Arizona is adding a "Desert Swarm" member to Brent Brennan's coaching staff.Β
The Wildcats hired Miami defensive line coach and associate head coach Joe Salave'a for a similar role on Thursday.
Salave'a replaces defensive line coach Joe Seumalo, who is no longer coaching for the Wildcats.Β
Salave'a, an American Samoa native and Polynesian Football Hall of Fame inductee, was a part of Arizona's Desert Swarm defense as a defensive tackle from 1994-97 and was a team captain for his final two seasons at the UA. Salave'a was a two-time All-Pac-10 selection under late UA head coach Dick Tomey.Β
Former UA player and coach Joe Salaveβa said Dick Tomey was the first coach to embrace all kinds of different Polynesian football players.
The Tennessee Titans selected Salave'a in the 1998 NFL Draft. Salave'a played three seasons for the Titans and was a part of the Super Bowl 34 team that lost to the Rams in 1999. After the 2001 season, Salave'a played for the San Diego Chargers, Baltimore Ravens and Washington Redskins from 2003-06. In eight seasons in the NFL, Salave'a appeared in 100 games with 28 starts, registering 117 tackles and 7.5 sacks.Β
After his playing career, Salave'a took his talents to coaching and started at San Jose State as a defensive line coach under Tomey, who was the Spartans' head coach. Brennan was the Spartans' tight ends coach and co-offensive coordinator during Salave'a's time at San Jose State.
Salave'a returned to his alma mater to become Arizona's defensive line coach in 2010 under former head coach Mike Stoops. Salave'a was hired before the Wildcats' loss to Oklahoma State in the Alamo Bowl in 2010 and coached at Arizona for Stoops' last season in 2011, before the UA head coach was fired halfway through the season. Salave'a was not retained by former Arizona head coach Rich Rodriguez in 2012.Β
Salave'a joined Washington State's staff led by Mike Leach and was eventually promoted to assistant head coach. Salave'a mentored former WSU standout defensive endΒ Hercules Mataβafa, who was a consensus All-American in 2017.Β Β
In 2017, Salave'a was hired by Oregon as a defensive line coach and co-defensive coordinator, then followed head coach Mario Cristobal to Miami for a similar role in 2022. Salave'a and Pro Football Hall of Famer Jason Taylor coached the Hurricanes' defensive line the last two seasons.Β
Under Salave'a's direction, Oregon endedΒ the 2019 season Top 25 in scoring defense, rushing defense, total defense, sacks and tackles for loss.Β Salave'a recruited and developed Oregon defensive end and former five-star recruitΒ Kayvon Thibodeaux, who just finished his third season with the New York Giants. Thibodeaux is the first defensive player in Oregon history to become a consensus All-American.Β
UA defensive tackle Joe Salaveβa reacts after making a sack on ASU quarterback Ryan Kealy in 1997.
Recruiting Polynesian players has been a hallmark of Arizona's football program since Tomey's first season in 1987, and Salave'a has been one of the most prominent ambassadors for football in American Samoa and Hawaii. In 2001, Salave'a started the "Joe Salave'a Foundation" to help Polynesian youths play football through free clinics. In 2005, Salave'a's foundation was honored byΒ congressman Eni Faleomavaega and former U.S. president George W. Bush at the White House for Asian-Pacific Heritage Month.
