Vai S. Sikahema
(born August 29, 1962 in Nukuʻalofa, Tonga) is a former American football running back and kickoff returner in the National Football League who played for eight seasons from 1986 to 1993.
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VAI SIKAHEMA TICKETS
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High school and college career
Sikahema attended and played
high school football at
Mesa High School and then played
college football at
Brigham Young University and was a member of their 1984 National Championship team.
Height: 5 feet 9 inches
Weight: 196 lbs
Professional career
Sikahema was a
special teams standout for several teams, including the
St. Louis/ Phoenix Cardinals,
Green Bay Packers, and
Philadelphia Eagles. He was named to the
Pro Bowl twice (in 1986 and 1987). It was during his stint with the Eagles that he came up with the famous "goalpost punching" stunt after scoring a punt return touchdown in a 1992 game against the
New York Giants at
Giants Stadium.
After football
Upon retiring, Sikahema was hired by then-
CBS owned and operated television station
WCAU in Philadelphia to do weekend sports. Surviving the station's sale to
NBC, Sikahema later moved to weekdays and is currently the Sports Director. His cousin,
Reno Mahe, also played for the Philadelphia Eagles. Sikahema's nephew by marriage is actor
Jon Heder, star of the films
Napoleon Dynamite
and
Blades of Glory
.
In May 2008, Sikahema accepted an open challenge from former baseball player
Jose Canseco to fight him in a celebrity boxing match for $25,000. Canseco claims to have earned black belts in
Kung Fu,
Taekwondo, and
Muay Thai, while Sikahema, who grew up wanting to be a professional boxer, had once fought in a
National Golden Gloves Championship losing to the eventual winner
Sugar Ray Leonard. The fight was held on July 12, 2008, in
Atlantic City at the
Bernie Robbins Stadium, and was dubbed The War at The Shore.
[1] The event was hosted by Philadelphia-native adult film personality Steven Sheaffer. Sikahema won by knockout in the first round and donated the $5,000 purse to the family of Sergeant Stephen Liczbinski, a fallen officer of the
Philadelphia Police Department. Prior to the fight Sikahema was quoted as saying to Michelle Liczbinski ( Sergeant Liczbinski's wife) that "he (Canseco) is fighting for the money and I'm fighting for something more."
Sikahema is a member of
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints [2]. He has been a resident of
Mount Laurel Township, New Jersey.
[3]
References
- Vai Sikahema came into the fight with 80 amateur fights. "Bernard Fernandez: Conseco, Sikahema in celebrity boxing event in Atlantic City", Philadelphia Daily News (philly.com), May 27, 2008.
- http://lds.families.com/blog/interview-with-nbcs-east-coast-sportscaster-vai-sikahema-part-4
- Kravitz, Gary. "Where Are They Now: KR/PR Vai Sikahema", Philadelphia Eagles, April 2, 2004. Accessed May 25, 2008. "Sikahema currently resides in Mount Laurel, N.J., with his wife Keala and four children: Landon, L.J., Trey, and Lana."