LA GRANDE, Ore. -- Eastern Oregon University head football coach Tim Camp had only one position on his staff to fill prior to the start of spring drills, and he completed the task Wednesday with the hiring of Solomona Tapasa as the new Defensive Coordinator.
Tapasa comes to Eastern Oregon from Humboldt State University in California. At HSU, Tapasa was the Defensive Line Coach in 2009. He helped the Lumberjack defense finish the season in third in the Great Northwest Conference in NCAA Div. 2, in scoring defense and total defense.

Before moving to Humboldt State, Tapasa coached a season at Southern Utah University, where he served as an assistant coach with defensive line responsibilities. He also worked as an assistant coach at Western Oregon University from 2004-2007, and coached at the high school level for 10 years.

"There were two things that stuck out to me when we interviewed Coach Taps," Camp said. "He was extremely organized, which you like in an assistant coach, and I could see that his defensive fundamentals are extremely close to the philosophy that we have been teaching here."

After earning his B.S. in Pre-Law at Portland State in 1992, Tapasa continued his education at Western Oregon, pursuing his Master's in Health Education from 2004-2006.

A native of American Samoa, Tapasa and his wife, Joanna, bring their five daughters to La Grande.

"Solomona is an outstanding coach," Camp said. "He will bring solid experience to the defensive side of the football, and gives our staff another great recruiter. I'm excited that I was able to bring Coach Taps to complete my coaching staff.

"Now he needs to get to know our defensive unit, to get in their lives and start creating his family with the team and the community of La Grande. And I'm looking for him to pick up our terminology and our schemes with spring practice right around the corner.