Quick Facts
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Vailala "Vai" Lima Taua (/ˈvaɪ ˈtaʊ.ə/; born October 11, 1988) is a former American football running back. He was signed by the Buffalo Bills as an undrafted free agent in 2011. He also played for the Seattle Seahawks from 2011 to 2012. He played college football at Nevada.
Early years
Taua was born in Fountain Valley, California, to Faletui and Taua Taua (Davis). He attended Cabrillo High School in Lompoc, California, where he played football and competed in track and field. He lettered in football all four years and twice in track and field. During his senior year, he ran for 1,709 yards and 27 touchdowns. Taua led the Los Padres League in rushing and was named the conference's Most Valuable Player. He also earned all-conference and All-California Interscholastic Federation honors.
College career
Taua sat out the 2006 as a redshirt and in 2007 saw action in eight games with 19 carries for 112 yards (including one touchdown). In 2008, Taua began the year as a reserve but became a starter after senior running back and 2007 Western Athletic Conference (WAC) rushing leader Luke Lippincott suffered a season-ending injury in the second game. Playing in all 13 games that season, he rushed for 1,521 yards on 236 carries (including 15 touchdowns) and also made 29 receptions for 226 yards (including two touchdowns). Against Fresno State, Taua ran for his season high of 263 yards on 28 carries, for which he was named the WAC Offensive Player of the Week. In that game, he broke the 1,000-yard rushing mark for the season. With Taua and quarterback Colin Kaepernick, 2008 became the first season in Nevada school history that the team had two 1,000-yard rushers. Taua was named to the All-WAC first-team and the Sporting News named him the WAC's Most Valuable Offensive Player.
On December 19, 2009, it was announced that Taua was academically ineligible and would sit out the Hawai'i Bowl on Christmas Eve against Southern Methodist. His future with the Wolf Pack team was put in doubt, with head coach Chris Ault's stating that he would "evaluate (Taua's) future with the team after the bowl game." On January 8, 2010, Ault held a press conference in which he stated that he wanted to "punch [Taua] right in the mouth" for his failure to meet academic expectations and missing the Hawai'i Bowl. Ault added that Taua would return to the team for his senior season and the issue of his academic performance would be dealt with "in house".
Collegiate statistics
As of 2010
| Year | Team | G | Rushing | Receiving | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Att | Yards | Avg | TD | Rec | Yards | Avg | TD | |||
| 2007 | Nevada | 8 | 19 | 112 | 5.9 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3.0 | 0 |
| 2008 | Nevada | 13 | 236 | 1,521 | 6.4 | 15 | 30 | 243 | 8.1 | 3 |
| 2009 | Nevada | 11 | 172 | 1,345 | 7.8 | 10 | 12 | 99 | 8.2 | 2 |
| 2010 | Nevada | 13 | 262 | 1,619 | 5.7 | 19 | 18 | 226 | 12.6 | 3 |
| Career | 46 | 711 | 4,588 | 6.5 | 45 | 61 | 571 | 9.4 | 8 | |
stats current as of 2010 [1]
Professional career
Buffalo Bills
Taua went undrafted during the 2011 NFL Draft. On July 27, 2011, Taua signed as a free agent with the Buffalo Bills, but later waived on August 5.
Seattle Seahawks
On August 14, 2011, Taua signed with the Seattle Seahawks. He was waived on August 22, but was re-signed on August 24. He was cut to trim the team regular season roster to 53 members on September 3, 2011. Taua re-signed on January 11, 2012 and was released on September 12, 2012.
Coaching career
Taua was a coach at the University of California Los Angeles, where his brother Ainnuu plays. He also was a running backs coach at East Los Angeles College. He is now the special teams analyst for Nevada.
Personal life
Taua has three brothers and two sisters. He has a son, Tamali'i.
