Thunder DE Suguturaga Juggles Work, School, Football and Family
Published on June 11, 2009 under American Indoor Football Association (AIFA)
Utah Blaze News Release
Utah Valley Thunder defensive end Jay-R Suguturaga should join the circus because the 6-foot-3, 245-pound father of five is a master juggler.
Suguturaga, 29, who is in his first season with the Thunder, manages school, work, football, and a large family.
From the time he married at the age of 19 while at Utah State University, Suguturaga and his wife Christy have led busy lives so by now they are used to it.
"It's been pretty tough, but my wife has kept me on track and helps me to stay balanced and pushes me in areas I need to be if I'm not on point," he said. "We've been doing it for a while so we have a regimen going for juggling school, work and playing ball at the same time."
After playing two seasons at Utah State and eventually graduating with a bachelor's degree in history, Suguturaga gave professional football a shot. He had a tryout with the Miami Dolphins, but an injury during training camp sidelined that effort. He was set to join the Columbus Destroyers of the Arena Football League in 2004, but that didn't pan out either.
He gave up the game and moved back to San Diego to work and raise his family. A friend later introduced him to work at a residential treatment facility for troubled youth and career-wise he decided to move in that direction.
He was recently accepted to BYU to pursue a master's degree in social work, and moved back to Utah. The chance to play football again presented itself and he jumped at the opportunity.
"A friend told me about the open tryouts," he said, and the rest is history. Suguturaga, who played offense in college, is now an anchor for the Thunder defense. He leads the team in forced fumbles with two, and is second in fumble recoveries with two, sacks with five and tackles for loss with 7½ and is fifth in tackles with 21½.
"Playing defense is new to me. I played linebacker in high school and that was the last time I played defense," he said. "It is a new experience for me, but it has been fun. I am learning each week."
The Thunder will look improve to 9-3 this weekend when they travel to Ogden for a meeting with the Knights. Two weeks ago, the Thunder needed overtime to defeat the Knights 70-69.
The game kicks off Saturday night at 7 p.m. at the Golden Spike Arena in Ogden.
American Indoor Football Association Stories from June 11, 2009
- Hunt Won't Make Same Mistake Twice - Utah Blaze
- Thunder DE Suguturaga Juggles Work, School, Football and Family - Utah Blaze
- Southern Division Supremacy on the Line - Columbus Lions
- Baltimore Mariners Set to Achieve Final Goals - Baltimore Mariners
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