Puka Nacua is exceeding expectations on the NFL field in his first five weeks as a Los Angeles Ram, and the 22-year-old from Provo, Utah is already making a difference in the Los Angeles community.
Last week, Nacua and Rams rookies Mike McAllister and Alex Ward visited Hollywood High School to surprise football coach Alastair Jones, who was diagnosed with prostate cancer and kidney failure in February but continued to devote his time to his players. After his diagnosis, Jones found new meaning as a coach and draws strength from his players to fuel his fight against the disease.
NFL rookies took the field at Hollywood High to meet Jones, who was named one of the team’s Crucial Catch Captains, a program the Rams started with Cedars-Sinai Hospital, along with its student-athletes.
Nacua, who has already scored two touchdowns in his short career as a Ram, tells PEOPLE he was particularly moved by Jones’ story and “commitment to caring for [his players]” due to his own experience of losing his grandmother to cancer.
Rams Rookie Puka Nacua visits a local high school football team whose coach is battling cancer.
Courtesy of the LA Rams
Natcua says, “The energy that Coach Jones has is contagious, and I think that’s one thing, especially with cancer, that really helps everybody.”
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“My grandmother died of ovarian cancer. I just know that as much as he’s going through it, the people around him and his family, just the support system that he has, it takes a group of people to fight that as well. It’s a battle and it takes everything and it affects on those people around you.”
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Rams Rookie Puka Nacua visits a local high school football team whose coach is battling cancer.
Courtesy of the LA Rams
The recruits spent the afternoon meeting with players and taking photos with the team after Jones was presented with a personalized Rams jersey and tickets to an upcoming game at SoFi Stadium. Their encounter with Jones is one of 12 Crucial Catch Captain surprises for cancer fighters and survivors across the Southern California region.
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Natcua says the experience was “full of incredible energy” and took him back to his high school football days. “This is the first time I’ve been back to high school in a long time, so it reminds me of my childhood coach, especially my high school coach. He coached me from seventh grade all the way up to where I graduated.”
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Rams Rookie Puka Nacua visits a local high school football team whose coach is battling cancer.
Courtesy of the LA Rams
Nacua says returning to the high school football field was “surreal” for the NFL rookie. “I feel like I’m still a kid in high school,” says Nacua, who has heard from several Hollywood high school student-athletes that he’s on their NFL fantasy teams.
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“Being here for the high school kids is great because I know I would be thrilled, if somebody from the NFL came to my high school. I’d be all over it, too. So it’s great for them to be in that moment.”
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Rams Rookie Puka Nacua visits a local high school football team whose coach is battling cancer.
Courtesy of the LA Rams
In fact, the rookie admits that he still gets blown away by his teammates from time to time. “I still feel like I’m one of those high school kids trying to meet one of the guys. I still feel like that with Aaron Donald and Cooper Kupp when they walk in the room, like, ‘Wait, is this for real?’ ”
Natua recently had his first life experience on the other side of meeting fans. “The first interaction I had was when I was walking in a store and someone said, ‘Hey, are you this guy?’ I said, ‘Yeah, I’m that guy.’ I don’t know, I didn’t know what to say!”
On Sunday, Nacua and the Rams will host the Arizona Cardinals at SoFi Stadium.
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