It's hard to find fault with this NCAA ruling

Sporting News, The, May 5, 1997 by Tom Dienhart, Mike Huguenin

It always seems strange when big, tough defensive tackles such as Joe Salave'a cry, but he couldn't help himself.

It was Senior Day 1996, and Arizona was hosting Arizona State. Family members of the senior players had gathered to send off their favorite Wildcats. Joe's parents couldn't make it -- it's an expensive flight from American Samoa to Tucson and the Salave'as don't have a lot of money after raising eight children -- but a brother and his wife from Oakland, Calif., made it for the occasion. That's when big Joe shed his tears in front of 59,920 fans. He couldn't help it. This would be his last game as a Wildcat.

As it turns out, though, Salave'a will get to wear the cardinal and navy of Arizona again. Salave'a's door for an encore season was opened at January's NCAA Convention, when legislation sponsored by the Atlantic 10 Conference was passed that granted a fourth year of eligibility to student athletes who were partial qualifiers entering college but had graduated in four years.

"I couldn't believe it when I heard the news," says Salave'a, one of the first players to benefit from the new rule. You could hear the excitement in his voice. "I thought someone was playing a trick on me."

Nope, the trick is on Pac-10 foes, who must continue to deal with the 6-4, 280-pound Salave'a. But instead of being awed by the on-field feats of Salave'a -- Arizona's leading tackler among linemen and a second-team All-Pac-10 pick last season -- we should be more impressed with the fact he'll graduate in May with a degree in sociology and a minor in ethnic studies. And he'll do it in four years.

All of this for guy whose parents sent him to America before his freshman year in high school in hopes of preparing him for college. But Salave'a could barely. speak English when he arrived at Oceanside (Calif.) High. The language barrier played a major part in his struggles to gain freshman eligibility at Arizona.

As a partial qualifier in 1993-94, Salave'a was ineligible to practice or play, lost that year of eligibility and could not receive a scholarship during that season. He forged ahead, and now he'll be rewarded (who said the NCAA never enacted beneficial legislation?).

Salave'a could have bolted for the NFL after last season. Before he got the news about his extra year of eligibility, he played in the East-West Shrine Game and Hula Bowl, and he had an invitation to the NFL Scouting Combine. Salave'a wouldn't have been allowed to return had he hired an agent. But getting legal representation was the furthest thing from his mind in January. The son of a math teacher, Salave'a had school work to take care of.

"I've seen guys who didn't take care of their academics once they got to their senior year," Salave'a says. "But school is very important to me. I want to make sure I have that piece of paper in case anything goes wrong."

His return is a big boost to an Arizona defense that struggled last year during a 5-6 campaign. The Wildcats ranked seventh in the Pac-10 in total defense (385.6) and fifth in scoring defense (25.5). It wasn't long ago that Arizona's "Desert Swarm" defense dominated college football. Those days may be back, given the return of Salave'a and eight other starters. Also, Rich Ellerson, an Arizona assistant for four seasons before becoming coach at Division I-AA Southern Utah last year, is back to serve as defensive coordinator after Larry Mac Duff left for an assistant's job with the New York Giants. Ellerson is credited with devising many of the Desert Swarm schemes.

"We couldn't be more pleased," Arizona coach Dick Tomey says of having Salave'a back. "However positive we felt about the coming season before, we've just taken a step up. For him to delay a pro career to come back is outstanding for our program. He's a special leader. His ability is outstanding, but he adds the leadership. It's an outstanding example of a young person keeping his wits about him and keeping school a priority."

With an emphasis on football this fall, who knows how good Salave'a will be. His return also opens the chance for his mother to see him play, something his father has enjoyed. She may even make it for Senior Day 1997. Now, that would really be reason to cry.