He was selected as MVP honors, and helped lead his team to its ninth consecutive state championship.
At the University of Utah in 1995, Fuamatu-Ma'afala was named Freshman of the Year in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) after rushing for 834 yards and nine touchdowns for the Utes.
During the season opening loss at the Utah State Aggies, Fuamatu-Ma'afala carried the ball 14 times for 49 yards.
Against the Stanford Cardinal, Fuamatu-Ma'afala rushed the ball 21 times for 64 yards and a three-yard touchdown.
[3] In the home opener against the Fresno State Bulldogs, Fuamatu-Ma'afala rushed the ball 29 times for 169 yards.
[7] On October 18, 1996, the day before the Utes victory over Tulsa, Fuamatu-Ma'afala underwent knee surgery,[8] and missed the next three games, returning to play in the regular season finale against the BYU Cougars.
[9] Two days after Christmas in the Copper Bowl loss to the Wisconsin Badgers, he carried the ball only four times for five yards before suffering a sprained ankle in the first quarter of play.
He rushed for only 814 yard on 154 carries and four touchdowns, which was good enough for second best on the team, behind Juan Johnson,[11] and 12th in the WAC.
[12] Fuamatu-Ma'afala was selected in the sixth round (178th overall) of the 1998 NFL draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers.
During the Steelers week five win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, Fuamatu-Ma'afala rushed the ball seven times for 51 yards and one touchdown.
During a week three win over the Buffalo Bills, he carried the ball one time for a 22-yard touchdown, and two receptions for two yards.
In a week 12 victory over the Minnesota Vikings, Fuamatu-Ma'afala ran the ball 12 times for 74 yards.
In the season opening loss to the New England Patriots, Fuamatu-Ma'afala recorded one reception for six yards.
Fuamatu-Ma'afala returned to play in the week four win over the Cleveland Browns, carrying the ball five times for 20 yards.
In the AFC Divisional Championship loss to the Titans, he recorded one reception for five yards.
On particular occasions when he was involved in a crucial play, Chris Berman would often parody the Isaac Hayes classic "Theme From Shaft" by saying "He's a Bad Ma'afala!"
During the week 13 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Fuamatu-Ma'afala rushed the ball once for five yards.
During a week 16 win over the New Orleans Saints, Fuamatu-Ma'afala ran the ball five times for 15 yards.
In 2004, his seventh and final season in the National Football League, Fuamatu-Ma'afala appeared in only seven games.
He returned during a week 11 loss to the Tennessee Titans, where he carried the ball three times for 12 yards.
During a week 13 loss to his former team, the Steelers, Fuamatu-Ma'afala carried the ball six times for 20 yards.
In the week 16 shut out loss to the Texans, Fuamatu-Ma'afala carried the ball four times for 25 yards.
[19] ESPN personality Stuart Scott often referred to Fumatu-Ma'afala as "a bad Ma'afala" when featuring one of his highlights.
In order to be a positive role model for youth throughout Hawaii and serve the community, Fuamatu-Ma'afala holds an annual sports clinic for youth to improve on their basic athletic abilities and works in other ways to help teens choose positive activities.