"Buck"
Paopao, a paratrooper in the US Army showed the NIFL why
he was Southern Utah's stellar athlete from 1969-1970.
A 234-lb Samoan beast handling the football, Paopao was
bigger than most linebackers in the league, faster than
the defensive backs and with a surrounding cast of equal
athletes, could have been the man to dethrone the Pierce
County Bengals.
But, he
was the one-man show for the Warriors and the single reason they were playing .500 ball during the regular
season. He had "bucked" the trend by being the
first Samoan QB to excel at the position coming out of
Oceanside High in San Diego. All-NIFL Quarterback
for 1977, the Warriors only season in the NIFL.
The man
known as "Uncle Buck" in a family of 10 brothers and
sisters and 58 nieces and nephews set records at
Southern Utah in 1970 for most yards (369), yards
passing (324 & 320) most passing attempts (226) most
completions (124), most yards passing (1,774) and in
1969 set a record for most punt return yards (188 on 10
returns) and average (18.8). His career: most
plays (570), career pass attempts (410), completions
(216) and passing yards (3,125). The Paopao name
still resonates in college football across the country
with many of his relatives playing high caliber ball.
Alipati, at
the age of 54, died at home in 2004 of complications
just hours after an
appendectomy.
