Mosi Tatupu (left) leads the USA-World coin toss party of NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, Team USA Honorary Chairman Dwight Stephenson and IFAF President Tommy Wiking (Photo: Van Tran Ngoc)

The International Federation of American Football is deeply saddened to learn that World Team Honorary Captain Mosi Tatupu died Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2010 at Sturdy Memorial Hospital in Attleboro, MA.  He was 54.

American Samoa native Tatupu represented the World Team and was part of the coin toss ceremony at the January 30 USA Football's USA vs. The World game presented by Riddell at Lockhart Stadium in South Florida

A former NFL running back and Pro Bowl special teams standout, Mosiula Faasuka "Mosi" Tatupu was born on April 26, 1955, in Pago Pago, American Samoa.  He later moved to Hawaii where he starred on the gridiron at Punahou High School, before going on to play football at the University of Southern California.

Tatupu was selected by the New England Patriots in the eighth round of the 1978 NFL Draft. His career with the Patriots spanned from 1978-90 and his 194 career games with the team rank third in franchise history. During his Patriots career, Tatupu was a fan favorite and had his own dedicated cheering section known as "Mosi's Mooses."
 
After concluding his NFL career with a five-game stint with the Los Angeles Rams in 1991, Tatupu retired.

Tatupu was selected to the Pro Bowl in 1986 as a special teamer and was also named to the Pro Football Weekly and UPI All-AFC and AP All-Pro teams that year. In his career, Tatupu registered 612 carries for 2,415 yards and 18 touchdowns.

"You probably couldn't ask for a better teammate than Mosi," said Patriots Pro Football Hall of Fame linebacker Andre Tippett.  "It was the way he approached the game. He worked hard. He practiced hard. He had a way about him. He always had an upbeat attitude, he was happy all the time and just pleasant to be around. He had a special connection with the fans and his teammates. Everybody loved him."