Siataga Spreads Smile, Sunshine
8/17/2006 12:00:00 AM | Football
To see David Siataga is to see that smile.
"That smile," marvels Jeremy Thielbahr, who as Montana State's defensive line coach works with Siataga. "He always has that smile."
To know Siataga is to know what kind of affect his smile in particular and his cheerful, positive disposition in general have on people. "He is an inspiration to everyone," says junior defensive tackle Aaron Papich. "If it's a down day in the locker room and there's not a lot of energy, his smile gives you that. His smile gives you energy. He makes the game fun by seeing how much fun he has."
To understand Montana State's senior nose tackle, however, one has to know about family. His family, both biological and assimilated, stands as the foundation on which he has built his life. "It's all about family," he says with his customary smile.
For Siataga, that's more than a feel-good thing to say. "He's very, very strong on family," Thielbahr says. "He loves his family."
Bobcat head coach Mike Kramer sees Siataga's family heritage every time he watches his senior nose tackle. "David has his mother's strength, and he has his father's smile."
During emotional times, Siataga gets emotional about his family. "Every time I'm on the football field I think of my family," he said. "On game days, I write all my sisters' names on the tape on my right hand and all my brothers' names on my left hand."
Regardless the topic of conversation, it doesn't take Siataga long to mention family. For instance, his love of Montana's snowy winters relates to a childhood fascination shared with his siblings. "I love the scenery, the mountains, especially I love the snow," he said. "I'd never seen snow in my life. My brothers and sisters and I used to have snow fights with the ice inside the freezer, we'd ball it up and throw it at each other."
It's no wonder, then, that Siataga's football career relates strongly to his sense of family. "(The defensive line) did a lot of coming together over the summer," he said. "The D-line is close together. We're like brothers, like blood brothers."
Siataga followed a narrow path from his childhood in Sacramento and San Francisco to Bozeman. It was a good thing, too, because trouble was never far away. Siataga spent considerable time in recent years in San Francisco helping his mother care for his grandmother, who had suffered a stroke. "The area where (his grandmother) lives, right when you walk outside you see shootings, you see drug addicts across the street. I wish my Mom and Dad would come out here. It's nice out here. I love it out here."
The transfer from Sacramento City College, Siataga said he had clear direction in staying away from drugs and gangs. "I followed my sisters because they went the right way," he said. "I want to be just like them. My sister (Ursula) graduated from UCLA. I have two little sisters, they're also following my older sisters' footsteps." Ursula currently works in outreach programs counseling at-risk children in the Bay area and Southern California.
Siataga cites his parents as the primary influence. "When we were little, my Mom and Dad raised us not to be like that, all the drug addicts and that. They raised us in church, they raised us to be respectful. That's how the Samoan culture is."
At 5-11, 270 lbs, Siataga is an unlikely participant in the performing arts. "He's always singing and dancing around," Papich said. "He's always singing the oldies."
That, too, is part of his family's background, as illustrated by a story Siataga tells about how his parents met. "My mom came over here from American Samoa, and my Dad is from Western Samoa," he says. "My Dad was a dancer, a performer, and my Dad met my Mom in an organization at a dance. My Dad went to dance around her, and they met right there. My Dad went to my Grandmother and asked her if he could marry my Mom, and so they got married real quick, in like one week or something." Siataga grew up singing and performing Samoan dances.
Siataga's ever-present smile belies the trying circumstances of his childhood. "His socio-economic background is not great," says Thielbahr, who recruited Siataga to MSU. "His family is strong, but he has fought through tremendous adversity. That's a tribute to him, and he is a tribute to the Bobcat program."
A non-qualifier out of high school, Siataga didn't even play football until high school, where he also starred in rugby and wrestling. He went to Sacramento City College and didn't join the football team until beckoned by a friend. "David has just worked so hard to get his schoolwork done, to get his grades up," Thielbahr said. "He tries his hardest at everything he does, and that really shows in his school work. He gets decent grades now just because he works so hard at it."
Combined with some unique physical attributes, that work ethic has helped Siataga make the transition from high school linebacker and fullback to a prospective All-Big Sky defensive lineman. "He's strong as an ox," Thielbahr says, "he's short and compact with great feet. He is the best lateral player we have, and his feet are always going. His lateral quickness is amazing."
Kramer credits Siataga's performance against Montana last November as one of the key elements MSU's third win over the Grizzlies in four years. "He had three tackles in that game, and played extremely well," Kramer said. "His play in that game really epitomized what we want our nose tackle to do in our system."
As Siataga's athletic standing rises, so too does his persona away from the field. He has gained a reputation as a person who goes out of his way to help others, often assisting service industry employees in cleanup duties after local establishments close.
Kramer doesn't bat an eye at hearing that story. "Oh, yeah," he says with a laugh. "At our banquet (the night before MSU's spring scrimmage) in Great Falls, when it was all over, he was back helping clean up. That's David. He puts forth effort to make a positive contribution to everything he touches."
Thielbahr puts it more concisely. "He lifts us up every day," he said. "He is a great leader because he leads by example with his attitude. David is what's great about the Bobcat football program."
* * * * *
Starting tight end Elliott Barnhart suffered a sprained knee earlier in the week and is sidelined for three-to-four weeks. Barnhart, a junior, caught 19 passes a year ago, starting all 11 games.
"We could have Elliott up and going by the first or second week of the season," Kramer said. "That means it's time for Brandon Bostick to step up, and for (redshirt freshman) Joe Schreibeis to become more consistent."
* * * * *
Montana State's first scrimmage of the fall is set for 3:50 pm Saturday on the MSU practice field. Kramer said he's looking more for general improvement than anything specific when his first offense and first defense line up against each other. "I expect to see a good mix between the run and pass from the offense. Probably the greatest need of the offense is to develop consistency play after play, day after day. Defensively, I like how they play with emotion and how they enjoy each other. That side of the ball just needs to make things happen."
* * * * *
One player Kramer singled out Thursday for needing more playing time is reserve offensive lineman Adam DeCock, even if it means moving the 6-6, 298 lb junior around. "He needs to be on the field," Kramer said. "We could move him inside, we'll just have to see, but we're better when he's on the field."
"That smile," marvels Jeremy Thielbahr, who as Montana State's defensive line coach works with Siataga. "He always has that smile."
To know Siataga is to know what kind of affect his smile in particular and his cheerful, positive disposition in general have on people. "He is an inspiration to everyone," says junior defensive tackle Aaron Papich. "If it's a down day in the locker room and there's not a lot of energy, his smile gives you that. His smile gives you energy. He makes the game fun by seeing how much fun he has."
To understand Montana State's senior nose tackle, however, one has to know about family. His family, both biological and assimilated, stands as the foundation on which he has built his life. "It's all about family," he says with his customary smile.
For Siataga, that's more than a feel-good thing to say. "He's very, very strong on family," Thielbahr says. "He loves his family."
Bobcat head coach Mike Kramer sees Siataga's family heritage every time he watches his senior nose tackle. "David has his mother's strength, and he has his father's smile."
During emotional times, Siataga gets emotional about his family. "Every time I'm on the football field I think of my family," he said. "On game days, I write all my sisters' names on the tape on my right hand and all my brothers' names on my left hand."
Regardless the topic of conversation, it doesn't take Siataga long to mention family. For instance, his love of Montana's snowy winters relates to a childhood fascination shared with his siblings. "I love the scenery, the mountains, especially I love the snow," he said. "I'd never seen snow in my life. My brothers and sisters and I used to have snow fights with the ice inside the freezer, we'd ball it up and throw it at each other."
It's no wonder, then, that Siataga's football career relates strongly to his sense of family. "(The defensive line) did a lot of coming together over the summer," he said. "The D-line is close together. We're like brothers, like blood brothers."
Siataga followed a narrow path from his childhood in Sacramento and San Francisco to Bozeman. It was a good thing, too, because trouble was never far away. Siataga spent considerable time in recent years in San Francisco helping his mother care for his grandmother, who had suffered a stroke. "The area where (his grandmother) lives, right when you walk outside you see shootings, you see drug addicts across the street. I wish my Mom and Dad would come out here. It's nice out here. I love it out here."
The transfer from Sacramento City College, Siataga said he had clear direction in staying away from drugs and gangs. "I followed my sisters because they went the right way," he said. "I want to be just like them. My sister (Ursula) graduated from UCLA. I have two little sisters, they're also following my older sisters' footsteps." Ursula currently works in outreach programs counseling at-risk children in the Bay area and Southern California.
Siataga cites his parents as the primary influence. "When we were little, my Mom and Dad raised us not to be like that, all the drug addicts and that. They raised us in church, they raised us to be respectful. That's how the Samoan culture is."
At 5-11, 270 lbs, Siataga is an unlikely participant in the performing arts. "He's always singing and dancing around," Papich said. "He's always singing the oldies."
That, too, is part of his family's background, as illustrated by a story Siataga tells about how his parents met. "My mom came over here from American Samoa, and my Dad is from Western Samoa," he says. "My Dad was a dancer, a performer, and my Dad met my Mom in an organization at a dance. My Dad went to dance around her, and they met right there. My Dad went to my Grandmother and asked her if he could marry my Mom, and so they got married real quick, in like one week or something." Siataga grew up singing and performing Samoan dances.
Siataga's ever-present smile belies the trying circumstances of his childhood. "His socio-economic background is not great," says Thielbahr, who recruited Siataga to MSU. "His family is strong, but he has fought through tremendous adversity. That's a tribute to him, and he is a tribute to the Bobcat program."
A non-qualifier out of high school, Siataga didn't even play football until high school, where he also starred in rugby and wrestling. He went to Sacramento City College and didn't join the football team until beckoned by a friend. "David has just worked so hard to get his schoolwork done, to get his grades up," Thielbahr said. "He tries his hardest at everything he does, and that really shows in his school work. He gets decent grades now just because he works so hard at it."
Combined with some unique physical attributes, that work ethic has helped Siataga make the transition from high school linebacker and fullback to a prospective All-Big Sky defensive lineman. "He's strong as an ox," Thielbahr says, "he's short and compact with great feet. He is the best lateral player we have, and his feet are always going. His lateral quickness is amazing."
Kramer credits Siataga's performance against Montana last November as one of the key elements MSU's third win over the Grizzlies in four years. "He had three tackles in that game, and played extremely well," Kramer said. "His play in that game really epitomized what we want our nose tackle to do in our system."
As Siataga's athletic standing rises, so too does his persona away from the field. He has gained a reputation as a person who goes out of his way to help others, often assisting service industry employees in cleanup duties after local establishments close.
Kramer doesn't bat an eye at hearing that story. "Oh, yeah," he says with a laugh. "At our banquet (the night before MSU's spring scrimmage) in Great Falls, when it was all over, he was back helping clean up. That's David. He puts forth effort to make a positive contribution to everything he touches."
Thielbahr puts it more concisely. "He lifts us up every day," he said. "He is a great leader because he leads by example with his attitude. David is what's great about the Bobcat football program."
* * * * *
Starting tight end Elliott Barnhart suffered a sprained knee earlier in the week and is sidelined for three-to-four weeks. Barnhart, a junior, caught 19 passes a year ago, starting all 11 games.
"We could have Elliott up and going by the first or second week of the season," Kramer said. "That means it's time for Brandon Bostick to step up, and for (redshirt freshman) Joe Schreibeis to become more consistent."
* * * * *
Montana State's first scrimmage of the fall is set for 3:50 pm Saturday on the MSU practice field. Kramer said he's looking more for general improvement than anything specific when his first offense and first defense line up against each other. "I expect to see a good mix between the run and pass from the offense. Probably the greatest need of the offense is to develop consistency play after play, day after day. Defensively, I like how they play with emotion and how they enjoy each other. That side of the ball just needs to make things happen."
* * * * *
One player Kramer singled out Thursday for needing more playing time is reserve offensive lineman Adam DeCock, even if it means moving the 6-6, 298 lb junior around. "He needs to be on the field," Kramer said. "We could move him inside, we'll just have to see, but we're better when he's on the field."
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