The power company cut off the Te’os’ electricity because the bill had not been paid. Power blackouts are not unusual in Hawaii, but one night when the power went out Te’o looked outside and noticed the lights were on at all the other homes and he knew right away what had happened. Te’o can recall one incident as if it occurred yesterday but, as with everything in his life, he turned the negative into a positive. But poor is something they never thought about even if there were times when they could have felt sorry for themselves.Īll of us probably can remember something negative in our childhood that we carried with us into adulthood. The eight of them lived in a small house and slept in three bedrooms, which by most standards of living in America would be considered poor.

That is what it was like for Te’o growing up with five younger siblings and his dad, Brian, and mother, Otilla. Not unlike a town of 4,500 somewhere in Indiana, everyone knows everyone in Laie, and they all look out for their neighbors. Laie was known as a sanctuary.įast-forward a century-and-a-half, and Laie remained a sanctuary for its proud citizens, especially the children. Except that was not the case in Laie which became known as a safe-haven for fugitives, not the kind who escaped from prison but men who were trying to get away from a repressive despot who ruled his fiefdom with an iron fist. Until the mid-1800s Hawaii was ruled by local feudal lords or kings and one dared not set foot in another kingdom. Manti Malietau Louis Te’o was born and raised in the town of Laie on the island of Oahu, and Laie has a most interesting history. To some degree that is true but, like most places in America, a one-size-fits-all description will not suffice. Nearly everyone who has vacationed in Hawaii returns home-especially to a home that actually has a winter-with vivid memories of that paradise-like place. The fact that he is one of the best defensive players in the country is how most Irish fans view him, but the Te’o you see on the field is unlike the Te’o who paused, thought and pondered before he traveled thousands of miles and navigated several layers of cultural changes to come to South Bend.

He is, by any measure, a remarkable young man who would be an asset to the University of Notre Dame even if he were not a terrific football player. Spend any amount of time around Te’o and you will not be surprised to find out he is an Eagle Scout. Ask Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te’o to tell you one thing about himself that would surprise most people and he will do as he always does-pause, think, ponder and try to come up with the best answer.

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