George R. Achica (born December 19, 1960) is an American former professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

defensive tackle A defensive tackle (DT) is a position in American football that typically lines up on the line of scrimmage, opposite one of the Guard (American football), offensive guards; however, he may also line up opposite one of the offensive Tackle (gridir ...

. Achica played professionally for the Los Angeles Express of the

United States Football League The United States Football League (USFL) was a professional American football league that played for three seasons, 1983 through 1985. The league played a spring/summer schedule in each of its active seasons. The 1986 season was scheduled to be ...

(USFL), and the

Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. Since the 2008 India ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). 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 ...

for the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in ...

, and was recognized as a consensus

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

Early life

Achica was born in

American Samoa American Samoa is an Territories of the United States, unincorporated and unorganized territory of the United States located in the Polynesia region of the Pacific Ocean, South Pacific Ocean. Centered on , it is southeast of the island count ...

on December 19, 1960. He attended Andrew Hill High School in

San Jose, California San Jose, officially the City of San José ( ; ), is a cultural, commercial, and political center within Silicon Valley and the San Francisco Bay Area. With a city population of 997,368 and a metropolitan area population of 1.95 million, it is ...

where he was an All-American in both football and

wrestling Wrestling is a martial art, combat sport, and form of entertainment that involves grappling with an opponent and striving to obtain a position of advantage through different throws or techniques, within a given ruleset. Wrestling involves di ...

. In football, Achica was voted to the 1978 ''

Parade A parade is a procession of people, usually organized along a street, often in costume, and often accompanied by marching bands, floats, or sometimes large balloons. Parades are held for a wide range of reasons, but are usually some variety ...

'' All-America High School Football team as a senior. In wrestling, he won two California high school state titles as a sophomore and junior. In his senior season, Achica lost in the semi-finals of the state tournament, his first wrestling loss of his high school career.

College career

Achica played football at the

(USC) from 1979 to 1982. Achica joined USC as they were ranked #1 in the preseason AP poll. He saw playing time as a freshman and USC won their second straight Rose Bowl, defeating

Ohio State The Ohio State University (Ohio State or OSU) is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. A member of the University System of Ohio, it was founded in 1870. It is one of the largest universities by enrollme ...

17–16. As a sophomore, Achica was named to the 1980 All-PAC-10 First-Team. In his junior season, Achica was named to the 1981 All-PAC-10 First-Team while gaining an All-America Second-Team selection. During his that season, Achica blocked a field goal in USC's game against rival

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school then known as the southern branch of the C ...

that he later said was one of his most important football performances. With four seconds remaining, and USC leading 22–21, Achica blocked Norm Johnson's 46-yard field goal attempt, denying UCLA a trip to the Rose Bowl. As a senior, Achica was selected to his third All-PAC-10 First-Team and was named a consensus

. He also won the 1982

Morris Trophy Coaches of the Pac-12 Conference bestow the following awards at the end of each football season. The conference was founded in its current form as the Athletic Association of Western Universities in 1959, but traces its roots to the Pacific Coast C ...

, as the PAC-10 Conference's best defensive lineman. Achica was the first of four Samoans to be selected as All-Americans at USC; the others being

Junior Seau Tiaina Baul "Junior" Seau Jr. (; ; January 19, 1969 – May 2, 2012) was an American professional football linebacker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 20 seasons, mostly with the San Diego Chargers. Known for his passionate ...

Troy Polamalu Troy Aumua Polamalu (; born Troy Benjamin Aumua; April 19, 1981) is an American former professional football player who spent his entire 12-year career as a safety for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). An eight-time ...

, and

Lofa Tatupu Mosiula Mea'alofa "Lofa" Tatupu (born November 15, 1982) is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker for six seasons with the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for th ...

Professional career

Achica was selected by the Los Angeles Express of the newly-formed USFL in the 1983 USFL territorial draft on January 4, 1983. At the

1983 NFL draft The 1983 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 26–27, 1983, at the New York Sh ...

in April, Achica was selected in the third round with the 57th overall pick by the

Baltimore Colts The Baltimore Colts were a professional American football team that played in Baltimore from 1953 to 1983, when owner Robert Irsay moved the franchise to Indianapolis. The team was named for Baltimore's history of horse breeding and racing. It w ...

. Achica chose to play for the Express, citing a desire to remain close to home on the west coast.

USFL career

Achica joined the Express in the middle of their 1983 season. He played in six games, starting five. In 1984, the Express added quarterback

Steve Young Jon Steven Young (born October 11, 1961) is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 15 seasons, most notably with the San Francisco 49ers. He also played for the Tampa Bay Bu ...

. The team went from one of the worst in the league to earning a spot in the USFL Western Conference championship, which they lost to the

Arizona Wranglers The Arizona Wranglers were a professional American football team in the United States Football League (USFL) that existed from late 1982 to mid-1985. They played at Sun Devil Stadium on the campus of Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona. ...

. In the 1984 season, Achica had five sacks and played in all 18 games. In what became the USFL's final season, Achica again played in all 18 games of the Express's 1985 season. He recorded seven sacks. In three seasons in the USFL, Achica played in 42 games and had 64 tackles, 12 sacks, and one fumble recovery.

NFL career

After the USFL folded, Achica joined the Colts for the 1985 NFL season. The team had relocated to Indianapolis in 1984, but the Colts still retained Achica's NFL playing rights after drafting him in 1983. Achica's time with Indianapolis was short. He suffered a knee injury early in the season, which placed him on the

injured reserve The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in ...

list. He appeared in four games before being released in November 1985. Achica was signed by the

New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team p ...

on March 25, 1986, but failed his physical examination and was cut on May 21, 1986. In July 1987, Achica signed with the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners and nicknamed the Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member ...

before being cut by the team on August 28, 1987.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Achica, George 1960 births Living people American sportspeople of Samoan descent Players of American football from San Jose, California Players of American football from American Samoa American football defensive tackles USC Trojans football players All-American college football players Los Angeles Express players Indianapolis Colts players Pacific Islander American players of American football