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By the time this summer rolls around, Shaun Paga should know every blade of grass on Witter Field like the back of his hand. 

Paga spent most of his afternoons this fall running around the lawn as a member of the Cal football team, which practices on Witter during the season. Paga now roams the turf as a captain of the Golden Bear rugby squad. By the way, each of Paga’s four previous rugby seasons resulted in a national championship for the Bears, extending the Cal streak to 10 straight titles. 

Born in Auckland, New Zealand, Paga comes from a rugby family. But they moved to the U.S. when Paga was nine years old, and football became his first love. He didn’t take up rugby until a trip back to New Zealand, where rugby is the national sport, during his junior year in high school. He joined a local team upon his return, and quickly became a premier player. 

Recruited to play football by Boise State and Idaho out of Menlo-Atherton High School, Paga chose instead to walk on at Cal, making the team as a special teams player as a freshman and a reserve linebacker as a sophomore. But it was his contribution to the Cal rugby program as a loose forward that attracted the most attention. 

“Rugby is in his blood, and he happens to be a very gifted, explosive athlete,” says head coach Jack Clark. “He’s a courageous player, and he’s always there in important moments in the match.” 

Paga, 23, returned to the Cal football program for the 2000 season after taking two years off to concentrate on rugby. That dedication to rugby resulted in selection to the Eagles, the U.S. national team, and a trip to Ireland for Rugby World Cup 1999, where he played in all three of the Eagles’ matches, including one against eventual champion Australia. 

“That’s really why I left football, that opportunity to represent your country and play in an international tournament, against the best players in the world,” Paga says. “It was a great honor, and something really special to me.” 

The football staff accepted Paga’s decision to devote himself to rugby once he explained what he could accomplish. 

“I think they understood that I had a great opportunity in rugby,” he says. “They definitely wanted me to come back, though.” 

Paga’s return to the football team for his senior season was welcomed by both players and coaches. The Bears’ projected starting rush end, Wayne Hunter, transferred out of Cal, and the position was wide open going into fall camp. Paga, who had never played defensive line, was thrown into the mix. 

“I didn’t know him very well, and I had never seen him play football or rugby,” says Cal defensive line coach Bill Dutton, who came to Cal program during Paga’s absence. “But (defensive coordinator) Lyle Setencich and (head coach) Tom Holmoe had very positive things to say about him. They said he was very competitive and had a real desire to play. He had to get on-the-job training, and he was the first one on the field for practice every day and spent hours and hours in the film room.” 

Paga quickly went about learning his new position, and he had help from the team’s two defensive stars, defensive end Andre Carter and tackle Jacob Waasdorp. 

“Andre and Jacob helped me get up to speed, because I had never played defensive end before,” Paga says. “They were very instructive and helpful.” 

After a strong showing at camp, Paga was ready to play when the season started. He started the Bears’ first game against Utah, and he and sophomore Tully Banta-Cain waged a battle for playing time the entire season. Dutton says the competition brought out the best in both players. 

“I told them every week that whoever graded out the best would start, and they both went down deep into their gut-bucket every week in practice,” Dutton says. “Without Shaun, Tully wouldn’t have been the same player he was.” 

The competition went right down to the final game against Stanford, and both players had their best game of the season that day, according to Dutton. 

“I always wanted to come back and play my last year, and I was lucky to come back when there was an opening,” Paga says. 

Paga says the two sports are very comparable, which makes sense. Football’s roots come from rugby, and they involve many of the same skills and physical demands. 

“They’re both really competitive games. Rugby’s definitely more cardiovascular, since there aren’t so many stoppages in play. You have to be fitter, so you’re a little lighter,” Paga says. “But football’s probably a little more physical, so you come back and you’re ready to hit harder.” 

Dutton feels Paga’s two years away from football were offset by the benefits of playing rugby at its highest level. 

“Rugby gave him a sense of confidence as an athlete to perform, and he brought that with him into football,” he says. 

Both of Paga’s coaches think he can continue with their own sport, a choice he has yet to make. 

“Shaun has the ability to play professional rugby overseas if he chooses,” Clark says. “He just has to work on a few of his skills.” 

“With all of the football available to us here, there could definitely be a spot for him somewhere,” Dutton says. 

When asked which sport he thinks will attract him after college, Paga laughs. 

“I’d say I’m more of a football player. When you get to the international level, most of the guys have been playing since they were little kids. I’m still learning the game on a lot of levels.”