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Former Arizona quarterback George Malauulu (wearing the cap) talks to his AIGA Thunder team during the Pylon Elite Camps 7-on-7 tournament in Henderson, Nev., on Sunday (Javier Morales/AllSportsTucson.com)
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HENDERSON, Nev. — The spirit of “aiga”, which means family in Samoan, was on display with former Arizona quarterback George Malauulu and his group of seventh and eighth grade football players this weekend at Heritage Park here.
Malauulu stood tall in front of his AIGA Thunder team and spoke to the young players in a manner that commanded respect like when he huddled with his teammates at Arizona.
“I believe in you guys,” he said. “Keep that focus and determination to improve on what we worked on.”
His players who competed in the Pylon Elite Camp 7-on-7 touch-football event looked at him like a father, or a big brother, not only as a coach. He coached them wearing a backpack. His appearance was casual but his demeanor was sincere. He did not crack a smile until after the games, similar to when he captained Arizona as a senior. All business.
Malauulu, Arizona’s quarterback from 1989-92, is in his 17th year as president of the AIGA Foundation, a non-profit organization he founded to assist student-athletes in their pursuit of competing at the next level on the football field. The Polynesian community is the primary focus of his foundation, but players from all walks of life are involved.
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George Malauulu hugged by former Arizona assistant Duane Akina in the waning moments of the Wildcats’ upset of No. 1 Washington in 1992 (YouTube video screen shot)
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“When I went back home, there were seven of us who were teachers, coaches and businessmen who wanted to come back and provide opportunities for the kids,” Malauulu said of his post-Arizona career in the late 1990’s.
“We figured this is the best way to do it. When we did our first camp in 1998, we had 400 kids. And after that, we spawned to where we are today. We brought eight teams to Pylon here today from Hawaii, San Diego and the Bay Area. There is a good representation of a lot of Polynesian communities here.”
The AIGA Foundation organizes events such as the Polynesian Combine in Long Beach, Calif., and the Polynesian All-American Underclassmen Camp in Hayward, Calif. Staff and volunteers of the foundation, including Malauulu, maintain a network with college and professional coaches and assistants.
Malauulu mentioned he has a good relationship with Arizona coach Rich Rodriguez and assistant Tony Dews.
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“We have a summer camp in which the college coaches come to,” Malauulu said. “Rich Rod sends some U of A guys. We have some Arizona State guys too, but we kind of let them do the toiletries and all of that.”
Malauulu laughed. The intensity of the Arizona-ASU rivalry never subsides.
The AIGA Foundation alumni includes Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota, Troy Polamalu and former Arizona tight end Brandon Manumaleuna, among many others. Arizona quarterback Anu Solomon also was a part of Malauulu’s program during his formative years.
Malauulu remembers vividly watching Mariota play at the same age of the players he coached this weekend.
“Marcus played in the fourth tournament Pylon had here,” Malauulu said. “I saw his potential right away when we went to Hawaii to see some of the kids out there in this age group. We saw it then. It was just a matter of time before everybody else saw it.”
Solomon wears the same number — “12” — that Malauulu wore at Arizona. Malauulu marvels at how successful Solomon has become despite playing only one season of college football to this point.
George Malauulu goes over some offensive plays with his AIGA Thunder team (Javier Morales/AllSportsTucson.com)
“Anu was a success story here in Las Vegas,” Malauulu said. “He was a four-time state champion (at Bishop Gorman High School). Everybody knew he can do it. It was just a matter of him showing everybody else that he can do it on another level.
“From what he did going to the Pac-12 championship as a freshman, how much further does he have to go in order to reach the next step? Getting into the national championship? For him to be in that Pac-12 championship as a freshman is huge. … It’s huge.”
When he is not coaching and guiding the young athletes with his organization, Malauulu is a longshore worker at the Los Angeles and Long Beach ports.
Once concerned about his job because of a struggling economy, Malauulu sees a promising future. He helps the youth realize their dreams. He has kept the faith about his own personal future.
“Now we’re good,” he said. “We can go ahead and get the economy going by unloading and loading those ships. Everything is looking good.”
ALLSPORTSTUCSON.com publisher, writer and editor Javier Morales is a former Arizona Press Club award winner. He has also written articles for Bleacher Report and Lindy’s College Sports.
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