Tevita Tuliʻakiʻono Tuipulotu Mosese Vaʻhae Fehoko Faletau. Vea has 47 characters and 20 syllables. . That’s a lot of name for a lot of man. Vita Vea is a vital part of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense. So important they may not have won Super Bowl LV without him.
Vita Vea comes from a tight-knit family that includes Sione (dad) and Fipe (mother). He also has an elder brother by the named Sifa and an elder sister named Alisi. Vea’s parents are originally from the kingdom of Tonga, a Polynesian island nation. They both grew up in Tongatapu, a major island in Tonga but only met and married after migrating to northern California. The Veas worked multiple jobs to support their family and Vita inherited their perseverance. In order to graduate and make NCAA eligibility requirements. Vita started school at 8 am and took night classes to 8 pm in his senior year of high school.
Vea was a standout at Washington State University. Winning the Morris Trophy which is awarded to the most outstanding offensive or defensive lineman in the PAC-12. He was selected with the 12th pick of the 1st round by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Vita made his presence felt immediately. But it wasn’t until he went down in Game 5 last season against the Chicago Bears. That it became apparent how much of an impact he has on the defense. At 6’4, 350lbs, Vea’s physicality demands that opposing teams double team him. Without him on the field rushers, Shaquille Barrett and Jason Pierre Paul now could be focused on. As a result, their sack numbers suffered.
Vea returned from the broken leg injury in the NFC Championship game. With him back in the lineup, Aaron Rodgers was sacked 5 times and harassed the whole game. It was the defense that saved the day for the Bucs in that game. Vea was a principal reason why they were so effective.
In the Super Bowl, the best quarterback in the league, Patrick Mahomes, was held to no touchdowns. Mahomes ran more than 400 yards backward or sideways during the game to get away from the Buccaneer pressure. He was sacked 3 times, hit eight times, and pressured 29 times. In the middle of all the pressure was Tevita Tuliʻakiʻono Tuipulotu Mosese Vaʻhae Fehoko Faletau. A lot of name for a lot of man.