Four-time Super Bowl champion paves way for Polynesian players

Yahoo

07-02-2025

HONOLULU (KHON2) — From Samoa to Farrington High School to the University of Hawaii to one of the greatest dynasties in sports history, Jesse Sapolu is one of only 37 players in NFL history to win four Super Bowls.His third came 35 years ago when his 49ers trounced the Broncos 55-10 in Super Bowl XXIV in New Orleans, the site of this year's game.
'It's still the most points scored in the Super Bowl. You know, when you start leaving records behind to be broken, we did that when the rules were a little different,' said Sapolu.
Preparing for retirement in 2025
The glory comes with a toll as Sapoly played in arguably the toughest era of football when training and nutrition were strong and rules to protect players were not.
'Despite the fact that I played 15 years, the amount of games that I actually played because of the extra playoff games that I played every year, came up to 17 and a half years.'
Since retiring, Sapolu has kept his body and mind strong by staying actively involved in his life passion, founding the Polynesian Football Hall of Fame in the islands and the Polynesian Bowl High School All-Star Game.
'It keeps me young, keeps my mind going that I'm so busy. And at the same time, I'm proud of the fact that I get to play a little bit of a role in keeping this thing alive, you know, until the next generation comes and take it over.'
His role paid off with Polynesian players gaining in prominence on football rosters, including positions like quarterback.
'When I came through, there were five of us that went down to four. Now, we got five Polynesian players on some teams, you know. So we've come a long way, but we need to keep encouraging players to push the envelope,' Sapolu added.
He has mentored two players in this year's Super Bowl. For the Chiefs, Juju Smith-Schuster and for the Eagles, Jordan Mailata, who are helping him grow the game internationally.
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'Last year, I took Juju Smith-Shuster with me, and we were in five countries in 10 days. My wife and I just opened a middle school with the intention of bringing kids from New Zealand. You know, the left tackle for the Philadelphia Eagles never once played a down until he came here as a 22-year-old, and yet he's a second-team all-pro left tackle in the National Football League. Think about that.'
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