Miami Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa became the face of the franchise the moment he was selected with the fifth overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. While the quarterback’s first few seasons were a struggle, his pairing with head coach Mike McDaniel has turned his career around.
Miami and NFL fans may have only known him since taking over in the second half of the 2017 College Football Playoff National Championship. Yet, the people of Tua’s ethnic background have been cheering him on from the start.
Tua Tagovailoa’s Family and Ethnicity
From the start of his football journey, Tagovailoa has always been strongly tied to his Samoan and native Hawaiian heritage. Tagovailoa’s pronunciation gave announcers and spectators everywhere a tough time, which allowed the quarterback to correct people while also highlighting the importance of his culture.
Tua was born in ‘Ewa Beach, Hawaii, in March 1998 to Galu and Diane Tagovailoa. Despite being born in Hawaii, Galu and Diane were both born in American Samoa and moved to the island at a very young age.
He’s the oldest of four siblings and grew up with a strong interest in football. When competing in Pop Warner games at just eight years old, Tua consistently outthrew other children by 10-20 yards.
His grandfather, Seu Tagovailoa, was highly regarded in Tua’s local Samoan community and was regularly addressed as Chief. He, too, believed Tua would become a football star and implored the quarterback to return to him after every game to inform him of his progress.
Following his grandfather’s death in 2014, Tua briefly considered quitting, but with the guidance of Galu, they figured continuing his career would be a better way to honor Seu.
Tagovailoa attended Saint Louis High School in Honolulu, Hawaii. During his time, he was mentored by fellow college and NFL quarterback Marcus Mariota, who he grew up with during his childhood in Hawaii.
There are evident marks of Tagovailoa’s Samoan upbringing in various aspects of life. Christianity is rooted in the island’s culture, and Tua has been an outspoken and devout Christian throughout his football career.
He’s spoken extensively about how his parents worked hard to ensure he and his siblings were raised with Samoan traditions and values.
Tua’s Brother Taulia Tagovailoa
While not much is known about all of Tua’s siblings, his younger brother, Taulia Tagovailoa, has made a name for himself in the football world. As a true freshman, Taulia spent the season with Alabama backing up his brother and Mac Jones. He would see limited action as the QB3, and after Tua announced he was entering the 2020 NFL Draft, Taulia decided to enter the transfer portal.
In May 2020, Taulia announced he would be joining the Maryland Terrapins. He started all four games of the abbreviated COVID season and was named an honorable mention All-Big Ten player.
Taulia became a fixture under center for the Terrapins over the next three seasons, starting in 37 games. He would surpass 3,000 yards yearly and holds the Big Ten career record for most passing yards (11,256) and highest completion percentage (67.1%).
After exhausting his eligibility and rewriting Maryland’s passing record book, Taulia Tagovailoa would go undrafted in the 2024 NFL Draft. He was invited to the Seattle Seahawks minicamp but would leave without a contract.
In June, he signed a contract with the Canadian Football League franchise, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. He scored his first CFL touchdown in the Labour Day Classic game in 2024.