Junior Ah You
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| Junior Ah You | |
|---|---|
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| Date of birth: | December 30, 1948 |
| Place of birth: |  American Samoa, U.S. |
| Career information | |
| Position(s): | Defensive end |
| College: | Arizona State University |
| NFL Draft: | 1972 / Round: 17 / Pick 425 (By the New England Patriots) |
| Organizations | |
| As player: | |
| 1972-1981 1983 1984 1985 |
Montreal Alouettes (CFL) New Orleans Breakers (USFL) Chicago Blitz (USFL) Arizona Outlaws (USFL) |
| Career highlights and Awards | |
| CFL All-Star: | 1976, 1979 |
| Awards: | 1974 Grey Cup Most Valuable Player (Defence) |
| Canadian Football Hall of Fame | |
Junior Ah You (born December 30, 1948) is a former outstanding college and professional Canadian and American football player who played primarily at the defensive end position. Ah You enjoyed most of his professional career success with the CFL Montreal Alouettes, from 1972 to 1981, and was a former collegiate standout at Arizona State University. Ah You's jersey #77 is one of seven retired by the Alouettes, and he was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 1997. Ah You is also a member of the Arizona State Sports Hall of Fame and the Hawaii Sports Hall of Fame. In 2006, Ah You was voted to the Honour Roll of the CFL's Top 50 players of the league's modern era by Canadian sports network TSN.[1]
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[edit] Early life
Born in American Samoa, Ah You and his family later moved to Hawaii, where Ah You excelled in high school basketball and football at Kahuku High School. Ah You graduated from high school in 1969, and left Hawaii to play college football at Arizona State.
[edit] College football career
Ah You was named co-outstanding player in the Sun Devils' 1970 Peach Bowl victory over North Carolina and outstanding defensive player in the 1971 victory over Florida State in the inaugural Fiesta Bowl. Ah You was a three-time All-Western Athletic Conference selection at defensive end. In 1971, he was selected as a United Press International second-team All-American. In 1972, Ah You was selected to play in the post-season Hula Bowl.
[edit] Professional football career
Following college, Ah You was drafted in the 17th round (425th overall pick) of the 1972 NFL Draft by the NFL New England Patriots. Ah You spurned the Patriots and the NFL, opting to join the CFL Montreal Alouettes prior to the start of the 1972 CFL season.
According to a 2007 interview, Ah You joined the Alouettes in part due to the Patriots' desire for him to play the linebacker position, rather than Ah You's natural position at defensive end:
| “ | (The NFL) wanted to move me to linebacker. In Canada, they let me play where I was accustomed to.[2] | ” |
Ah You played defensive end with the Alouettes for nine seasons (1972-1981), helping the team win two Grey Cup championships in 1974 and 1977. Ah You won the Grey Cup Most Valuable Player (Defence) in the 1974 championship game, and was a CFL All-Star in two seasons (1976 and 1979).
Following his final season with the Alouettes in 1981, Ah You was lured by George Allen to play in the United States Football League, where Ah You played 2 more professional football seasons, one with the New Orleans Breakers in 1983, and two with the Chicago Blitz and Arizona Wranglers/Outlaws of the United States Football League in 1984 and 1985, respectively.[2] Ah You retired after the end of the 1985 USFL season with the Outlaws, who were then coached by Ah You's former college coach, legendary Arizona State coach Frank Kush.[2]
[edit] Post football and personal life
Ah You is a member of the Hawaii Sports Hall of Fame. He is currently a prominent citizen of Laie, Hawaii. Ah You currently devotes his time to community activities such as the "Junior Ah You Basketball Tournament" and the "Junior Ah You Christmas Football Bowl."
Ah You's nephew C.J. Ah You was selected in the seventh round of the 2007 NFL Draft. Ah You's sons, Kingsley (1992-1993) and Harland (1995-97) both played at BYU. Sons, Miki Junior and Quin played for Dixie State College and son Joshua played in Arizona for Mesa Community College.Nephew jt mapu is a free agent with the washington redskins.Nephew ej reid and tori taulogo played for utah state university.Brother charles sale Ah you played football for BYU
Currently, Ah You, with his son Kingsley, co-owns and operates a company and website that showcases local Hawaiin high school, youth, and amateur sports.[2]
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Canadian Football Hall of Fame profile
- Fiesta Bowl Legends profile
- Hawaii Sports Hall of Fame profile
- www.Hi50Sports.com - Website co-owned and operated by Junior and Kingsley Ah You
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Ah You, Junior |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 1948-12-30 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | American Samoa, U.S. |
| DATE OF DEATH | |
| PLACE OF DEATH | |
