Sam Taulealea, the affable nose guard who suited up with the Concordia Stingers football team in 2004, signed a one-year contract with the NFL's Dallas Cowboys on June 2.
He is one of just four defensive tackles listed on the Dallas Web site. He was assigned No. 67 for the Cowboys' recent mini camp, where he suited up along side Drew Bledsoe and Terrell Owens
Before signing with Dallas, he played with the Berlin Thunder in NFL Europe, recording six solo tackles and two assists.
A native of Halawa, Hawaii Taulealea originally played college football at the University of Colorado. Unhappy with the program, he stopped playing football until Rudy Hage, a friend from Montreal, convinced him to give Concordia a try.
"I had lost the passion to play when I was in Colorado. I wanted to get the feeling back again and I found it at Concordia," he told local reporters during his Stinger season.
At six foot one, 340 pounds he was formidable on the Stingers' defensive line. In eight regular season games Taulealea recorded 12 solo tackles, 14 assists and one sack.
Taulealea is the fifth Stinger to sign a NFL contract in the last 12 years. Cornerback Mark Montreuil (San Diego, 1995), wide receiver Denis Montana (Houston 1996), wide receiver Sylvain Girard (Cleveland 1999) and punter Burke Dales (Pittsburgh 2002) all attended NFL camps. Montreuil played three seasons with the San Diego Chargers, while Montana bounced from Houston to New England to Miami and suited up for one game with the Dolphins.
The Cowboys open with a preseason game versus the Seahawks in Seattle on Aug. 12.
