Background
Manoa was born in Tonga, but at age 10 moved to Hawaii where he discovered American football.
Manoa was born in Tonga, but at age 10 moved to Hawaii where he discovered American football.
He attended Kahuku High School from grades 7 to 9 before moving to Wexford, Pennsylvania.
He played fullback for four seasons in the National Football League for the Cleveland Browns and the Indianapolis Colts. Manoa was named a Parade All-American and was heavily recruited by several top college football programs, including West Virginia, Pitt, Hawaii, and Ohio State, before selecting Penn State. After outstanding junior and senior seasons as part of Penn State"s "Baby Bulletin Backfield" fullback tandem (with Steve Smith), Manoa was invited to the Hula Bowl, Senior Bowl, and the NFL Combine where his NFL draft stock rose steadily.
He was selected in the 3rd round (#80) of the 1987 NFL Draft by the Browns.
He would play 3 seasons in Cleveland under Marty Schottenheimer and Bud Carson before moving on for a final season with Indianapolis. Manoa now teaches speed training at Rocky"s Personalized Training in Boardman, Ohio.
He played collegiately at Penn State and was a member of both the 1986 national championship team