
Through five years, he developed a reputation as an enforcer in the backfield.
Plus, he holds a special place in Steelers franchise lore.
His most memorable moment was scoring the game-winning touchdown in the 2003 playoffs against the Cleveland Browns.
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“It was a long time ago, but I did enjoy my time and it’s now time to pass it on to the next generation. Most of the kids play to help their parents and I’m no different. That’s what makes me happy about my career,” said Chris Fuamatu-Maafala.
After retiring from the pros, Chris moved back to the islands.
You can now catch him on the Saint Louis sidelines, where he shares his NFL knowledge with the young Crusaders.
However, the main thing he hopes they take away is to finish their education.
“Put God first and make sure you have a backup plan, because football doesn’t last forever,” said Chris.
As for Tenari, he’s only a sophomore but already has offers from Arizona and Utah, his dad’s alma mater.
“I just want to make my parents proud, whatever that is, whatever God puts in my life, I’m willing to do it 100%,” he said.
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