Sione Pouha
Encyclopedia
Sione Sonasi "Bo" Pouha (siˈoʊni bɵˈuːhə ; born February 3, 1979) is an American football
nose tackle for the National Football League
New York Jets
. Pouha played college football
at the University of Utah
. He also is an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
in Salt Lake City, Utah
, where he was a two-year first-team all-region player and captained East High's state championship team in 1996. He earned USA Today
honorable mention All-American honors as senior in 1996 and was a Deseret News and Salt Lake Tribune first-team all-state selection. Pouha would sign a letter of intent with Utah
in 1997.
, Pouha earned All-Mountain West Conference first-team honors and was named USA Today
All-America
honorable mention after starting ten games, recording 36 tackles, four passes defended
and one interception, and helped lead Urban Meyer
's Utes to the 2005 Fiesta Bowl
. Pouha had never considered playing beyond the college level; however, during his senior season he changed his mind after receiving a phone call from an agent
.
in the third round of the 2005 NFL Draft
. Pouha would appear in fourteen games as a rookie
, recording ten tackles and one pass defended.
on the fourth day of training camp and was subsequently placed on the injured reserve list.
of his career against the New England Patriots
' Matt Cassel
.
starter Kris Jenkins
who tore his ACL. The injury would thrust Pouha into the spotlight as he became the team's starting nose tackle, starting the team's next thirteen games. Pouha would achieve multiple career highs, starting a career-high fourteen games and making a career 61 tackles, 34 of which were solo. Pouha and fellow teammate Mike DeVito
would help improve the rushing defense from twenty-first to fourth overall in the NFL.
matchup against the Baltimore Ravens
, Jenkins would once again tear his ACL
. Pouha, again, assumed Jenkins' role as nose tackle alongside teammates Mike DeVito
and Howard Green
. Pouha is considered to be an excellent run-stopper and as the season progresses, the team would like to see Pouha more involved in pass-rushing and getting to the quarterback
.
Pouha majored in behavior science
and health.
Pouha created a beverage business named Bula. Pouha has described the beverage as a "relaxation drink" that is a combination of kava
and valerian
root. The drink is currently sold online and in stores in northern California
.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
nose tackle for the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
New York Jets
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. Pouha played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
at the University of Utah
University of Utah
The University of Utah, also known as the U or the U of U, is a public, coeducational research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. The university was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret by the General Assembly of the provisional State of Deseret, making it Utah's oldest...
. He also is an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Early years
Pouha began playing football at the young age of nine. Pouha attended East High SchoolEast High School (Salt Lake City)
East High School is a public high school in the Salt Lake City School District in Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S. and serves grades nine through twelve. It also accepts and cares for mentally and physically disabled children. East High School was founded in 1914 and currently has an enrolled student...
in Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. The name of the city is often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC. With a population of 186,440 as of the 2010 Census, the city lies in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area, which has a total population of 1,124,197...
, where he was a two-year first-team all-region player and captained East High's state championship team in 1996. He earned USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
honorable mention All-American honors as senior in 1996 and was a Deseret News and Salt Lake Tribune first-team all-state selection. Pouha would sign a letter of intent with Utah
University of Utah
The University of Utah, also known as the U or the U of U, is a public, coeducational research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. The university was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret by the General Assembly of the provisional State of Deseret, making it Utah's oldest...
in 1997.
Pittsburgh Mission
Upon signing his letter of intent, Pouha would leave on a Mormon mission that took place in Pittsburgh between 1998 and 2000. During his mission, Pouha rose at 5:30 every morning. He spent three hours studying Scripture from 6 A.M. to 9 A.M. and would spend the next twelve hours sharing his beliefs and testimony going door-to-door.College career
In his senior season at UtahUtah Utes football
The Utah Utes football program is a college football team that currently competes in the Pacific-12 Conference of the Football Bowl Subdivision of NCAA Division I and represents the University of Utah. The Utah college football program began in 1892 and has played home games at Rice–Eccles...
, Pouha earned All-Mountain West Conference first-team honors and was named USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
All-America
All-America
An All-America team is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply...
honorable mention after starting ten games, recording 36 tackles, four passes defended
Pass deflected
In American football a pass deflected, also known as a pass defended, a pass defensed, a pass knock down, or a pass break up, is an incomplete pass that is caused by a defensive player...
and one interception, and helped lead Urban Meyer
Urban Meyer
Urban Frank Meyer, III is an American football coach and former player. He is head football coach at Ohio State University, having been hired for the position in November 2011...
's Utes to the 2005 Fiesta Bowl
2005 Fiesta Bowl
The 2005 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, played on January 1, 2005, was the 34th edition of the Fiesta Bowl. The game was played between Utah and Pittsburgh, in front of 73,519 fans. It is notable for being the first BCS game to feature a team from a non-BCS conference, and the only BCS bowl to feature a...
. Pouha had never considered playing beyond the college level; however, during his senior season he changed his mind after receiving a phone call from an agent
Sports agent
A sports agent procures and negotiates employment and endorsement contracts for an athlete.In return, the sports agent generally receives between 4 and 10% of the athlete's playing contract, and 10 to 20% of the athlete's endorsement contract, though these figures vary...
.
2005
Pouha, who was considered a "project" player, was drafted by the New York JetsNew York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
in the third round of the 2005 NFL Draft
2005 NFL Draft
The 2005 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 23–24, 2005. The league also held an supplemental draft that year, which was held after...
. Pouha would appear in fourteen games as a rookie
Rookie
Rookie is a term for a person who is in his or her first year of play of their sport or has little or no professional experience. The term also has the more general meaning of anyone new to a profession, training or activity Rookie is a term for a person who is in his or her first year of play of...
, recording ten tackles and one pass defended.
2006
Following his rookie season, Pouha suffered a torn ACLAnterior cruciate ligament
The anterior cruciate ligament is a cruciate ligament which is one of the four major ligaments of the human knee. In the quadruped stifle , based on its anatomical position, it is referred to as the cranial cruciate ligament.The ACL originates from deep within the notch of the distal femur...
on the fourth day of training camp and was subsequently placed on the injured reserve list.
2007
Motivated following his ACL injury which sidelined him in 2006, Pouha would play in all sixteen games during the season, starting one game. Pouha recorded 39 tackles and had one pass defended.2008
Pouha would once again appear in all of the team's sixteen matchups, recording 23 tackles, and would record his first half-sackQuarterback sack
In American football and Canadian football, a sack occurs when the quarterback is tackled behind the line of scrimmage before he can throw a forward pass, or when the quarterback is tackled behind the line of scrimmage in the "pocket" and the intent of what he was going to do is unclear...
of his career against the New England Patriots
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
' Matt Cassel
Matt Cassel
Matthew Brennan "Matt" Cassel is a quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the seventh round of the 2005 NFL Draft...
.
2009
Pouha went into the 2009 season as the back-up defensive tackle. Six games into the season, the Jets would lose Pro BowlPro Bowl
In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...
starter Kris Jenkins
Kris Jenkins
Kristopher Rudy-Charles Jenkins is a former American football nose tackle who played for the Carolina Panthers and New York Jets of the National Football League. He was originally drafted by the Panthers in the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft...
who tore his ACL. The injury would thrust Pouha into the spotlight as he became the team's starting nose tackle, starting the team's next thirteen games. Pouha would achieve multiple career highs, starting a career-high fourteen games and making a career 61 tackles, 34 of which were solo. Pouha and fellow teammate Mike DeVito
Mike DeVito
Mike DeVito is an American football defensive end for the New York Jets. He played college football at The University of Maine. DeVito resides in Wellfleet, Massachusetts on Cape Cod.- Early career :...
would help improve the rushing defense from twenty-first to fourth overall in the NFL.
2010
Pouha started the first game of the 2010 season alongside a returning Kris Jenkins. Six plays into the team's Monday nightMonday Night Football
Monday Night Football is a live broadcast of the National Football League on ESPN. From to it aired on ABC. Monday Night Football was, along with Hallmark Hall of Fame, and the Walt Disney anthology television series, one of the longest running prime time commercial network television series...
matchup against the Baltimore Ravens
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional football franchise based in Baltimore, Maryland.The Baltimore Ravens are officially a quasi-expansion franchise, having originated in 1995 with the Cleveland Browns relocation controversy after Art Modell, then owner of the Cleveland Browns, announced his...
, Jenkins would once again tear his ACL
Anterior cruciate ligament
The anterior cruciate ligament is a cruciate ligament which is one of the four major ligaments of the human knee. In the quadruped stifle , based on its anatomical position, it is referred to as the cranial cruciate ligament.The ACL originates from deep within the notch of the distal femur...
. Pouha, again, assumed Jenkins' role as nose tackle alongside teammates Mike DeVito
Mike DeVito
Mike DeVito is an American football defensive end for the New York Jets. He played college football at The University of Maine. DeVito resides in Wellfleet, Massachusetts on Cape Cod.- Early career :...
and Howard Green
Howard Green (American football)
Howard Green, Jr. is an American football nose tackle who currently plays for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Houston Texans in the sixth round of the 2002 NFL Draft...
. Pouha is considered to be an excellent run-stopper and as the season progresses, the team would like to see Pouha more involved in pass-rushing and getting to the quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
.
Personal
Pouha was born to Sonasi and Susana Pouha. He married his college sweetheart, Keiti Kaufusi Pouha, while he was still attending the University of Utah. The couple have four children, two sons, Viliami and Sonasi; and two daughters, Leilani and Kesaia. Pouha is of Tongan descent.Pouha majored in behavior science
Behavioural sciences
The term behavioural sciences encompasses all the disciplines that explore the activities of and interactions among organisms in the natural world. It involves the systematic analysis and investigation of human and animal behaviour through controlled and naturalistic observation, and disciplined...
and health.
Pouha created a beverage business named Bula. Pouha has described the beverage as a "relaxation drink" that is a combination of kava
Kava
Kava or kava-kava is a crop of the western Pacific....
and valerian
Valerian (herb)
Valerian is a hardy perennial flowering plant, with heads of sweetly scented pink or white flowers which bloom in the summer months. Valerian flower extracts were used as a perfume in the sixteenth century....
root. The drink is currently sold online and in stores in northern California
Northern California
Northern California is the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. The San Francisco Bay Area , and Sacramento as well as its metropolitan area are the main population centers...
.