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Junior's birth name is Tiaina Seau, Jr. Though his parents are Samoan-American, Junior was actually born in Oceanside, California as the fifth of seven children.
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Parade Magazine dubbed Junior a high school football All-American simply, unwilling to specify a particular position. Maybe it had something to do with leading just an 18-man team to the city 2A championship.
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It wasn't until Junior turned 7 years old that he learned to speak English. Now, with his zest for life, it's a struggle to get a word in edgewise.
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While ballers start clothing companies seemingly every day now, Junior was one of the originators of the trend with his nationally distributed and appropriately named "Say-Ow" Gear.
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After delivering another one of his signature bone-jarring hits, Seau's emotion, not his ego, takes over as he celebrates the stop with a fist pump nicknamed "The Bolt."
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Trips to Hawaii are special for most players, but for Junior it's just routine. He's been to the Pro-Bowl 11 straight years and counting.
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Junior's more than just a football player. In high school, he was the consensus San Diego Section Basketball Player of Year and was also named to California's all-Academic team with 3.6-grade-point average.
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A huge proponent of giving back to the community, Junior hosts the annual Celebrity Golf Classic to raise funds for both the Seau and Child Abuse Prevention Foundations. He also has established the Junior Seau's Drug-Busters Basketball Team.
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A venture into the food business has yielded Seau's The Restaurant, complete with 57 televisions and a giant projection screen. Within one year's time it had already won "Best Sports Bar" by the San Diego Restaurant Association.
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"I don't think I'm stronger, I'm smarter and that's the difference."
- San Diego Chargers linebacker Junior Seau on The Life.
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Some athletes have a thing for expensive cars, others for iced out jewelry; Junior joneses for sunglasses. He took The Life to his favorite sunglass shop to pick out a new pair of shades, something he does almost every week. This time he came away with a pair of Hoochie shades … We've never seen a supply of chips, we're talking Doritos, Lays, etc., like the stash Junior has in his house. Let's just say that if there is a hunger crisis, we know who to hit up … The Life got the grand tour of Junior's Mission Valley, Calif. Restaurant, "Seau's The Restaurant." The 14,500 square foot eatery has been in operation for six years now, thanks to Junior's constant involvement and personal touch, not to mention the secret family recipe for the signature teriyaki chicken. The place includes a sushi restaurant called "Raw Mana," a broadcast booth for radio shows called "Studio 55" and a 30-foot tall painting draped from the ceiling done by one of Junior's brothers … Junior also took The Life golfing, his favorite off the field hobby. Says Junior: "I'd rather face a 365-pound lineman than a 4-foot put." When frustrated by his play, which is quite often according to Chargers quarterback Doug Flutie, Junior throws around clubs like he does running backs … The Life also followed Junior to training camp. He packed light bringing about five times more CDs, including favorites like Elton John and an Eddie Murphy comedy one, than he did clothes. His sponsors outfit him while at camp and then he donates the clothes to charity.
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Tuesday @ 9:30 on ESPN
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