HOME GAME: All-America Nose Guard OJ Mau Has Flourished 6,721 Miles From Home
November 20, 2015 | Football
By Matthew Tessnear
BOILING SPRINGS – On the northern shores of the south Pacific island of American Samoa, young men often wear cultural skirts – ʻie lavalava – without shirts and shoes.
Before and after school, they work hard on their chores in a warm and sometimes hot tropical climate. The ocean is never more than a few miles away.
This is where OJ Mau grew up, more than 2,500 miles from Hawaii, greater than 3,000 miles from Australia, nearly 5,000 miles from Japan, and about 6,700 miles from Gardner-Webb University.
Despite the difference in location and culture, Mau shares that there are major similarities in his homeland and the place where he has thrived as a college student-athlete.
"I thought it was going to be different here at Gardner-Webb. I had never been to the States before," Mau explains. "I thought I would see lots of big buildings and highways around, but I got here and saw trees and mountains and thought, 'oh, this is like home.' And the people are nice to you. They say hello as they pass, the same as back home."
Mau hasn't been back to American Samoa since coming to Gardner-Webb in 2012. He communicates by phone and Skype with his mother, who operates a construction business that builds roads and houses, and his father, a police officer.
It was his father's work that inspired him to study sociology and criminal justice at Gardner-Webb to learn about law enforcement, and it was his father who suggested he consider the University for his higher education.
He is on track to graduate this December – one semester early – after arriving on campus in 2012 at the age of 17.
"My dad told me that it was a Christian school that looked like a pretty good fit and that I should take the opportunity," Mau remembers. "I've been able to get involved here in devotions and there are a lot of good services throughout the week."
Christianity was a significant part of Mau's youth in American Samoa, where attending Sunday school and church activities was as much a part of daily routine as housework, homework and football.
Mau started playing football at the age of 14 as a high school freshman, years after he took up cricket, rugby and volleyball.
"My older brother played football for Western Kentucky and tried to get me involved in football," he recalls. "I decided to play and learned that I loved hitting people in football. It's a natural thing. Gardner-Webb has helped me get better, teaching techniques, knowledge of the game, starting in the weight room to get me stronger and faster. I've gotten better every year."
The recipient of a host of preseason and postseason conference and national honors during his collegiate career, he has also communicated often with one of his former Gardner-Webb teammates, Kenny Cook, a wide receiver who has competed with the NFL's Kansas City Chiefs practice squad in 2015.
Cook, who graduated from Gardner-Webb last December, has advised Mau to keep working hard to prepare himself for a shot at professional football.
Through his success on the field, Mau has discovered opportunities for his future, but also chances to share the native culture of his past and present.
At Big South Conference media events, he has answered questions about his 'ie lavalava. He shares details about native foods—including how pig is cooked on hot rocks and far different from southeastern United States barbecue. He teaches his GWU teammates the Haka War Dance customary on the island. And he finds moments to speak the Samoan language with GWU teammates who come from villages close to his hometown of Masefau.
"The most important thing is respect," he offers. "Back home respect is very important, the way you walk and the way you talk. People can tell what kind of person you are by the way you walk and talk. At Gardner-Webb, the professors respect you and are willing to help you understand everything.
"The campus has a lot of great people—my advisor, students, teammates—and the people around you are always trying to make you feel special. It's a family, like home."
Mau enters his final game Saturday as one of 14 seniors to be honored prior to kickoff vs. Monmouth. He is wrapping up the best season of his career with 55 tackles, 13.0 tackles for loss and 4.0 sacks to his credit through 10 games. In four seasons, Mau has registered 189 total tackles, 33.5 tackles for loss and 12.5 sacks.
He is on the STATS FCS Defensive Player of the Year Watch List and was recently added to the College Football Performance Awards (CFPA) FCS Defensive Awards Watch List.
