Marques Tuiasosopo enjoying life as USC assistant 09 Sep 2014 05:54

Written by Derek Johnson

Football fans hold grudges like Stalin. That was plenty evident last January when Marques Tuiasosopo left Seattle to become an assistant coach at USC.

Tui had starred at Woodinville, then with the Washington Huskies, where he became MVP of the 2001 Rose Bowl. His playing career concluded in 2008 after eight years in the NFL. He began coaching at the college level at Washington in 2009, under former coach Steve Sarkisian. He coached at UCLA for two years before returning to Washington for the 2012-13 seasons.

Former Woodinville star Marques Tuiasosopo gives instruction to USC fullback Soma Vainuku during a recent practice. (Photo courtesy of the University of Southern California)When Steve Sarkisian bolted for USC last December, it was Tuiasosopo who stepped in as the interim head coach to lead Washington to a win over BYU in the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl. At that moment, the Woodinville native was arguably the most popular player in Husky football history.

But soon after, when word came that Tui was following Sarkisian to USC, words like “traitor” cropped up on the Internet and sports radio from a vocal segment of Husky fans.

“I know it’s kind of a hard deal for some Husky fans,” Tuiasosopo said of his position as an associate head coach for the dreaded Trojans. “But I love the University of Washington, I played there obviously and I’m a Husky. However, I coach football now. For me, what matters is who you work with, and that relationship of how everyone works together. It wasn’t just as simple as there was a position available and why didn’t I stay at my alma mater. It wasn’t an easy decision, but at the end of the day I had to make a decision that was best for me and my family.

“From the point of view of furthering my career as a coach, this was the best decision for me.... Being a head coach is a dream of mine and an end goal.”

USC opened its season on Aug. 30 by obliterating Fresno State 52-13. On multiple occasions during the telecast, Tui could be seen giving instruction to players and celebrating after big plays. While he may look out of place donning cardinal and gold, Tui looks at home as a coach.

“The thing about this job is that you’ve got to love it,” he said. “I found out that I loved coaching when I was a [graduate assistant] at the University of Washington. To me that’s the most important thing, because from the time and energy you put into it, you better enjoy it, or else it’s going to be long and hard.”

Heading into this season, the national scuttlebutt has been centered on whether the Pac-12 Conference was gaining on the powerhouse Southeastern Conference. Tui was asked if his conference was stronger now than when he played at Washington.

“I think there are a lot of strong teams this year,” he said. “We’re in a great time period for the Pac-12. There are a lot of senior quarterbacks who are playing at a high level. I think it is cyclical. Back when I played, Washington, Oregon and Oregon State all finished 11-1 [in the 2000 season]. We were playing at a high level, and the schools in the [Pac-12] south weren’t. But this year, from top to bottom, it’s probably one of the strongest years in a long time.”

As the interview concluded, Tui was ready to get back to work in preparation for USC’s showdown vs. Stanford.

“I miss everyone up there,” he added. “Hopefully I’ll be back up there one day.”

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