His 1996, '97, and '98 Panther football teams won the Palomar League and CIF titles.
As a senior, Tinoisamoa recorded 75 tackles (12 for loss), six sacks, and three fumble recoveries (one for a score) and offensively, rushed for 1,600 yards and 23 touchdowns and he became the first-ever player ever in San Diego County history to make First-team All-CIF on both offense and defense.
At the University of Hawaii, Tinoisamoa recorded 289 tackles (210 solo) with 15.5 sacks, 11 QB pressures, six forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, nine passes defensed, two interceptions, and one blocked field goal while starting 27 of 35 games for Rainbow Warriors.
He was a First-team All-Western Athletic Conference pick and was the recipient of the Alec Waterhouse Award, given to team's Most Valuable Player as he led team with career-high 129 tackles (89 solo), with 6.5 sacks, 18 tackles for loss, eight QB pressures, two interceptions, five passes defensed, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, and blocked kick.
Tinoisamoa was selected out of the University of Hawaii by the St. Louis Rams in the second round (43rd overall) of the 2003 NFL draft.
The 2006 season saw him play in 11 games after breaking his hand versus the Chicago Bears on December 11.
Hand, knee, shoulder, elbow, and ankle injuries struck in '06 and '07, forcing Tinoisamoa to miss 12 of 32 games.