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Football: Former Pirate great Jesse Mahelona dies in car crash
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Tuesday, September 08, 2009
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Former Orange Coast College standout football player, Jesse Mahelona, died late Friday night from injuries sustained in a car crash in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. He was 26 years old.
Mahelona played for the Pirates from 2002-04 and in his first year, he earned First-Team, Mission Conference honors with 73 tackles, seven tackles for loss and seven sacks. He only played in two games as a sophomore due to a broken ankle, but still managed to rack up 16 tackles, 6.5 for loss and 3.5 sacks.
Rated by Rivals.com as the top junior college defensive tackle prospect in the country, Mahelona moved on to the University of Tennessee, where he totaled 77 tackles and sacks in his two seasons as a Volunteer.
From there, Mahelona was drafted in the fifth round by the Tennessee Titans in 2006. He also played for the Miami Dolphins and Atlanta Falcons before ending his brief professional career in 2007.
Mahelona is survived by his wife, Brandi. The couple has one child and another child is on the way, according to various news sources.
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