My Mosi Tatupu Story

“What is Mosi Tatupu’s photo doing in the New York Times?” I asked myself this morning over a cup of coffee and some hot steel cut oatmeal. “Oh,” I answered aloud as I read the sad news of his death at only 54. This is my Mosi Tatupu story.

In the early 1980’s I worked as a clerk in a stereo and photo store (Audio Concepts) in the Attleboro Falls section of North Attleboro, Massachusetts. Due to the store’s proximity to Foxborough, the site of the New England Patriots home stadium (then called Sullivan Stadium, if I remember correctly), a number of the Patriots players lived in the area and shopped at the store for their toys. Amongst the players that I remember were Steve Grogan, Roland James, Larry McGrew, Lin Dawson and Mosi Tatupu. McGrew was a very nice man who once greeted me by name in a record shop near Boston. Dawson once approached the store with a pair of Bozak speakers, one under each arm. If you know Bozak (not Bose!) you know how strong Dawson was. Roland James picked up his repaired cassette deck just a couple of days after he had fumbled two punts and/or kickoffs in a game against the Miami Dolphins. One of the other clerks cautioned him not to fumble the deck. But my favorite Patriot was Mosi Tatupu.

Every time that he came into the store (or so it seemed) he was with his wife Linnea. One year they brought an early 60’s GM classic California car to the store to have a stereo installed. Another time, Mosi lusted after a new Sony Walkman (they were very much the hot item that year) and Linnea told him that he could get one if he scored a touchdown that Sunday. He did and he got his Walkman the next week. As was always the case, Linnea paid with a check. They always seemed so friendly, so serene and so approachable.

I do not watch much pro football these days and I cannot say that I know the players as well as I did when Mosi played special teams with aplomb and was a very reliable third-down addition to the backfield. I did get excited a couple of years ago when Mosi’s son Lofa joined the Seattle Seahawks. Whenever they play on TV, I try to watch a defensive series or two to see Lofa play linebacker. Next season, I’ll try to watch a little more.