Ed Taʻamu

Ed Ta'amu (born November 8, 1979) is an American former professional football offensive lineman. He was selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the fourth round of the 2002 NFL draft. He played college football at Utah.

Ta'amu was also a member of the Houston Texans, Spokane Shock, Kansas City Brigade, Utah Blaze, Los Angeles KISS and Portland Thunder.

As a rookie in the National Football League in 2002, he was one of 28 Samoan players in the league. As well, as of October 4, 2008, he was one of 16 Polynesian players in the Arena Football League.

Early life Ta'amu attended Iolani School where he was an All-America Honorable Menchin as a senior in 1997.

College career Ta'amu attended the University of Utah, where he was a two-year starter. Ta'amu was an academic non-qualifier in 1997, meaning he did not have the grades to play football. He joined the team in 1998, as a backup defensive end, as well as backup long snapper. On the season, he recorded three tackles. In 1999, he was a backup defensive tackle, a position where he did not receive much playing time, so in turn, he was switched to offensive line. In 2000, he started all but one game.

Career summary Ta'amu was a two-time All-Mountain West Conference selection. He recorded 123 knockdowns blocks, including a school record 25 against Brigham Young during his senior season.

Ta'amu was graded at 86.8% for blocking consistency and played in 20 of 26 games during his final two seasons. He also set new school weight room records with a 625-pound squat and 412-pound hang clean. As a senior, he also bench pressed 455 pounds. He was rated as the sixth best guard out of 43.

Minnesota Vikings Ta'amu was selected in the fourth round (132nd overall) of the 2002 NFL draft by the Minnesota Vikings on April 21, and was signed on July 17. The next day, he was signed to the Vikings practice squad. He was later placed on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list on July 25.

Spokane Shock (first stint) On May 25, 2006, it was reported that Ta'amu had been assigned to the Spokane Shock of the af2. He played alongside future Kansas City Brigade teammates Charles Frederick, Jerome Stevens, Chris Cook, and Neil Purvis. That season, the Shock won ArenaCup III.

Kansas City Brigade On January 5, 2007, Ta'amu signed with the Kansas City Brigade of the AFL. As a rookie in 2007, he began the season on injured reserve. He then started the final four games of the season, including the first ever playoff game in franchise history. In 2008, he recorded three tackles. After the season, he was released by the Brigade.

Spokane Shock (second stint) After a year of waiting, the AFL was reformed and the Shock became part of the revamped AFL. Ta'amu was assigned to the Shock during the offseason on March 12, 2010.

Utah Blaze (second stint) Ta'amu was assigned to the Blaze on April 21, 2011.

Los Angeles Kiss Ta'amu was assigned to the Los Angeles Kiss on June 5, 2015. He was placed on recallable reassignment on June 10, 2015.

Portland Thunder Ta'amu was assigned to the Portland Thunder on August 12, 2015. He was placed on the suspended list on August 17, 2015.

Personal life In 2002, Ta'amu was one of 28 Samoan players in the National Football League, He was the first player of Samoan descent to be drafted into the NHL. Previously, he was selected third overall by the Edmonton Oil Kings in the 2023 WHL U.S. Priority Draft.