This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Houston • D.J. Tialavea dropped the football in the biggest moment of his pro football career. Atlanta's tight end was so concerned about his planned celebration of blowing a kiss and pointing to his mother and two sisters in the stands that he let the ball go right through his hands in the end zone.
That's what can happen after a player catches his first touchdown pass in the NFL.
Falcons teammate Levine Toilolo, fortunately, retrieved the ball for Tialavea to keep. So this episode ended well for the product of West Jordan High School and Utah State, completing what he describes as a "pitch-perfect" sequence of events with his family joining him for the Christmas Eve game in Charlotte, N.C.
Tialavea was promoted from the Falcons' practice squad that week and made his NFL debut in a 33-16 victory over Carolina, helping propel the team toward Sunday's Super Bowl LI vs. New England at NRG Stadium.
With three other healthy tight ends, Tialavea has not been among the team's 45 active players in two postseason games. Even if he doesn't dress Sunday, he'll always have the memory of becoming the NFL-record 13th Atlanta player to catch a TD pass from quarterback Matt Ryan this season, producing a tidy career stat line for the moment — one catch, 1 yard, one touchdown.
"It's like a fairy tale. It's what you dream about, what you write about, what you hope about, but it actually happened to me," Tialavea said.
That's because he did it in front of his family, although the fourth ticket he provided purposely left a seat empty in Charlotte. Having been ill for more than 20 years, Donald Tialavea Sr. died in November 2013, soon after his son's USU senior season ended because of a broken foot. D.J. Tialavea wears a white bracelet inscribed with this reminder: "Gotta make it for my family."
The touchdown tribute to his mother, Tami, and sisters Julianne and Abigail was a symbolic flashback to a West Jordan celebration in 2008 when Tialavea caught a winning touchdown pass against Mountain View and delivered the football to his father, who was watching from a wheelchair.
"We knew the significance of that," Tami Tialavea said.
Tialavea's NFL breakthrough did not come easily, and he'll likely have to keep fighting for a job. Originally signed by Jacksonville as an undrafted free agent, he also spent time in Buffalo before joining the Falcons' practice squad in 2015. The team waived him in September and re-signed him to the practice squad, then needed him to play in December when rookie tight end Austin Hooper was injured after veteran Jacob Tamme had been lost for the season in November.
"There was no hesitation on our part to get him in there and get him rolling," said Falcons tight ends coach Wade Harman, a former USU linebacker and assistant coach.
"Being from Utah State, he's one of my favorite guys, for that alone," Harman said. "But what a great story, what a hard-working kid. You cheer for guys like that."
Tialavea is the second NFL player from West Jordan, which opened in 1981. Defensive lineman Travis Hall also played for the Falcons, appearing in a Super Bowl loss to Denver in January 1999.
Tialavea played football, basketball and baseball for the Jaguars, contributing to the school's Class 5A basketball state championship in 2009. In the title game, West Jordan beat a Lone Peak team that featured Tyler Haws. The Jaguars were talented, but "I'm not sure it all comes together without D.J," said coach Scott Briggs, who appreciated how Tialavea was willing to come off the bench in the second half of the season, not creating any disruption when Briggs altered the starting lineup.
Briggs and former WJ football coach Mike Morgan marvel about his loyalty to them. Morgan uses Tialavea's example of perseverance with his Granger players, who have "all the doubts about themselves, like everybody does," he said.
Tialavea, a member of former USU coach Gary Andersen's first recruiting class, redshirted then initially played on the defensive line. As a tight end, he became "an absolute beast in the run game," said Aggie coach Matt Wells. Tialavea also was emerging as a receiving threat as a senior in 2013 when the offense was humming behind quarterback Chuckie Keeton before Keeton and Tialavea both were injured in early October.
Wells always will remember the maturity Tialavea displayed in supporting his mother and sisters after his father died that season. Having spent so much money on last-minute flights to Charlotte last month, they're not coming to Houston — except for Julianne, whose birthday is this week. Her brother is funding the trip, recognizing the sacrifice she made in coming home from college in Hawaii to help the family when he went to USU.
They all were together on Christmas Eve, when the women created such a stir with their screaming and Julianne's Samoan chants after the touchdown catch that Tami had to explain to the neighboring Carolina fans, "That's my son."
Twitter: @tribkurt —
Aggies in the Super Bowl
The history of former Utah State players on game-day active rosters for the Super Bowl:
Bowl • Player • Pos. • Team • Result
I • Lionel Aldridge • DL • Green Bay • Green Bay 35, Kansas City 10
II • Lionel Aldridge • DL • Green Bay • Green Bay 33, Oakland 10
III • Jim Turner • K • N.Y. Jets • N.Y. Jets 16, Baltimore 7
III • Ocie Austin • DB • Baltimore • N.Y. Jets 16, Baltimore 7
IV • Earsall Mackbee • DB • Minnesota • Kansas City 23, Minnesota 7
V • Cornell Green • DB • Dallas • Baltimore 16, Dallas 13
VI • Cornell Green • DB • Dallas • Dallas 24, Miami 3
XII • Jim Turner • K • Denver • Dallas 27, Denver 10
XV • Louie Giammona • RB • Philadelphia • Okland 27, Philadelphia 10
XXI • Rulon Jones • DL • Denver • N.Y. Giants 39, Denver 20
XXI • Greg Kragen • DL • Denver • N.Y. Giants 39, Denver 20
XXI • Solomon Miller • WR • N.Y. Giants • N.Y. Giants 39, Denver 20
XXII • Rulon Jones • DL • Denver • Washington 42, Denver 10
XXII • Greg Kragen • DL • Denver • Washington 42, Denver 10
XXIV • Greg Kragen • DL • Denver • San Francisco 55, Denver 10
XXV • Hal Garner • LB • Buffalo • N.Y. Giants 20, Buffalo 19
XXVI • Hal Garner • LB • Buffalo • Washington 37, Buffalo 24
XLV • Jarrett Bush • DB • Green Bay • Green Bay 31, Pittsburgh 25
XLVIII • Robert Turbin • RB • Seattle • Seattle 43, Denver 8
XLVIII • Bobby Wagner • LB • Seattle • Seattle 43, Denver 8
XLIX • Robert Turbin • RB • Seattle • New England 28, Seattle 24
XLIX • Bobby Wagner • LB • New England 28, Seattle 24
Utah preps in the Super Bowl
The history of Utah high school graduates on the game-day active rosters for the Super Bowl:
Bowl • Player • Pos. • High school • College • Team • Result
X • Golden Richards • WR • Granite • BYU/Hawaii • Pittsburgh 21, Dallas 17
XII • Golden Richards • WR • Granite • BYU/Hawaii • Dallas 27, Denver 10
XVII • Mat Mendenhall • DL • East • BYU • Washington 27, Miami 17
XVII • Steve Clark • DL • Skyline • Utah • Miami • Washington 27, Miami 17
XVII • Bruce Hardy • TE • Bingham • Arizona State • Miami • Washington 27, Miami 17
XX • Jim McMahon • QB • Roy • BYU • Chicago • Chicago 46, New England 10
XX • Art Plunkett • OT • Skyline • UNLV • New England • Chicago 46, New England 10
XXI • Rulon Jones • DL • Weber • Utah State • Denver • N.Y. Giants 39, Denver 20
XXII • Rulon Jones • DL • Weber • Utah State • Denver • Washington 42, Denver 10
XXV • Hal Garner • LB • Logan • Utah State • Buffalo • N.Y. Giants 20, Buffalo 19
XXVI • Hal Garner • LB • Logan • Utah State • Buffalo • Washington 37, Buffalo 24
XXIX • Alfred Pupunu • TE • South • Weber State • San Diego • San Francisco 55, San Diego 10
XXXI • Jim McMahon • QB • Roy • BYU • Green Bay • Green Bay 35, New England 21
XXXII • Travis Hall • DT • West Jordan • BYU • Atlanta • Denver 34, Atlanta 19
XXXIV • Kevin Dyson • WR • Clearfield • Utah • Tennessee • St. Louis 23, Tennessee 16
XXXVII • Junior Ioane • DT • North Sanpete • Arizona State • Oakland • Tampa Bay 48, Oakland 21
XXXVII • Doug Jolley • TE • Dixie • BYU • Oakland • Tampa Bay 48, Oakland 21
XXXVII • Barry Sims • OL • Park City • Utah • Oakland • Tampa Bay 48, Oakland 21
XXXVII • Kevin Dyson • WR • Clearfield • Utah • Carolina • New England 32, Carolina 29
XXXIX • Reno Mahe • RB • Brighton • BYU • Philadelphia • New England 24, Philadelphia 21
XL • Andre Dyson • DB • Clearfield • Utah • Seattle • Pittsburgh 21, Seattle 10
XLVII • Paul Kruger • DL • Timpanogos • Utah • Baltimore • Baltimore 34, San Francisco 31
XLVII • Haloti Ngata • DL • Highland • Oregon • Baltimore • Baltimore 34, San Francisco 31
XLVII • Will Tukuafu • FB • East • Oregon • San Francisco • San Francisco 34, Baltimore 31
XLVIII • Zane Beadles • OL • Hillcrest • Utah • Denver • Seattle 43, Denver 8
XLIX • Sealver Siliga • DT • Copper Hills • Utah • New England • New England 28, Seattle 24
XLIX • Will Tukuafu • FB • East • Oregon • Seattle • New England 28, Seattle 24
50 • Star Lotulelei • DL • Bingham • Utah • Carolina • Denver 24, Carolina 10