Joseph F. Onosai (born December 10, 1965) is a former

strongman Strongman is a competitive strength sport which tests athletes' physical strength and endurance through a variety of heavy lifts and events. Strongman competitions are known for their intensity, pushing athletes to their physical and mental limit ...

competitor and

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 ...

player. Onosai was drafted by 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)'s

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. T ...

. He reached the finals of the

World's Strongest Man The World's Strongest Man is an international strongman competition held every year. Organized by American event management company IMG, a subsidiary of Endeavor, it is broadcast in the US during summers and in the UK around the end of Decemb ...

competition twice (1994 and 1995).

Early years

Onosai attended

University Laboratory School University Laboratory School (ULS) is a charter school in Honolulu, Hawai‘i, United States, and it serves students from grades K-12. Prior to 2002, the school was known as the Education Laboratory School or University High School (for grades 9 ...

where he was a 240-pound fullback. As a junior, he averaged 13.8 yards per carry. In 1982 as a senior, he helped the Pac-Five football team win its first Interscholastic League of Honolulu and Prep Bowl championship (predecessor to the state tournament) and was named The Advertiser's ILH Offensive Player of the Year. He received a scholarship to play for the

University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa The University of Hawaii at Mānoa is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Honolulu, Hawaii, United States. It is the flagship campus of the University of Hawaiʻi system and houses the main offic ...

, where he was converted into an

offensive guard Offensive may refer to: * Offensive (military), type of military operation * Offensive, the former name of the Dutch political party Socialist Alternative (Netherlands), Socialist Alternative * Fighting words, spoken words which would have a tende ...

as a freshman. He was named a starter as a sophomore. The next year because of injuries on the offensive line, he also started at tackle and center, including a game against

Long Beach State University California State University, Long Beach (CSULB), also known in athletics as Long Beach State University (LBSU), is a public teaching-focused institution in Long Beach, California, United States. The 322-acre campus is the second largest in the ...

where he played all three position. Sometimes he was used as a fullback in short-yardage situations. As a senior, he was moved to

center Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentrici ...

and received honorable-mention

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 ...

honors. He was a second-team All-Western Athletic Conference performer in 1985 and 1986.

Professional career

Onosai was selected by the

in the sixth round (151st overall) of the

1987 NFL draft The 1987 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 28–29, 1987, at the Marriot Ma ...

to play

. During a practice in training camp, he suffered a serious neck injury and was subsequently diagnosed with a narrow spinal column condition (

cervical spinal stenosis Cervical spinal stenosis is a bone disease involving the narrowing of the spinal canal at the level of the neck. It is frequently due to chronic degeneration, but may also be congenital. Treatment is frequently surgical. Cervical spinal stenosis ...

), which forced him to announce his early retirement on August 1,

1987 Events January * January 1 – Bolivia reintroduces the Boliviano currency. * January 2 – Chadian–Libyan conflict – Battle of Fada: The Military of Chad, Chadian army destroys a Libyan armoured brigade. * January 3 – Afghan leader ...

. It would eventually take four days for the strength in his legs to return and two years to get his upper-body strength back to normal.

World's Strongest Man competition

He participated in the

competition for many years. At 6-feet-4 and 400 pounds, he developed a 65-inch chest, 22-inch biceps and the power lift was his specialty. He made it to the finals twice, in 1994 and 1995.

Personal records

*Leviathan Press (incline log press) – x 23 reps (1995 World's Strongest Man, group 1) (Joint-World Record) *Flintstone barbell push press (behind the neck) – (1995 World's Strongest Man)

Personal life

Onosai has been a pastor at Destiny Christian Church since 2011.

References

External links

*
Destined to make a difference
{{DEFAULTSORT:Onosai, Joe 1965 births Living people Samoan strength athletes American sportspeople of Samoan descent Players of American football from American Samoa Players of American football from Honolulu Hawaii Rainbow Warriors football players Dallas Cowboys players American football fullbacks University Laboratory School (Honolulu, Hawaii) alumni Pacific Islander American players of American football