The former University of Hawaii standout confirmed last night that he reached a multi-year agreement with the Raiders and said he was happy to be back in the National Football League.
''It's sort of like a new beginning for me,'' the soft-spoken Faumui said. ''I'm looking forward to contributing to their football team any way I can. It's good to be playing football again.''
Faumui has been out of the league since being released last summer by the Pittsburgh Steelers. Nagging injuries kept him from seeing a lot of playing time with the team that drafted him in the fourth round in 1994, but he said last night he's 100 percent.
''This is a positive situation for Taase,'' Faumui's agent, John Wilbur, said. ''This is a fresh start for him. He's in an aggressive 4-3 defense that's more upfield-oriented than the 3-4 they ran at Pittsburgh.''
Faumui and Denver Broncos lineman Maa Tanuvasa were key reasons the Rainbows finished 11-2 in 1992, including a Holiday Bowl victory over the University of Illinois.
That season, Faumui finished with 54 tackles and four quarterback sacks. He had six sacks and 102 career tackles for the Rainbows. Those numbers caught the eye of Carolina Panthers head coach Dom Capers, who was then the defensive coordinator for the Steelers.
He left that organization in 1995 to join the Panthers' staff. Faumui was released at the 60-man cutdown later that summer.
''It was tough living in Pittsburgh because it was so far from home,'' Faumui said. ''That's why I'm glad to be going to the Raiders because it's on the West Coast and closer to Hawaii. I also have family in the area, so it really works out well for me.''
Wilbur said Faumui will take part in all the Raiders' minicamps this spring. Faumui's quick first step and ability to get upfield should work well for the defensive end in the Raiders' 4-3 system.
''I like an attacking defense like what they run at Oakland,'' Faumui said. ''In the 3-4, you had to wait for the play to come to you, then react. Oakland's defense is better suited for me.''