| No. 25, 37 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Running back | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | (1962-03-24) March 24, 1962 (age 62) Oakland, California, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height: | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 207 lb (94 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | Encinal (Alameda, California) | ||||||||
| College: | Washington State | ||||||||
| NFL draft: | 1986 / Round: 10 / Pick: 261 | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Player stats at PFR | |||||||||
Taivale "Junior" Tautalatasi Jr. (born March 24, 1962) is a former American football running back. He played college footballatWashington State and in the National Football League (NFL) for the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys.
Born in Oakland, California to a Samoan American family, Tautalatasi graduated from Encinal High School in nearby Alameda in 1981.[1][2][3] After high school, he began his college football career at Chabot College, a junior college in Hayward where he would play in the 1981 and 1982 seasons.[4]
He then transferred to Washington State University.[5] After redshirting the 1983 season, he played in 1984 and 1985 with the Washington State Cougars, while playing behind Rueben Mayes (conference rushing leader) and Kerry Porter.[5] With Washington State, Tautalatasi rushed for 402 yards and four touchdowns, averaging 6.3 yards per carry.[6]
Tautalatasi was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in the tenth round (261st overall) of the 1986 NFL draft.[7][3] He made the team after showing big play potential in the preseason.[8][9] He appeared in all 16 games as the team's third down back and started 2 games, including the season opener, while Keith Byars was recovering from a foot injury. Although he was slowed down by a right knee injury,[10] he finished with 41 receptions (second on the team) for 325 receiving yards (fourth on the team) and 51 carries for 163 rushing yards.[11] He had 11 receptions in the tenth game against the New York Giants. He recorded a 50-yard run in the seventh game against the Dallas Cowboys. He made a 56-yard reception in the fifth game against the Atlanta Falcons.[12]
Buddy Ryan, Tautalatasi's head coach with the Eagles, was unable to pronounce his last name and referred to him most often as "Junior Smith".[13]In1987, he posted 25 receptions for 176 yards and 26 carries for 69 yards.[3] On November 9, 1988, he was waived to make room for running back Walter Abercrombie.[14] Tautalatasi concluded the 1988 season with 48 receiving and 28 rushing yards.[3]
On September 26, 1989, he was signed by the Dallas Cowboys as a free agent. A backup running back, Tautalatasi had 157 receiving yards and 15 rushing yards in six games.[3] He was released on August 26, 1990.[15]
|
Philadelphia Eagles 1986 NFL draft selections
| |
|---|---|
|
