NFL history will be made this weekend when, for the first time ever, two Hawaii-born starting quarterbacks face off in a regular-season game.
Ewa Beach native Tua Tagovailoa and the Miami Dolphins will travel to Cleveland to take on Mililani’s Dillon Gabriel and the Browns on Sunday morning.
While the two share limited personal connection beyond the field, they have much in common, both are left-handed islanders, former Cover2 Kaulukukui Award winners, and Heisman Trophy finalists. Each is now looking to help his team rebound from a 1-5 start to the season.
“I knew of Tua, yeah,” Gabriel said. “We played against each other once and, of course, you know him playing in Hawaii, everyone knew Tua.”
“I knew of him growing up,” Tagovailoa added. “I think I might have played one year while he was a freshman playing varsity, but yeah, knew about him then. He’s a smooth thrower, can run, sees the field really well, and he’s a Hawaii boy, so you always got to support the guys from back home.”
Their only previous meeting that featured both players appearing in a game together came in August 2016, when Saint Louis and Mililani squared off in a preseason matchup that was canceled after one quarter due to a power outage.
Now, nine years later, it’s game on. Kickoff between the Dolphins and Browns is set for 7 a.m. Hawaii time on Sunday, available via YouTube TV’s NFL Sunday Ticket.
Back in 2020, Tagovailoa as a rookie played in a game that featured fellow Saint Louis graduate Marcus Mariota as a backup with the Raiders. Derek Carr started the game for Las Vegas and Mariota did not appear in the 26-25 Miami victory.