Coaching Staff

Coach Solomona Tapasa
Defensive Line

Solomona “Taps” Tapasa is in his first year at SUU after joining the Thunderbird staff last spring. He will be in charge of the defensive line.

Coach Tapasa came to SUU from Western Oregon University where he spent three years as defensive line coach and worked with the team’s punters. During his time at WOU Coach Tapasa’s defenses were among the nation’s leaders in turnover ratio and sacks and his punter led the nation in yards per punt in 2006 He is currently completing his master’s degree in health education at WOU.

Prior to his time on the staff at Western Oregon, Coach Tapasa spent 10 seasons coaching in the high school ranks. He began his coaching career at Oregon’s Estacada High School before moving on to the staff at Portland’s Sunset High.

Coach Tapasa is a 1992 graduate of Portland State University, where he played defensive end and on special teams. He also competed at Yakima Valley Community College.

Tapasa – who originally hails from Nuuuli, American Samoa – and his wife, Joanna, are the parents of four daughters: Fiteleimoana (11), Saipologa (8), Salamasina (6) and Fetuao (16 months).