Thu, Sep 02, 2004 page20

• Albert Toeaina, Jesse Mahelona alter dress code

  • AP
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  University of Tennessee's Albert Toeaina is one of the most recognizable players on his college football team, and that's before he puts on a lavalava.

  The offensive tackle isn't alone with his traditional attire from the South Pacific islands.

  His roommate, Tennessee defensive tackle Jesse Mahelona, has some Hawaiian lavalavas in his closet, but so far Mahelona hasn't worn one to class.

  "Albert was man enough," Mahelona said. "He wrapped one of those things around him and walked to class. I was like, `whoa.'"

  Toeaina, one of the biggest players on the team at 1.96m and 158kg, wore his lavalava to class once in chilly January soon after both players transferred from junior college.

  "Just to represent my culture," Toeaina gave as his reason for wearing it.

  Toeaina is from Antioch, California, and graduated from City College of San Francisco before enrolling here. He and his parents were born in the US, but his grandparents are from American Samoa.

  Mahelona is from Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, and he came to Tennessee after graduating from Orange Coast Junior College in Costa Mesa, California.

  Besides the size difference of about 10cm and 22kg, Mahelona is talkative while Toeaina is soft spoken.

  The players' lavalavas have been a big hit with teammates. The parents of both plan to bring some of the waist cloths to give to other players when they visit this season.

  Mahelona and Toeaina don't wear them all the time, but they plan to wear them before games while they're getting ready in the locker room.

  "Coach Fulmer calls it the battle skirt or something," Mahelona said, adding he didn't think coach Phillip Fulmer would allow them to wear the skirts for the Vol Walk, when the players walk from the athletic dorm to the stadium before games.

  The players' value to the team is more than cultural. They figure to make an immediate impact on the field.

  Mahelona is projected to be a starter and has been impressive.

  "He was so mad after the first scrimmage and disappointed. I was worried about him, about how he was going to respond," Fulmer said. "He's got all his assignments down now ... His second scrimmage was better. The third was outstanding."

  Toeaina is in a tough competition with sophomore Arron Sears to win the spot at right tackle, and he will see plenty of snaps.

  "It's a close battle. He's still learning the system and learning the techniques," Fulmer said. "He's obviously going to be a very physically dominating football player, but he's got to learn the techniques and assignments and how to finish better."

  Toeaina and Mahelona are the only Polynesians on the Tennessee team, but they are not the first.

  Defensive tackle J.T. Mapu, the first Hawaiian ever to be a Volunteer, played in 2002 and 2003 and is now on a two-year Mormon mission.

  Mahelona isn't too far from family. His brother Steve is a running back at Tusculum College in Greeneville, which is about an hour north.

  The coaches arranged for the players to be roommates, and that was probably a good idea.

  "If I didn't have Jesse, I probably would have went back home," Toeaina said.

  "I couldn't imagine not having Albert here with me being that he's Polynesian, from California and far from home," Mahelona said. "I relate to him."
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