Tupola-Fetui Adds Another National Accolade to his Growing UW Resume
Zion Tupuola-Fetui and Chuck Bednarik have that same kind of wild-eyed look.
They use or used it to terrorize quarterbacks, though Bednarik, the last great two-play player to come through the NFL, enjoyed making everyone fear him.
One wears No. 58 while the other made 60 a memorable digit.
On Tuesday, these two crossed paths in reputation only — because Bednarik has been deceased for five years.
Tupuola-Fetui was selected as the Bednarik Award's Defensive Player of the Week, adding to his rapidly growing list of accolades for his surprisingly disruptive play that has lasted for a month now.
On Monday, the UW player received the same sort of weekly national award from Athlon Sports plus Pac-12 recognition for Defensive Lineman of the Week.
Against Utah last Saturday, ZTF collected 6 tackles, including 3 tackles for loss, all sacks. He forced a fumble and recovered one, returning it 29 yards in the fourth quarter of the Huskies' 24-21 comeback victory over the Utes.
Bednarik would have loved ZTF. The Hawaiian kid grew up on the edge of Pearl Harbor. Bednarik flew 30 missions over Germany during World War II as a waist-gunner.
As football players, they each make or made disruption their specialty, forcing turnovers and plowing over players right and left.
Bednarik was a little less refined, punching guys and pulling all kinds of stunts on the field, to the point the NFL commissioner had to make him apologize for hitting Chuck Noll, who later became the Pittsburgh Steelers head coach.
ZTF plays with much more with controlled mayhem.
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