Signature move: Tagive lands US switch
http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/...ve-tagive-lands-us-switch-20130606-2ntc1.html
A conversation with a fan at a Sydney Roosters autograph signing session last year led to former winger Peni Tagive landing an American football scholarship at Baylor University - the Texas college from which Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III graduated in 2011.
Tagive, who also played for Wests Tigers and St George Illawarra, had always been interested in pursuing an NFL career. However, it wasn't until a chance meeting with the fan, who played gridiron for Bondi Raiders, that the 24-year-old began to seriously consider the code switch. After meeting with Bondi Raiders head coach Paul Manera, a former player with the University of Hawaii, Tagive retired from the NRL at the end of last season and has been studying in Lismore to become eligible for a college scholarship.
''I grew up in a poor family so I know what it is like to struggle as a kid and that was one of my main motivations to become a professional athlete and play in the NRL,'' Tagive said. ''But I also realised that I didn't have an education and that was something I wanted to get. This way I can still play sport at an elite level and also get an education at the same time.
''American football is probably the most similar sport to rugby league, so I thought I would have a crack. I have always wanted to play the game but it is not big in Australia and it wasn't until I met a guy at a signing session who played American football here that I started investigating how to go about it.'' Manera introduced Tagive to Baylor Bears associate head coach Brian Norwood and sent him a 10-minute highlights video from his NRL career. He was then offered a recruiting trip to visit the university, where he will study exercise physiology.
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''Baylor is a very dominant American football college and I was pretty impressed by the facilities,'' Tagive said. ''They just introduced me to the coaching staff, showed me their program and they asked what position I wanted to play. They were initially thinking I could be a running back because of my rugby league background but I am a bit taller so they're thinking linebacker or wide receiver.
''They think I could probably play a bit of defence and offence.''
Tagive will join Australian brothers Blake and Sean Muir from the Sutherland Seahawks.
