Sapolu was integral part of 49er wins, dynasty
Feb. 12—Roman Sapolu laughed when asked if he remembers anything about his dad's four Super Bowl victories.
Roman Sapolu laughed when asked if he remembers anything about his dad's four Super Bowl victories.
"I was alive for one, the 1994-95 one against San Diego. London and I, we were the youngest of all the kids there. We decided we didn't want to go to the game, that we'd rather stay in the hotel room and watch 'Power Rangers, '" Roman said. "Our older brother, Luke, he went to the game. And there's this great picture of him after the game on our dad's shoulders."
Jesse laughed, too, when reminded about why two of his three sons missed his fourth and final Super Bowl win with the 49ers, a 49-26 victory over the Chargers at Joe Robbie Stadium in Miami.
"Well, we took all of our kids and a live-in babysitter, " said Sapolu, in a phone interview Saturday, from near his home in Orange County, Calif. "Tickets were $400 each and lots of other people wanted to go to the game. The babysitter said she had a tug of war with the boys. I wasn't very happy about it, but I think it turned out to be a good learning experience because they realized they'd missed out on something when we got back to the Bay and it was a big deal, with the parade and all.
"And then as things turn out, the two Power Rangers, one ends up playing at UH and the other is now coaching there, " Sapolu, a proud Rainbow Warrior all-time great, added with a laugh.
He is now the same age as his number : 61.
Super Bowl time is always a good time to talk with Sapolu, considering his four rings put the Farrington alum in a tie for third all time in the NFL, behind just Tom Brady (seven ) and Charles Haley (five, including two with Sapolu and the rest of the Niners in 1985 and'89 ).
"The first is always special because I was so excited, " Sapolu said. "I even wore my ring to the UH weight room.
"We beat some great quarterbacks, guys considered top 10 all time. The lopsided game beginning to end against (John ) Elway and the Broncos, and of course Dan Marino."
Sapolu was an integral part of one of the NFL's greatest dynasties, starting at two different positions in a career spanning 14 years that included two Pro Bowl selections : as a center in 1993 and left guard in'94.
The 49ers were far from the first team to focus on the passing attack. But no franchise previously had nearly as much success with it, and it can be viewed as a precursor to how the NFL has evolved.
"Looking back on it I didn't think of it because you're so focused, but it is something we can be proud of, " Sapolu said.
It's hard to imagine that a team that featured Ronnie Lott was called by some a "finesse " operation. But that label was because of the 49ers' style of moving the ball—Bill Walsh's West Coast offense.
"Now they all spread the field and force the defense to play most of the field, " Sapolu said. "Bill Walsh spread the field with the Coast. Not just passing, but running the ball, with Roger Craig outside. That's why Bill wanted linemen who were not necessarily that big, but could run."
Sapolu fit that mold.
Although by no means tiny at 6 feet 4 and 271 pounds, he was not as hefty as most other offensive linemen of his era. He was athletic and versatile—and a steal as an 11th-round draft pick.
Of course, it helped to have teammates like Hall of Fame quarterbacks Joe Montana and Steve Young and the GOAT at wide receiver, Jerry Rice.
"Now you've got all kinds of spreads. With the Niners, we've got versatile playmakers like (Brandon ) Aiyuk and (Christian ) McCaffrey who can hurt you from anywhere on the field. From that standpoint it's a lot more spread out, " Sapolu said. "And the rules are different. Back then you mugged the receivers at the line of scrimmage and they knew if they went across the middle Ronnie Lott would mug'em. In my day you could take two steps and plant the QB. Now you can be standing there and plant him and get called for a penalty."
After retirement from the playing field, Sapolu wasn't away from the 49ers for long. He recently completed his 22nd season working for the front office as an ambassador.
"It's a good way for me to stay involved in the game, and I get to do a lot of things, " he said. "They sent me to Mexico City twice to promote the game there. When I saw my itinerary was 7 a.m. to 9 at night for three days, I figured I'd better work on my Spanish."
Then there's the Polynesian Football Hall of Fame, and the accompanying Polynesian Bowl—both huge successes, conceived by Sapolu and his fellow former UH star, Maa Tanuvasa, a Mililani grad with two Super Bowl rings from his career with the Denver Broncos.
Sapolu doesn't have a pick to win today's Super Bowl, but did note it is the first to feature Black quarterbacks starting for both teams. Sapolu envisions a time not too far in the future when it could be two Polynesians.
"After Jack (Thompson ) we went a long time (without a Polynesian quarterback in the NFL ). Let's say Marcus (Mariota ) has a 10-year career, that's something to look up to, and if Tua (Tagovailoa ) stays healthy, more and more kids will become quarterbacks, " he said. "Before, everyone wanted to be me or Mark Tuinei, and we had good defensive players and some running backs who found success. The quarterback position is going to be big for us, because it's such a leadership position. There's already a wave of them coming up through college.
"It's trailblazing time for us."
