Ron Tiavaasue (born 19 November 1997) is a Samoan–New Zealand professional gridiron football fullback for the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football for the Snow Badgers, Missouri State Bears, Utah State Aggies and New Mexico State Aggies. He was selected by the Stampeders in the first round (fourth overall) of the 2024 CFL global draft.
| Calgary Stampeders | |
| Born: | 19 November 1997 Motoʻotua, Samoa |
|---|---|
| Career information | |
| Status | Active |
| CFL status | Global |
| Position(s) | Fullback |
| Height | 6 ft 4 in (193 cm) |
| Weight | 275 lb (125 kg) |
| College | Snow (2018–2019) Missouri State (2020–2021) Utah State (2022) New Mexico State (2023) |
| High school | Akid Secondary School |
| CFL draft | 2024G, round: 1, pick: 4 |
| Drafted by | Calgary Stampeders |
| NFL draft | 2024, undrafted |
| Career history | |
| As player | |
| 2024–present | Calgary Stampeders |
| Career stats | |
| |
Early life
editTiavaasue was born on 19 November 1997 in Samoa.[1] He grew up in Auckland, New Zealand, and played rugby.[2] He attended Akid Secondary School.[3] In 2018, he attended a camp in Australia and was noticed by football coach Andrew Mitchell.[2]
College career
editMitchell convinced Tiavaasue to move to the United States to play for the Snow Badgers of Snow College in Utah, where Mitchell was head coach.[2] He enrolled at the school in 2018 and played football for the first time.[2] A tight end, he appeared in nine games during the 2018 season, recording four catches for 20 yards, and then caught 12 passes for 84 yards and a touchdown in three games in the 2019 season.[4] He committed to the North Texas Mean Green following his second year at Snow, but later de-committed.[5][6]
Tiavaasue ultimately transferred to the Missouri State Bears for the 2020 season.[7] In two seasons there, he appeared in 19 games (eight as a starter) and caught 21 passes for 247 yards and two touchdowns, with a career-high 14 catches for 173 yards and two touchdowns in the 2021 season.[4] He transferred to the Utah State Aggies in 2022.[8] He saw minimal playing time in four games with the Aggies, with one tackle being his only statistic.[9] He transferred for his final collegiate season in 2023 to the New Mexico State Aggies.[2] In his last year, he caught three passes for 44 yards and ran twice for 24 yards, including scoring his only touchdown of the season on a 10-yard catch in the 2023 Conference USA Football Championship Game.[7][10]
Professional career
editTiavaasue was not selected in the 2024 NFL draft; he attended rookie mini-camp with the Jacksonville Jaguars, but was not signed.[7] He was selected in the first round (fourth overall) of the 2024 CFL global draft by the Calgary Stampeders and signed with the team on 23 May 2024, to play fullback.[11][12] He made his CFL debut on 15 August against the Ottawa Redblacks, catching one pass for nine yards.[4]
References
edit- ^ "Ron Tiavaasue". Canadian Football League.
- ^ a b c d e Deaver, Colin (30 November 2023). "From Auckland to the Aggies: Ron Tiavaasue becomes beloved teammate at NM State". KTSM-TV.
- ^ "Ron Tiavaasue". Utah State Aggies.
- ^ a b c "Ron Tiavaasue". footballdb.com.
- ^ Vito, Brett (20 December 2019). "Football: North Texas picks up commitment from Snow College tight end Ron Tiavaasue". Denton Record-Chronicle.
- ^ Vito, Brett (6 February 2020). "Breaking news: Ron Tiavaasue released from letter of intent to UNT". Denton Record-Chronicle.
- ^ a b c "Kiwi crush: Stampeders sign big-bodied Global fullback Ron Tiavaasue". 3DownNation.com. 23 May 2024.
- ^ Wood, Trent (1 May 2022). "Utah State football gets commitment from Missouri State transfer Ron Tiavaasue". Deseret News.
- ^ Wood, Trent (21 October 2022). "Utah State tight end Ron Tiavaasue has reportedly entered the transfer portal". Deseret News.
- ^ Werner, Barry (1 December 2023). "New Mexico State gets touchdown from 275-pound New Zealander Ron Tiavaasue". USA Today.
- ^ "Stampeders sign Global fullback Ron Tiavaasue". Canadian Football League. 23 May 2024.
- ^ Pollock, Riley (2 August 2024). "Global Player Ron Tiavaasue Enjoying the Canadian Game". Calgary Stampeders.