Tatupu's USC legacy continues in son Lofa

Advertiser Staff

Everytime he would return to Hawai'i, where his father grew up, Lofa Tatupu would hear tales of the amazing Punahou School running back he knew as his dad, Mosi.

"When I'd ask him about (his playing days), he wouldn't say much, mostly one word answers," said Lofa, a sophomore starting linebacker for the University of Southern California.

"But a lot of people told me he was the best fullback they'd ever seen. It was great to hear and it was even better 'cause he was a great guy.' "

Mosi rushed for 3,367 yards in a three-year (1971-73) career for the Buffanblu, a state record at the time.

Growing up in Wrentham, Mass., near where his father had played for the New England Patriots for 13 seasons, Lofa played linebacker and quarterback for King Philip Regional High, where Mosi coached. But despite being an all-state selection, the area, Lofa said, was lightly recruited and he wound up at Maine, a Division I-AA school.

Lofa said his father sent tapes to UH, but got a "negative" response. He said he was told by a coach that he "wasn't Division I" material.

But after starting at linebacker and being the Black Bears' second leading tackler, he chose to try Division I and follow in the footsteps of his father, a running back at Southern California.

In a trophy case at Heritage Hall, Lofa said he came upon a picture of his father, a member of the 1974 national championship team. "He had a lot more hair back then," Lofa said.

Mosi, who coaches at Division III Curry College in Milton, Mass., will watch Saturday's Hawai'i-USC game on Fox SportsNet, Lofa said.