Mark Tuinei
(Former Dallas Cowboy Star)
3/31/60 - 5/6/99
R.I.P.

Tie to Hawaii - Member of University of Hawaii Rainbow Warrior Football Team.

Biography

College: Hawaii
Height: 6' 5"
Weight: 314
Born: March 31, 1960 in Nanakuli, HI

College Info - Tuinei played his first two collegiate seasons at UCLA, where he started at defensive tackle as a sophomore, finishing fifth on the team in tackles. He transferred to Hawaii but was nagged by injuries his senior year and played in only seven games.

Professional Career - In 1983, defensive lineman Mark Tuinei was one of 85 rookie-free agents that traveled to Thousand Oaks, Calif. hoping to catch the attention of Tom Landry. Tuinei did more than catch someone's eye, and he has come a long way from that 1983 camp, enduring a move from defense to offense, 3-13 and 1-15 seasons and life as an unprotected player during Plan B free agency. In 1997, Tuinei enters his 12th season as the starting left offensive tackle for Dallas - the longest starting tenure at one position among all current Dallas players - and joins Bill Bates in entering his 15th season with the Cowboys, the most of any player. This season, Tuinei and Bates will join former teammate Ed "Too Tall" Jones as the only players to have suited up for Dallas for 15 seasons. Only Jim Marshall and Mick Tingelhoff, who were teammates for 17 seasons in Minnesota, have played together longer than the 15 seasons Tuinei and Bates will have this fall. With back-to-back selections to the NFC Pro Bowl squad in 1994 and 1995, Tuinei has returned to his native Hawaii a hero and three-time Super Bowl champion. He has played in more NFL games as a Cowboy (206) than any other Dallas offensive player, starting 90 of the past 93 games. Over the past seven seasons, Tuinei has been a cornerstone at left tackle while Emmitt Smith has amassed 10,160 yards on the ground and four NFL rushing titles (1991-93 and 1995), and the line has posted the four lowest sacks allowed totals in club history (18 allowed in 1995, 19 in 1996, 20 in 1994 and 23 in 1992). Dallas is the only team in the NFL to have allowed fewer than 30 sacks in each of the last four seasons.

Personal Info - Mark Pulemau Tuinei (TOO-ee-nay), was born in Oceanside, CA, and raised in Honolulu, where he starred at Punahou High School. He was Hawaii Prep Lineman of the Year as a senior, a state shot put champion and an all-star basketball player. His brother Tom was an All-Western Athletic Conference defensive tackle at Hawaii and played for the Detroit Lions and the Canadian Football League's Edmonton Eskimos. He also has a cousin, Dan Saleaumua, who is a nose tackle for the Kansas City Chiefs. Mark and wife Ponolani live in Plano, TX with their Rottweiler, Shaku Zulu, and Lhasa Apso, Lil' Mama.

[from the Dallas Cowboys Web Site]

Photos

(Click to enlarge)

Links

• Profile from ESPN.com
• Player Stats from the Dallas Cowboys Web Site
• Ride 'Em Cowboy - Star Bulletin
• Dallas Cowboys Talk Show @ O'Riley's
• Official Dallas Cowboys web site
• 50 Greatest Sports Figures of Hawaii
• Tuinei Works Out Despite Having No Contract - Dallascowboys.com
• Like Bill Bates, Mark Tuinei and Tony Tolbert Should Have A Chance to Say Goodbye - Texnews.com
• Dallas Cowboys Webring
• Bomis: Dallas Cowboys Ring
• Real Audio file from TheTicket
• Video Clips from FoxSports
• USENET: alt.sports.football.pro.dallas-cowboys

Remembering Tuinei

• Tuinei Was A Gentle Giant - ESPN
• Tuinei Was Cowboys Role Model - Sporting News
• Tuinei's Death Leaves Many With Empty Feeling - CBS SportsLine
• Former Teammates Shaken by Tuinei Death - USA Today
• NFL Star Tuinei Dies at 39 - Star Bulletin
• Former Cowboys LT Tuinei Dead at 39 - CBS SportsLine
• Ex-Cowboy Mark Tuinei Dies - CNN/SI
• Ex-Cowboy Tuinei Dies at 39 - ESPN
• Former Cowboy Tuinei Found Dead - MSNBC
• Former Cowboy Tuinei Dead at 39 - L.A. Times
• Former Cowboy Tuinei Dies At Age 39 - Sporting News
• Ex-Cowboy Tuinei Dies At 39 of Unknown Causes - Washington Post
• Report: Tuinei Had Used Heroin

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