A boy named Ariel: UTEP lineman revels in heritage

By Stephen Tsai
Advertiser Staff Writer

EL PASO, Texas — Kids can be cruel, as Texas-El Paso football player Ariel Famaligi learned during his own childhood.

Texas-El Paso football player Ariel Famaligi was teased as a youth because of his name.

As the somewhat fuzzy story goes, a man named Ariel — presumably it was his last name — rescued Famaligi's father.

"My father promised to name his son after the guy," Famaligi said. "It was against the guy's wishes. He said, 'Please, you don't know what you're doing.' My father said, 'I'm going to do it, just for you.' And, sure enough, he did it."

Famaligi said the most difficult time was when the movie, "The Little Mermaid," came out.

"I can't tell you how hard that was," Famaligi said of sharing a name with the title character. "I'd get teased by girls. It wasn't fun. I didn't have a very fun childhood with that name. But I guess it works out with the uniqueness and stuff."

Indeed, now Famaligi is making a name as one of the top offensive linemen in the Western Athletic Conference. The 6-foot-4, 320-pound Famaligi is a fourth-year starter and one of only 11 seniors on the UTEP team. Despite a shoulder injury, he can bench press 420 pounds, and he is such an effective left tackle that the majority of the Miners' option runs are directed to his side.

"I play hard and try to do the best I can," he said. "Hopefully, all of that stuff will fall into place at the end."

He already has shown an ability to adapt. He lived in Long Beach, Calif., until his freshman year of high school when his family decided to move to El Paso, joining his maternal grandparents.

"My mom is afraid of earthquakes, so we moved down here," he said. "It's a little calmer, a little slower. She liked it."

But Famaligi, who was born in Samoa and has several relatives on the Big Island, has battled to maintain ties to his heritage. He hangs out with a small group of Samoan families in the area and, sometimes, wears a lava-lava.

"The guys down here don't know too much about that stuff," he said. "They tease me about it. They call it a skirt. I don't care. I'll wear it around if I want to feel comfortable."

It is that hunger for his culture that, during the past three meetings against UH, Famaligi often joked around with the Polynesian players on the Warriors' team — during the games.

"My guys always get on me because I'm always talking to their guys," he said, laughing. "I remember one time, there was a timeout and I was in Hawai'i's huddle having a conversation with their guys."

He said he has some fond off-the-field memories of last year's visit to the Islands.

"I was like, 'Wow, that's a great place to be,' " he recalled. "Shoot, I wouldn't mind living out there once I'm done playing. It's a nice place."

NOTES: UH coach June Jones said he did not expect quarterback Jason Whieldon to return to the team. Whieldon quit last weekend, citing family reasons. A television station reported Wednesday night that Whieldon was set to return Monday. But Jones said he had not spoken with Whieldon. Jones said the decision rests with Whieldon, although a return was "not likely."