Graduated with a bachelor's degree in Sociology from the University of Utah.
Early Years
Born in Hamilton, New Zealand, to Tolu Halaapiapi and Finau Takinima, he has lived in New Zealand, Tonga, and in Hawaii. Finau attended three high schools in Hawaii: Lahainaluna High School as a freshman and sophomore, Maui High School his junior year, and Kahuku High & Intermediate School as a senior. He was a 3-time 1st-team all-state honoree in basketball from 2002-2004. He helped Kahuku win the Hawaii State Football Championship in 2004. Married to Adrianne (Galeai) Finau and they've 5 children. [1]
College Career
Finau played two seasons of junior college football for Phoenix College before originally committing to play football at West Virginia University. The highly-touted recruit never made it to Morgantown however, and Finau eventually ended up enrolling at the University of Utah, where he appeared in 21 games in his two-year career for the Utes and finished with 72 tackles, 6 1/2 sacks, 13 TFL's
Finau was signed to the New York Jets practice squad on December 5, 2012.[2] He signed a future/reserve contract on December 31, 2013.[3] He was released on August 31, 2014.[4] He was signed to the team's practice squad a day later.[5] Finau was released on August 30, 2015[6] and signed to the team's practice squad a day later.[7]
Houston Texans
Finau was signed by the Houston Texans to a reserve futures contract on December 30, 2015. He was cut on September 6, 2016.[8]
Coaching Career
University of Utah
Was a graduate assistant in 2021 and a defensive administrative assistant in 2022. Those teams won back-to-back PAC-12 titles and made 2 consecutive rose bowl appearances against Ohio State in 2021 and Penn State in 2022.
Utah State University
Hired as the Defensive Line coach in 2023. The Aggies had a 6-7 record and finished the year playing in the Idaho Potatoe Bowl against Georgia State.
Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellowship
2022 Spent the off-season with the 2022 Super Bowl Champions. Los Angeles Rams.
References
^"Tevita Finau". University of Utah. Retrieved October 23, 2020.