Maʻake Kemoeatu Explained

Ma'ake Kemoeatu
Number:92, 99, 96
Position:Nose tackle
Birth Date:10 January 1979
Birth Place:Pule'anga Fakatu'i'o, Tonga
Height Ft:6
Height In:5
Weight Lbs:345
High School:Kahuku (Kahuku, Hawaii)
College:Utah
Undraftedyear:2002
Pastteams:
Highlights:
Statlabel1:Total tackles
Statvalue1:287
Statlabel2:Sacks
Statvalue2:5.0
Statlabel3:Forced fumbles
Statvalue3:2
Statlabel4:Fumble recoveries
Statvalue4:1
Pfr:KemoMa20

Ma'ake Tu'amelie Kemoeatu (in Tonga (Tonga Islands); pronounced as /maˈʔake kemoeˈatu/; born January 10, 1979) is a Tongan-American former professional American football player who played as a nose tackle. He was signed by the Ravens as an undrafted free agent in 2002. He played college football for the University of Utah Utes. Kemoeatu has also played for the Carolina Panthers and Washington Redskins. He is the older brother of former NFL offensive lineman Chris Kemoeatu.

Early life

Kemoeatu was born in Tonga. His younger brother is Chris Kemoeatu, who also played football at the University of Utah and later entered the NFL. When he was a child his family moved to the U.S. state of Hawaii. He grew up in Kahuku, Hawaii, on the north shore of Oahu, and attended Kahuku High School.

College career

Kemoeatu was a four-year letterman and three-year starter at Utah. He started 35 of 43 games played in college, finishing his career with 160 tackles and nine sacks. He was suspended by the NCAA for his last college game, the 2001 Las Vegas Bowl, for buying two math books for his younger brother Tevita using scholarship money.[1]

Professional career

Baltimore Ravens

Kemoeatu played four seasons with the Baltimore Ravens from 2002 to 2005. He was originally signed as an undrafted free agent in 2002.

Carolina Panthers

Kemoeatu signed with the Carolina Panthers as a free agent in 2006.

Kemoeatu suffered a torn right Achilles' tendon during the team's 2009 training camp. He was placed on season-ending injured reserve on August 5. He was released on March 5, 2010.

Washington Redskins

On March 13, 2010, Kemoeatu signed a two-year, $7 million contract with the Washington Redskins.[2] He was released on July 28, 2011.[3]

Baltimore Ravens (second stint)

On May 2, 2012, Kemoeatu returned to the Baltimore Ravens. After a one-year hiatus from football, he lost 78 pounds, from 415 down to 337, in a serious attempt to resurrect his career. He wound up winning the starting Nose Tackle job from Terrence Cody, starting 13 games, recording 29 tackles, 1 sack and 1 forced fumble. He also would go on to win his first championship title when the Ravens won Super Bowl XLVII before retiring from football.[4]

NFL career statistics

Regular season

YearTeamGamesTacklesInterceptionsFumbles
GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck TFL Int Yds TD Lng PD FF FR Yds TD
BAL16 1 21 16 5 2.0 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
BAL15 1 23 21 2 1.0 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0
BAL14 3 28 20 8 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
BAL16 16 40 30 10 1.0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0
CAR16 13 34 26 8 0.0 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0
CAR16 13 47 41 6 0.0 5 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0
CAR14 14 36 31 5 0.0 1 0 0 0 0 2 1 0 0 0
WAS14 12 29 19 10 0.0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
BAL15 13 29 15 14 1.0 2 0 0 0 0 2 1 0 0 0
136 86 287 219 68 5.0 20 0 0 0 0 9 2 1 0 0

Playoffs

YearTeamGamesTacklesInterceptionsFumbles
GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck TFL Int Yds TD Lng PD FF FR Yds TD
BAL1 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
CAR1 1 5 5 0 0.0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
BAL4 4 10 5 5 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
6 5 15 10 5 0.0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Personal life

He is the older brother of Chris Kemoeatu, who won Super Bowl XL and Super Bowl XLIII as a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

On August 27, 2014, Ma'ake donated a kidney to his brother, Chris.[5]

Honours

National honours

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: NCAA throws the book at Kemoeatu . Salt Lake City Deseret News . Linda . Hamilton . December 23, 2001 .
  2. Web site: March 10, 2010 . Redskins sign NT Kemoeatu, who spent 2009 on injured reserve . 2023-11-19 . NFL.com . en-US.
  3. Web site: Rosenthal. Gregg. Release Tracker. Pro Football Talk. 28 July 2011 . 29 July 2011.
  4. Web site: Super Bowl XLVII - San Francisco 49ers vs. Baltimore Ravens - February 3rd, 2013 . Pro-Football-Reference.com . en . 2017-11-08.
  5. News: Litman. Laken. Ravens player retires to give kidney to younger brother, a retired Steelers player. 18 September 2014. USA Today. 18 September 2014.
  6. Web site: Royal orders presented at Palace . Matangi Tonga . 1 August 2008 . 2 January 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210121030307/https://matangitonga.to/2008/08/01/royal-orders-presented-palace . 21 January 2021.