Q & A -- Tevita Ofahengaue

The last player to be chosen in the National Football League’s college

football draft April 22, Tevita Ofahengaue became dubbed Mr. Irrelevant,

a tradition now as old as the tight end from Brigham Young University,

26.

Busy as can be over the last week with shindigs and other hoopla,

Ofahengaue became even busier Thursday at the Balboa Yacht Club when he

sat down with Daily Pilot Assistant City Editor James Meier to discuss

his weeklong gig as Mr. Irrelevant.

Q: How do you pronounce your last name?

A: Oh-fah-hay-gnaw-way. Like ping pong. Gnaw.

Q: Why do they call you T-bone?

A: Just a name they called me when I was little and I carried it ever

since. Everywhere I went, my friends would end up calling me T-bone and

everyone would pick it up.

Q: Can I call you T-bone?

A: Sure.

Q: Is it easier than calling you Tevita?

A: Well, there was a movie called “Colors” back in the day. T-bone was

a comedian in the movie, a joker. And I have fun, so they kind of teased

with that and it stuck with me. And hey, T-bone sounds good.

Q: Now, toward the end of the NFL draft, you hadn’t been picked for

quite some time. You were actually picked 246th. It may sound weird, but

were you crossing your fingers to be picked last so you could become Mr.

Irrelevant?

A: No. Actually, before the end of the draft, I already committed to a

team as a free agent. So I knew I was going to go somewhere. I was

grateful for the opportunity that I had, and I had a couple other teams

call me and tell me they were going to take me in the fourth, third and

they never took me. So, when the Cardinals called me, I wanted to make

sure that it was me, and when I saw [Irrelevant Week founder] Paul Salata

look down at my name, look up and then look down again, I knew it was my

name because he couldn’t say it.

And I’m here now.

Q: Are you sick of all of the attention?

A: No, I’m loving it. Then I go back to reality on Saturday.

Q: What’s the first day of reality going to be?

A: Back to working out. I haven’t worked out since I’ve been here, and

now I’ve got to work. Playing for the Cardinals is my job, and I have to

take it seriously now. So, I’ll just have fun now and pay for it later.

Q: What’s been your favorite moment so far?

A: Just everything. It just keeps getting better and better.

Especially for them to take care of my [45 family members] is really

sweet. For them to be here to enjoy it with me, it makes it more

memorable. Everything from the first minute I got off the plane. My wife

and I were just discussing it on Sunday, and we hadn’t even started yet.

We were like “Dang, imagine how bad it’s going to get.”

Today’s still young. We’ve already gone to a lunch with American

Title, and now we’re at the yacht club. And there’s more to come.

Q: You seem to have a good sense of humor through all of this. Are you

having a ball?

A: It’s fun. Our dinner the other day was great with a couple guys

[including former L.A. Ram Jackie Slater] going into the NFL Hall of

Fame. It’s been great learning, fun and everything I wanted and more.

Q: Looking forward to passes from [Arizona Cardinals quarterback]

“Jake the Snake” Plummer?

A: Yep, I look forward to catching passes from anybody. We have a new

West Coast kind of run-and-shoot offense that’s going to surprise some

people.

Q: What are some of the best gifts you’ve received so far?

A: Everything was sweet: jerseys with my name on them from every team;

a watch from the NFL commissioner. Everything they’ve given me is nice.

There’s not really one special gift. I got the Lowsman Trophy. Like they

said, there’s a lot of Heisman trophies, but there’s only 27 of those.

It’s been fun. The biggest gift of all is them catering my family as

much as they’ve done. There’s about 45 of them, I think. There’s about 10

others who come and go.

Q: What’s next on the Mr. Irrelevant tour?

A: After this, we’re going to see my man, [former NBA star and West

Newport Beach resident Dennis] Rodman. I love the way he plays. He’s a

gamer. He wore 91, and that’s the reason I took my [college] number.

Tomorrow is lunch at the pier. We’re going to all the restaurants to

eat. We also have a yacht race.

There’s still more to come and, sadly, it’s going to come to a close,

but all good things come to an end.

Q: I know it’s interesting, so tell me a little about your background.

A: I was born in Tonga. I moved to Hawaii when I was 1 1/2, almost 2

years old. I was a cry baby. My mom told me she carried me until I was 6.

I got married when I was in high school. I had my first two kids and

then my second two were in the middle of my college years.

When I got married, I had to find a job, so I went to school in the

morning, went to work in the afternoon and then to practice. I was

working everywhere. I sold vacuums. I moved my family to Dallas and

worked for American Airlines as a baggage handler.

Then, one day, my parents talked me into coming home [to Hawaii] and

finishing the circle of education. All my [five] brothers and sisters

graduated, so I’m the last one, the youngest. And I finally decided “Hey,

let’s do it. I called my work, told them I wasn’t coming back, and then

flew home, went to school and walked on to BYU in the winter of 1997.

Earned a scholarship in spring 1998 and started in 1998, 1999, 2000,

so now I’m here living the dream I never thought I was going to come

close to.

Q: So, what are you going to do between now and exhibition?

A: I report to camp on July 27, so I’m going to take my family to

Hawaii. I haven’t been home in two years, so this is going to be my only

chance in a while. So, we’ll be there for a week, and I’m going to work

out and train on the beaches over there. And then I’m going to fly back

to Utah and drive my car to Arizona and get ready for camp and come out,

and I think we open with [the] Oakland [Raiders]. So, we’ll beat them up

real quick, and then we’ll take them one day at a time.

Q: Well, anything else?

A: It’s exciting. This irrelevant thing just makes it better because I

am irrelevant. I sat out of school for five years. The chances of me

coming back to school to play in Division I -- I mean I played Florida

State, I played the best of the best. It’s a dream. It’s totally

different than watching it from the stands. This is big time.

My first game, my mind went blank for the first three plays. Our first

game was against Alabama, and they packed the stadium with maroon. They

were playing “Sweet Home Alabama,” yelling “Go [Crimson] Tide,” and I

thought “Wow!”

So, I go to the sidelines and say, “Coach, I don’t know anything.” He

said, “Relax. Just imagine nobody’s here.” I’m like, “Imagine nobody’s

here? Sheesh, I can’t even hear the audibles.” Then we went onto

Washington [University] and Arizona State [University], so they were big

schools.

And now I’m here. Wow. And I’m going to have fun on the field.

Q: So, are you going to make it?

A: I hope so. If not, the Lord has a plan for me, and I’ll take it one

day at a time. My sun will always rise and set at the same place, so I’ll

make something out of it.

Name: Tevita “T-bone” Ofahengaue

Age: 26

Birthplace: Tonga

Height: 6-foot-3

Weight: 255 lbs.

Football position: Tight end, fullback

Number: 91

Occupation: Professional football player

Education: Brigham Young University -- bachelor’s in sociology and

minor in coaching; and a year shy of a master’s degree in special

education

Family: Wife of 10 years, Carey; four children -- Tre, 9; Moana, 7;

Teilissa, 3; and Teisa, 1

Residence: Between Provo, Utah, and Arizona

Hobbies: DJ, cruiser, bum