Junior Ah You
Encyclopedia
Junior Ah You is a former college
and professional Canadian
and American football
player who played primarily at the defensive end
position. Ah You enjoyed most of his professional career success with the CFL
Montreal Alouettes
, from 1972
to 1981
, and was a former collegiate standout at Arizona State University
. Ah You's jersey #77 is one of seven retired by the Alouettes, and he was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame
in 1997. Ah You is also a member of the Arizona State Sports Hall of Fame and the Hawaii Sports Hall of Fame. In 2006, Ah You was voted to the Honour Roll of the CFL's Top 50 players
of the league's modern era by Canadian sports network TSN
. He is also a Second-team selection to the USFL All-Time Team.
, Ah You and his family later moved to Hawaii
, where Ah You excelled in high school basketball and football
at Kahuku High School
. Ah You graduated from high school in 1969, and left Hawaii to play college football at Arizona State
.
' 1970 Peach Bowl victory over North Carolina and outstanding defensive player in the 1971 victory over Florida State
in the inaugural Fiesta Bowl
. Ah You was a three-time All-Western Athletic Conference
selection at defensive end
. In 1971, he was selected as a United Press International
second-team All-American
. In 1972, Ah You was selected to play in the post-season Hula Bowl
.
by the NFL New England Patriots
. Ah You spurned the Patriots and the NFL, opting to join the CFL Montreal Alouettes
prior to the start of the 1972 CFL season
.
According to a 2007 interview, Ah You joined the Alouettes in part due to the Patriots' desire for him to play the linebacker
position, rather than Ah You's natural position at defensive end:
Ah You played defensive end
with the Alouettes for nine seasons (1972
-1981
), helping the team win two Grey Cup championships
in 1974
and 1977
. Ah You won the Grey Cup Most Valuable Player (Defence)
in the 1974 championship game
, and was a CFL All-Star in two seasons (1976 and 1979).
Following his final season with the Alouettes in 1981
, Ah You was lured by George Allen to play in the United States Football League
, where Ah You played 2 more professional football seasons. In 1983 he suited up with the USFL's Chicago Blitz
and then was traded to the New Orleans Breakers prior to the 1984 campaign. In 1985, Ah You finished his career with the Arizona Outlaws
retiring mid-season on April 22, 1984.
Ah You retired after the end of the 1985 USFL season with the Outlaws, who were then coached by Ah You's former college coach, Arizona State
coach Frank Kush
.
Ah You's nephew C.J. Ah You was selected in the seventh round of the 2007 NFL Draft
. Ah You's sons, Kingsley (1992–1993) and Harland (1995–97) both played at BYU. Sons, Miki Junior and Quin played for Dixie State College and son Joshua played in Arizona
for Mesa Community College
. Nephew JT Mapu is a free agent with the Washington Redskins
. Nephews EJ Reid and Tori Taulogo played for Utah State University. Brother Charles Sale Ah You played football for BYU.
Currently, Ah You, with his son Kingsley, co-owns and operates a company and website that showcases local Hawaiian high school, youth, and amateur sports.
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
and professional Canadian
Canadian football
Canadian football is a form of gridiron football played exclusively in Canada in which two teams of 12 players each compete for territorial control of a field of play long and wide attempting to advance a pointed prolate spheroid ball into the opposing team's scoring area...
and American football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
player who played primarily at the defensive end
Defensive end
Defensive end is the name of a defensive position in the sport of American and Canadian football.This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations have substantially changed how the position is played over the years...
position. Ah You enjoyed most of his professional career success with the CFL
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....
Montreal Alouettes
Montreal Alouettes
The Montreal Alouettes are a Canadian Football League team based in Montreal, Quebec.The current franchise named the Alouettes moved to Montreal from Baltimore, Maryland, in 1996 where they had been known as the Baltimore Stallions...
, from 1972
1972 CFL season
The 1972 Canadian Football League season is considered to be the 19th season in modern-day Canadian football, although it is officially the 15th Canadian Football League season.-CFL News in 1972:...
to 1981
1981 CFL season
The 1981 Canadian Football League season is considered to be the 28th season in modern-day Canadian football, although it is officially the 24th Canadian Football League season.-CFL News in 1981:...
, and was a former collegiate standout at Arizona State University
Arizona State University
Arizona State University is a public research university located in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area of the State of Arizona...
. Ah You's jersey #77 is one of seven retired by the Alouettes, and he was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame
Canadian Football Hall of Fame
The Canadian Football Hall of Fame is a not-for-profit corporation, located in Hamilton, Ontario, that celebrates great achievements in Canadian football. It is an open to the public institution. It includes displays about the Canadian Football League, Canadian university football and Canadian...
in 1997. Ah You is also a member of the Arizona State Sports Hall of Fame and the Hawaii Sports Hall of Fame. In 2006, Ah You was voted to the Honour Roll of the CFL's Top 50 players
TSN Top 50 CFL Players
The TSN Top 50 CFL Players was a list of the greatest fifty Canadian Football League players, as selected by a panel of sixty former CFL players, then-current and former coaches, executives, and media members in 2006. The panel was assembled by sports television network TSN in partnership with the...
of the league's modern era by Canadian sports network TSN
The Sports Network
The Sports Network, commonly abbreviated as TSN, is a Canadian English language Category C specialty channel and is Canada's leading English language sports TV channel. TSN premiered in 1984, in the first group of Canadian specialty cable channels...
. He is also a Second-team selection to the USFL All-Time Team.
Early life
Born in American SamoaAmerican Samoa
American Samoa is an unincorporated territory of the United States located in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of the sovereign state of Samoa...
, Ah You and his family later moved to Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
, where Ah You excelled in high school basketball and football
High school football
High school football, in North America, refers to the game of football as it is played in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both of these nations....
at Kahuku High School
Kahuku High School
Kahuku High & Intermediate School, located in Kahuku CDP, City and County of Honolulu, Hawaii on the island of Oahu, serves approximately 1,850 students in grades seven through twelve and is part of the Windward District on the island of Oahu. It is a part of the Hawaii Department of Education...
. Ah You graduated from high school in 1969, and left Hawaii to play college football at Arizona State
Arizona State Sun Devils football
The Arizona State Sun Devils' football program represents Arizona State University in college football, and competes in NCAA Division I FBS as a member of the Pacific-12 Conference....
.
College football career
Ah You was named co-outstanding player in the Sun DevilsArizona State Sun Devils football
The Arizona State Sun Devils' football program represents Arizona State University in college football, and competes in NCAA Division I FBS as a member of the Pacific-12 Conference....
' 1970 Peach Bowl victory over North Carolina and outstanding defensive player in the 1971 victory over Florida State
Florida State Seminoles football
The Florida State Seminoles football team represents Florida State University in college football. The Florida State Seminoles compete in NCAA Division I-FBS and are members of the Atlantic Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference...
in the inaugural Fiesta Bowl
Fiesta Bowl
The Fiesta Bowl, now sponsored by Frito-Lay and named with their Tostitos brand, is a United States college football bowl game played annually at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. Between its origination in 1971 and 2006, the game was hosted in Tempe, Arizona at Sun Devil...
. Ah You was a three-time All-Western Athletic Conference
Western Athletic Conference
The Western Athletic Conference is an American collegiate athletic conference, which was formed on July 27, 1962, making it the sixth oldest of the 11 college athletic conferences currently participating in the NCAA's Division I FBS...
selection at defensive end
Defensive end
Defensive end is the name of a defensive position in the sport of American and Canadian football.This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations have substantially changed how the position is played over the years...
. In 1971, he was selected as a United Press International
United Press International
United Press International is a once-major international news agency, whose newswires, photo, news film and audio services provided news material to thousands of newspapers, magazines and radio and television stations for most of the twentieth century...
second-team All-American
College Football All-America Team
The College Football All-America Team is an honor given annually to the best American college football players at their respective positions. The original usage of the term All-America seems to have been to the 1889 College Football All-America Team selected by Casper Whitney and published in This...
. In 1972, Ah You was selected to play in the post-season Hula Bowl
Hula Bowl
The Hula Bowl was an independently administered post-season invitational college football game held each year in Hawaii from 1947 to 2008. The game was last played at Aloha Stadium in the Hālawa district of Honolulu, Hawaii. At one point the longest-running sporting event in Hawaii, it had been...
.
Professional football career
Following college, Ah You was drafted in the 17th round (425th overall pick) of the 1972 NFL Draft1972 NFL Draft
The 1972 National Football League Draft was held on February 1–2, 1972.-Player selections:-Round one:-Round two:-Round three:-Round four:-Round five:-Round six:-Round seven:-Round eight:-Round nine:-Round ten:...
by the NFL New England Patriots
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
. Ah You spurned the Patriots and the NFL, opting to join the CFL Montreal Alouettes
Montreal Alouettes
The Montreal Alouettes are a Canadian Football League team based in Montreal, Quebec.The current franchise named the Alouettes moved to Montreal from Baltimore, Maryland, in 1996 where they had been known as the Baltimore Stallions...
prior to the start of the 1972 CFL season
1972 CFL season
The 1972 Canadian Football League season is considered to be the 19th season in modern-day Canadian football, although it is officially the 15th Canadian Football League season.-CFL News in 1972:...
.
According to a 2007 interview, Ah You joined the Alouettes in part due to the Patriots' desire for him to play the linebacker
Linebacker
A linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen...
position, rather than Ah You's natural position at defensive end:
Ah You played defensive end
Defensive end
Defensive end is the name of a defensive position in the sport of American and Canadian football.This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations have substantially changed how the position is played over the years...
with the Alouettes for nine seasons (1972
1972 CFL season
The 1972 Canadian Football League season is considered to be the 19th season in modern-day Canadian football, although it is officially the 15th Canadian Football League season.-CFL News in 1972:...
-1981
1981 CFL season
The 1981 Canadian Football League season is considered to be the 28th season in modern-day Canadian football, although it is officially the 24th Canadian Football League season.-CFL News in 1981:...
), helping the team win two Grey Cup championships
Grey Cup
The Grey Cup is both the name of the championship of the Canadian Football League and the name of the trophy awarded to the victorious team. It is Canada's largest annual sports and television event, regularly drawing a Canadian viewing audience of about 3 to 4 million individuals...
in 1974
62nd Grey Cup
The 62nd Grey Cup was played on November 24, 1974 before 32,454 fans at Empire Stadium at Vancouver. The Montreal Alouettes beat the Edmonton Eskimos 20 to 7 on rain slick field...
and 1977
65th Grey Cup
The 65th Grey Cup, played on November 27, 1977 and also known as The Ice Bowl, was the 1977 Grey Cup Canadian Football League championship final between the Montreal Alouettes and the Edmonton Eskimos...
. Ah You won the Grey Cup Most Valuable Player (Defence)
Grey Cup Most Valuable Player
The Grey Cup's Most Valuable Player award is awarded annually to the player deemed to have the best performance in the Grey Cup Game, the Canadian Football League's championship game.-Grey Cup Most Valuable Player Award winners:...
in the 1974 championship game
62nd Grey Cup
The 62nd Grey Cup was played on November 24, 1974 before 32,454 fans at Empire Stadium at Vancouver. The Montreal Alouettes beat the Edmonton Eskimos 20 to 7 on rain slick field...
, and was a CFL All-Star in two seasons (1976 and 1979).
Following his final season with the Alouettes in 1981
1981 CFL season
The 1981 Canadian Football League season is considered to be the 28th season in modern-day Canadian football, although it is officially the 24th Canadian Football League season.-CFL News in 1981:...
, Ah You was lured by George Allen to play in the United States Football League
United States Football League
The United States Football League was an American football league which was in active operation from 1983 to 1987. It played a spring/summer schedule in its first three seasons and a traditional autumn/winter schedule was set to commence before league operations ceased.The USFL was conceived in...
, where Ah You played 2 more professional football seasons. In 1983 he suited up with the USFL's Chicago Blitz
Chicago Blitz
The Chicago Blitz were a professional American football team that played in the United States Football League in the mid 1980s. They played at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois.- Team history :...
and then was traded to the New Orleans Breakers prior to the 1984 campaign. In 1985, Ah You finished his career with the Arizona Outlaws
Arizona Outlaws
The Arizona Outlaws were a professional American football team that played in the United States Football League in the mid 1980s. They were owned by Fresno banker and real estate agent William Tatham, Sr., who had briefly owned the Portland Thunder of the World Football League.- 1984 Oklahoma...
retiring mid-season on April 22, 1984.
Ah You retired after the end of the 1985 USFL season with the Outlaws, who were then coached by Ah You's former college coach, Arizona State
Arizona State Sun Devils football
The Arizona State Sun Devils' football program represents Arizona State University in college football, and competes in NCAA Division I FBS as a member of the Pacific-12 Conference....
coach Frank Kush
Frank Kush
Frank Joseph Kush is a former American football player and coach. He served as the head coach at Arizona State University from 1958 to 1979, compiling a record of 176–54–1...
.
Post football and personal life
Ah You is a member of the Hawaii Sports Hall of Fame. He is currently a prominent citizen of Laie, Hawaii. Ah You currently devotes his time to community activities such as the "Junior Ah You Basketball Tournament" and the "Junior Ah You Christmas Football Bowl."Ah You's nephew C.J. Ah You was selected in the seventh round of the 2007 NFL Draft
2007 NFL Draft
The 2007 National Football League Draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on April 28 and April 29, 2007. The draft was televised for the 28th consecutive year on ESPN and ESPN2. The NFL Network also broadcast coverage of the event, its second year doing so...
. Ah You's sons, Kingsley (1992–1993) and Harland (1995–97) both played at BYU. Sons, Miki Junior and Quin played for Dixie State College and son Joshua played in Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
for Mesa Community College
Mesa Community College
Mesa Community College in Mesa, Arizona, is the largest of the 10 community colleges in the Maricopa County Community College District and is the largest in the United States. MCC began in 1963 as a branch of Phoenix College and later granted independent status in 1965.MCC offers more than 200...
. Nephew JT Mapu is a free agent with the Washington Redskins
Washington Redskins
The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
. Nephews EJ Reid and Tori Taulogo played for Utah State University. Brother Charles Sale Ah You played football for BYU.
Currently, Ah You, with his son Kingsley, co-owns and operates a company and website that showcases local Hawaiian high school, youth, and amateur sports.