Marques Tuiasosopo: Family, Career, Coaching & Net Worth

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Athletic families are truly unique and fascinating. The connection to the sport, the passion they share for the game, and the pursuit of success are common characteristics of an athletic family.

Likewise, in the same manner, Marques Tuiasosopo was born in such a family that almost everyone played a major sport professionally. 

Marques Tuiasosopo, born as Marques Tavita Tuiasosopo, is a former American football player. Also, he currently coaches the California Golden Bears Football team. Tuiasosopo’s coaching career began in 2009 as an assistant strength coach. 

Marques Tuaisosopo Smiling
Marques Tuaisosopo Smiling

Let’s get to know more about Marques Tuiasosopo by reading about him. But before that, have a look at some quick facts about him.

Quick Facts

Full Name Marques Tavita Tuiasosopo
Birth Date March 12, 1979
Birth Place Long Beach, California
Nick Name None
Religion Christianity
Nationality American
Ethnicity Mixed 
Education Woodinville High School, University of Washington
Horoscope Aries
Father’s Name Manu Tuiasosopo
Mother’s Name Tina Tuiasosopo
Siblings Four: Matt Tuiasosopo, Zach Tuiasosopo, Ashley Tuiasosopo, and Leslie Gabriel.
Age 45 Years Old
Height 6’1″ (1.85 m)
Weight 100 Kilograms (220 lbs)
Hair Color Black
Eye Color Light Brown
Build Muscular
Profession NFL Tight Ends Coach
Super Bowl None
Active Years As a player (2001-2008), As a coach (2009 – Present)
Awards
  • Pop Warner Trophy (2000)
  • 8th in Heisman voting (2000)
  • Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year (2000)
  • Rose Bowl MVP (2001)
Marital Status Married
Wife’s Name Lisa Tuiasosopo
Kids Bryce TuiasosopoKylie TuiasosopoBrayden Tuiasosopo
Net Worth $500k -$1 million
Social Media Twitter
Merch Trading Cards, Mini Helmets
Last Update April, 2024

Marques Tuiasosopo | Early Life, Education & Family

Marques Tuiasosopo, born on March 22, 1979, is an American football coach for the California Golden Bears Football team. Tuiasosopo was born in Long Beach, California. However, Marques was raised in Woodinville, Seattle.

The former quarterback was born to Manu Tuiasosopo and Tina Tuiasosopo. Also, his parents married each other in 1977. Likewise, the two have five children altogether.

Their children are Marques Tuiasosopo, Matt Tuiasosopo, Zach Tuiasosopo, Ashley Tuiasosopo, and Leslie Gabriel.

Education & Early Steps 

Marques attended Woodinville High School. He was known for being an excellent athlete. As a result, many identified him as a standout shortstop in baseball.

Due to his baseball prowess, Minnesota Twins selected Marques in the 28th round of the 1997 MLB Draft. However, despite his talents and potential in baseball, Marques decided to pursue a career in American Football.

Tuiasosopo Smiling
Tuiasosopo Smiling

As a result, he played college football and chose to divert ways. Marques could play both offense and defense. However, he was recruited to play defense by teams of Division I. 

Moving forward, Tuiasosopo received a football scholarship offer from the University of Washington. Similarly, he accepted the scholarship and was granted the opportunity to play as a quarterback for the Seattle-based team.

Athletic Family

Manu Tuiasosopo

Marques’s father, Manu Tuiasosopo, is a former American football player. Manu played as a defensive lineman. In Manu’s initial steps in football, he played college football at UCLA.

Seattle Seahawks selected Manu in the 18th pick of the 1979 NFL draft. Besides, Manu went on to play for the San Francisco 49ers in 1984.

Likewise, he went on to win the Super Bowl XIX with the San Francisco 49ers in January 1985.

In Manu’s post-career, he worked with Alaska Airlines in Seattle. With the airline, he worked in the cargo department.

After that, however, Manu returned to football and worked with the Monroe High School. His father also worked as a defensive line coach.

Due to Manu’s athletic influence, his children went on to pursue careers in different sports.

Zach Tuiasosopo

Zach Tuiasosopo is the brother of Marques Tuiasosopo. Likewise, he is a former running back. Also, Zach has played college football for the University of Washington. 

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Matt Tuiasosopo

Matthew Petulu Tuiasosopo or Matt Tuiasosopo is the third son of Manu and Tina Tuiasosopo. Matt has played professional baseball for several teams.

Also, he played as a utility player. He made his debut for the Seattle Mariners on September 5, 2018.

Matt has played for the following teams:

  • Seattle Mariners (2008-2010)
  • Detroit Tigers (2013)
  • Atlanta Braves (2016)

Similarly, Matt is currently employed as a manager for the Rome Braves. The Braves are a minor league team, an affiliate of the Atlanta Braves.

As a utility player, Matt batted and threw right. To summarise his MLB career, Manu had a batting average of .206, scored 12 home runs, and had 45 RBI (Runs batted in)

Leslie Gabriel

Leslie Gabriel is the sister of Marques Tuiasosopo. She is also a volleyball coach. Leslie is the oldest child of the Tuiasosopo family.

As a high school student, Leslie contributed significantly to a volleyball tournament. She appeared for Woodinville High Schools in the Class 4A tournament. 

The eldest sibling trained with the United States women’s national volleyball team. Likewise, she was selected for the 1999 World University Games.

Leslie then graduated from the University of Washington with a Bachelor of Psychology degree. She also has a minor in speech communications. 

As a coach, Leslie’s contribution to Washington Huskies has been monumental. She has worked alongside McLaughin since 2001.

Since 2001, Leslie has aided the development of top players such as Tamari Miyashiro and Courtney Thompson. Likewise, Leslie Tuiasosopo married Anthony Gabriel in 2010.

Anthony is an academic advisor at the University of Washington. The couple has two children, Daylon and Myles.  

Ashley Tuiasosopo

Ashley Tuiasosopo is the sister of Marques Tuiasosopo. She is 11 years younger than her elder sister Leslie. Furthermore, Ashley Tuiasosopo is also a national champion.

In her playing career, she has won the National Softball Championship with the University of Washington.

Marques Tuiasosopo | Age, Height & Physical Appearance

Marques Tuiasosopo is currently 43 as of March 2022. As Marques was born on March 22, his zodiac sign is Aries.

Therefore, it can be said that he has a fiery and passionate personality for doing what he loves. The former quarterback is 1.85m tall (6 feet 1inch) and weighs 220 lb (100kg). 

Marques Tuiasosopo | Football Career

As a player, Marques Tuiasosopo played as a quarterback for the Oakland Raiders and New York Jets.

However, his career began when he played collegiately for the University of Washington’s football team, Washington Huskies. 

Marques in action
Marques in action

Likewise, Marques has been involved with different teams like Washington Huskies, UCLA, USC, and California. Let’s look at his career in depth.

College Career

Marques was enrolled in the University of Washington in 1997. However, he accepted a football scholarship from the team.

Likewise, as a freshman in 1997, Tuiasosopo was placed second in the depth chart for a quarterback. 

After an injury to regular starter Brock Huard, Marques had an opportunity to start. He capitalized and made an impressive appearance against Nebraska Cornhuskers.

Despite the loss against the Cornhuskers, Marques was a positive amongst many negatives.

In that particular game, Marques threw for 270 yards and two touchdowns. Marques continued performing well.

Furthermore, he became the first true freshman to start a quarterback game when the Huskies played against Oregon.

In 1998, head coach Rick Neuheisel named Tuiasosopo as a starting quarterback. In a match against Stanford Cardinal, Marques threw for over 300 yards and ran for over 200 yards.

Tuiasosopo became the first and the only player in NCAA college football history to achieve this feat.

Marques led his team to the Pac-10 title in his senior year. His team became victorious after beating Drew Brees‘s Purdue Boilermakers in 2000.

The game ended 34-20 in favor of the Huskies. Marques was named the game’s MVP.

Marques Tuiasosopo helped his team finish with 11-1 and rank third in the national poll. As a college student, Tuiasosopo majored in a degree in business administration.

College Stats

Career Passing Rushing
Cmp Att Pct Yds Y/A TD Int Rtg Att Yds Avg TD
Washington Stats 418 761 54.9 5501 7.2 31 28 121.7 346 1374 4.0 20

Professional Career

Oakland Raiders

The Oakland Raiders selected Tuiasosopo in the 2nd round of the 2001 NFL Draft. He was selected as a 59th overall pick.

Marques Tuiasosopo signed for the Oakland Raiders. Thereafter, he then became a reserve quarterback, backing up Rich Gannon and Kerry Collins.

Tuiasosopo didn’t feature for the Oakland Raiders in the Super Bowl XXXVII against Tampa Bay Buccaneers despite being in the team.

Furthermore, his first significant contribution for the Oakland Raiders came in the 2003 season when he threw for 22 yards.

After an impressive start, Marques failed to impress his coaches as he only threw for 65 yards. Moreover, he left the game with an injury.

Unfortunately, things went from bad to worse as he struggled with game time and impressing his coaches. 

As a result, he only featured for the team again in the 2005 season. Later on, Marques was demoted back to the sidelines. As a result, Oakland’s season ended with them finishing 4-12.

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New York Jets 

After his spell with the Oakland Raiders, Marques Tuiasosopo left the Raiders. He left in search of more game time and opportunities. Likewise, he signed for the New York Jets on March 23, 2007.

Second spell with the Raiders

After being a free agent in 2008, Marques re-signed for the Raiders on May 22, 2008. Similarly, he signed on a one-year contract, which later on became his final season in the NFL.

Coaching Career

After his playing career, Marques began his coaching career. Firstly, he worked for his alma mater, the University of Washington as an assistant coach. 

Tuaisosopo for California Golden Bears
Tuiasosopo for California Golden Bears

UCLA

After two years with UW, Marques moved to UCLA in 2011 to work with his previous head coach Neuheisel. While he was there, his team went to the Holiday Bowl and finished 9-5.

After two years with UCLA, Tuiasosopo returned to the University of  Washington in 2013.

University of Washington & Steve Sarkisian 

This time he worked as a quarterbacks coach under head coach Steve Sarkisian.

After Steve Sarkisian accepted the USC head coaching job at the end of 2013, Marques became the Huskies’ interim head coach. Moreover, he led the team to victory in the 2013 Fight Hunger Bowl.

USC 

Marques joined Steve Sarkisian at USC and became the tight ends coach following his previous head coach’s steps.

Coaching the USC Team
Coaching the USC Team

Besides, he was also given the title of associate head coach. He led the USC Trojans to a Holiday Bowl win against the Nebraska Cornhuskers as a coach there. 

Moreover, the Trojans reached the Holiday Bowl again in 2015 but failed to secure a win against the Wisconsin Badgers after finishing 21-23. 

Back at UCLA

After his spell with USC, UCLA hired Tuiasosopo as quarterbacks coach/passing game coordinator. Furthermore, the move was completed on January 13, 2016.

University of California, Berkley

On January 23, 2017, Marques moved to his next destination. After one year with UCLA, Tuiasosopo worked for UC Berklee.

Similarly, he worked as a quarterbacks coach/passing game coordinator. Two years later, in 2019, he started working as a tight ends coach. 

Awards and Recognition

  • Pop Warner Trophy (2000)
  • 8th in Heisman Voting (2000)
  • Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year (2000)
  • Rose Bowl MVP (2001)

Marques Tuiasosopo | Net Worth & Salary

Marques Tuiasosopo has amassed his wealth through his playing and coaching career in football. Currently, he is also employed with UC Berkeley as a Tight Ends Coach.

According to public sources, his current net worth is $500k -$1 million.

Besides that, his USC salary was reported $39,787 per year. 

Marques Tuiasosopo | Personal Life, Spouse, and Kids

Wife & Children

Marques is married to his partner Lisa Tuiasosopo. Together, they have three children. Similarly, their children’s names are:

  • Bryce Tuiasosopo
  • Brayden Tuiasosopo
  • Kylie Tuiasosopo

Marques Tuiasosopo | Social Media Presence

Marques Tuiasosopo is connected to his fans and well-wishers through Twitter. Similarly, he has a Twitter profile with over 12.3k followers.

On his Twitter page, he expresses his support for the California Golden Bears football team.

Furthermore, he supports the team online by tweeting and re-tweeting different social media pictures. Likewise, he shares life updates and training images in the feed.

You can follow him on @therealTUI.

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Marques Tuiasosopo | Frequently Asked Questions 

Who is the father of Marques Tuiasosopo?

Manu Tuiasosopo, a former defensive lineman for the San Francisco 49ers, is the father of Marques Tuiasosopo.

Did Marques Tuiasosopo coach the South Alabama Jaguars?

No, the former USC coach has not coached the South Alabama Jaguars. 

Where does Marques currently work?

Marques Tuiasosopo works as a tight ends coach for UC Berkeley’s Golden Bears.

Was Marque Tuiasosopo born in Utah?

No, the former NFL player was born in Long Beach, California. 

(Make sure to comment down below if any information regarding Marques Tuiasosopo is missing.)

Aaditya Bhatta
Aaditya Bhatta

Aaditya Bhatta

Aaditya Bhatta is a dynamic writer and sports enthusiast, whose passion for both realms is reflected in his work. With a keen eye for detail and a knack for storytelling, Aaditya brings a unique perspective to his writing, captivating readers with his engaging content.

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Aaditya's journey as a writer and sports aficionado began at a young age when he discovered his passion for both pursuits. Throughout his academic and professional endeavors, Aaditya has honed his skills in content creation and sports analysis, immersing himself in the intricacies of the games he loves.

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