Former Husky Olin Kreutz’s recent induction into the College Football Hall of Fame—along with former Husky coach Chris Petersen—was just the latest hall of fame to welcome the 6-foot-2, 300-pound star center.
The Polynesian Football Hall of Fame was established in 2013 by two Polynesian Super Bowl champions to honor Polynesia’s greatest players, coaches and contributors. The hall of fame is located in Honolulu’s Polynesian Cultural Center, one of Hawaii’s largest tourists destinations, attracting more than 700,000 visitors annually.
Kreutz earned his place because he was named to the Hawaii All-State high school football team. That was on top of being honored as a SuperPrep All-American, one of the highest honors for a high school football player.
That dazzling prep career inspired the UW to come calling, and Kreutz became a Husky in 1995. In his three years in purple and gold, he was twice named All-Pac-10; in his eye-opening junior year in 1997, he was a consensus All-American. He also received the prestigious Morris Trophy as the Pac-10’s top offensive lineman and was chosen in the third round of the 1998 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears. He played 14 years in the NFL and was so good that he was named to the 2000s NFL All-Decade Team. The four-time All-Pro now serves on the selection committee for the Polynesian Football Hall of Fame.
Olin Kreutz, originally from Honolulu, played for the Chicago Bears in the NFL after his UW career. Today, he’s an analyst for Chicago sports radio station 670 The Score. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame this year.
The College Football Hall of Fame is the newest hall of fame to welcome Kreutz, who was a legend in Husky Stadium. “Olin set the standard for the toughness and physicality that Washington football is built on,” says Husky football coach Jedd Fisch.
Kreutz has some Husky company in the Polynesian Football Hall of Fame in the person of Marques Tavita Tuiasosopo. Long considered one of the best quarterbacks in Husky history, Tuiasosopo led the Huskies to an 11-1 record in 2000 and was named the MVP of the 2001 Rose Bowl for leading the UW to a 34-24 victory over Purdue. Tuiasosopo, who is of Samoan ancestry, finished eighth in the Heisman Trophy voting that year as the 2000 Pac-12 Payer of the Year. He was picked by the Oakland Raiders in the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft and later played for the New York Jets. Tuiasosopo was inducted into the Polynesian Football Hall of Fame in 2019.
Marques Tuiasosopo, who grew up in Woodinville, played for the Oakland Raiders and New York Jets in the NFL before shifting to a career in coaching. He’s currently an offensive assistant for the Detroit Lions.
Another former Husky destined for the Polynesian Football Hall of Fame is wide receiver Puka Nacua, who hails from Utah and is of Samoan ancestry. He is an All-Pro for the Los Angeles Rams. The 2018 Polynesian High School Football Player of the Year, he played two seasons for the Huskies (2019-2020) before transferring to BYU. He was a standout in the 2019 Polynesian Bowl, a high school all-star game. Outside of the football field, he frequently participates in events for and receiving accolades from the Polynesian Football Hall of Fame, including being honored as the 2025 Pro Football Player of the Year. He often speaks about representing his culture and family, feeling the connection to the Polynesian community and its values of hard work, honor and respect.