Ta'u Pupu'a is one of nine siblings. His family originally from the Kingdom of Tonga emigrated to Salt Lake City. Ta'u at 6'5", earned a full-ride scholarship to play defensive line for the local Weber State University football team. His football career continued to provide promise. In 1995 he was drafted by the Cleveland Browns (soon to be the Baltimore Ravens). Unfortuantely, that's as far as he got.