Will Taʻufoʻou (; born June 19, 1986) is a former

American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...

fullback. He was signed by the

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They are one of two remaining ...

as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

in 2009. He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

College career

Taʻufoʻou played at Cal for four years, during which running backs

Marshawn Lynch Marshawn Terrell Lynch (born April 22, 1986) is an American actor and former professional American football, football player who was a running back for 12 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). Nicknamed "Beast Mode", he spent the majori ...

(2005 and 2006), Justin Forsett (2007), and

Jahvid Best Jahvid Andre Best (born January 30, 1989) is an American track and field Olympian athlete, and former professional football running back. He was selected by the Detroit Lions in the first round of the 2010 NFL draft. He played college football ...

(2008) each ran for more than 1,000 yards, with Best becoming the 2008 Pac-10 rushing leader.

Professional career

Chicago Bears

Taʻufoʻou was signed by the Chicago Bears as a free agent on April 27, 2009. He was waived on September 4 and was placed on the team's

practice squad In gridiron football, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. They serve as extra players during the team's practices, often as part of the scou ...

on September 5, where he remained the entire season. After his practice squad contract expired at season's end, Taʻufoʻou was re-signed to a future contract by the Bears on January 4, 2010. He re-signed with the Bears again on July 29, 2011. He was waived on September 6.

Cleveland Browns

The

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. The Browns compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team is named after ...

signed him to their

on September 14, 2011. He was released from the practice squad on November 8.

Jacksonville Jaguars

The

Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team ...

signed Ta'ufo'ou on July 28, 2012. He was waived, signed to the practice squad, and promoted to the active roster multiple times in the 2012 season. He appeared in six games. He was signed to the active roster at the conclusion of the 2012 season. In the 2013 preseason, Ta'ufo'ou assumed the starting fullback position after the departure of nine-year veteran Greg Jones. He became a free agent after the 2014 season.

References

External links

California Golden Bears bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ta'ufo'ou, Will 1986 births Living people American football fullbacks American people of Tongan descent American sportspeople of Samoan descent California Golden Bears football players Chicago Bears players Cleveland Browns players Denver Broncos players Jacksonville Jaguars players Players of American football from Redwood City, California Players of American football from Santa Clara County, California Tennessee Titans players Saint Francis High School (Mountain View, California) alumni Pacific Islander American players of American football