Jeremiah's Story
Jeremiah's grandparents on his father’s side, Masoli T. Masoli and Nellie Masoli, moved to the U.S. from American Samoa 1953. Masoli – a U.S. Marine – was stationed in Oceanside. When he retired from the military a decade later, he moved his family north. Soon after settling into a new home in San Francisco, Masoli helped establish one of the city’s the first Samoan Churches, Samoan Congregational Church in Daly City. Nellie Masoli still attends church service there. On his mom’s side, his Grandma Papali’i Litara Alaimo, who resides in American Samoa, is one of his biggest fans. She prays for his safety every day.
Jeremiah Masoli comes from a tight-knit family. His parents, Kennedy and Linda Masoli, still live in the Bay Area with their other three children. “My dad is my inspiration for everything I do,” says Jeremiah. “He has taught me everything I know and has been the best father anyone can ask for. He has done so much for my family and has worked hard his whole life in order to provide for us. And he never asks for a thing in return.” Despite the distance Jeremiah maintains close relationship with his siblings, too. His older brother Elijah is 28. Mariah is 15 and Zach is 14. Mariah plays basketball and Zach plays basketball and football. “They both are excellent in sports and I always help them train when I’m back in town,” says Jeremiah.
When he was nine, Jeremiah instantly took to the football field. He played in an older division and his dad wanted him to try out as a fullback or a linebacker. But since Jeremiah was a first-year player, coaches forced him to play nose guard on defense and right guard on offense. But after practice and on weekends, a resolute Jeremiah trained for the coveted quarterback position with this father, Kennedy Masoli. When Jeremiah was 11, the team’s quarterback didn’t show up for a game and Jeremiah stepped in. He threw for a touchdown and ran for a touchdown. His hard work and ambition paid off and he’s been playing quarterback since.
In 2007 at City College of San Francisco, the San Francisco native led the team to a 31-28 victory over Mount San Antonio College to win the California State Community College Championship. Jeremiah was named Offensive MVP and the team was named National Junior College Football Champions. Jeremiah praises his city college coach Dan Hayes: “Coach Hayes has been very instrumental in getting my football career to where it is at now. Not only was he a great coach on the field but off the field he’s given a lot of advice about life and how to handle people.”
When Jeremiah transferred to University of Oregon the following year, he landed the seventh quarterback spot on the football team. Within a few months, he became the Ducks’ starting quarterback. That fall, he led the team to a victory in the Holida Bowl vs. Oklahoma State and was named Offensive MVP. The next fall, he led the team to beat USC 47–20, the most points scored against the Trojans in 56 meetings. In January, the Heisman Trophy candidate helped land his team at the Rose Bowl for the first time in 15 years.