There is always room to be better and there is always room to grow.
That’s one of the most important lessons that Ziyon Elisara Laulu learned from his father, Enitima Laulu Jr., who everyone in the High Desert football community simply knew as Big June or Junior.
Ziyon Laulu has been thinking about his father’s legacy a lot these days as Laulu will be laid to rest Monday afternoon, Sept. 8, at Desert View Memorial Park in Victorville.
Ziyon Laulu describes his father as a man full of love, with a sense of humor like no other.
“No matter how long you’ve met him, he loved you no matter what it was,” said Ziyon Laulu, who graduated from Barstow High School in 2024. “I can best describe my dad as a man that loved his music. He loved his family and he loved being in the church.
“My dad had nothing but the utmost integrity when it came to doing anything. If he had a job to do he made sure to get it done. He was a man of his word whether it was something small, or something big he had to do, he still did it.”
Ziyon Laulu said his father collapsed on Aug. 4. Ziyon Laulu remembers seeing his father motionless and quickly called 911.
The ambulance rushed Laulu to Barstow Community Hospital, where it was determined he suffered a stroke and fell. Laulu later got airlifted to Arrowhead Regional Medical Center in Colton.
There, Ziyon Laulu said his father didn’t speak but was able to listen to family members and squeeze their hands.
On Aug. 6, after spending all day at the hospital, Ziyon Laulu, his cousins and grandfather left for Barstow around 9 p.m. Shortly after getting back home in Barstow, Ziyon Laulu remembers receiving a call around 11 p.m.
“My dad wasn’t doing too good and wasn’t passing the eye light test and we had to get down there,” Ziyon Laulu said. “We’re back down there and they determined my dad brain dead at 2:54 a.m. We all held on and prayed for a sign from my dad and we all held on all the way until we pulled the plug.”
Big June was pronounced dead at 12:45 a.m. two days later on Aug. 9. He was 46.
A pillar in football community
Laulu grew up in a military family with two brothers and two sisters.
Ziyon Laulu said his father grew up playing football, but also especially loved music. Playing the drums, guitar and ukulele, in particular.
“My dad was born and raised in the house of the lord and he played in the church’s band as their drummer,” Ziyon Laulu said. “My dad coached for over 16 years. He coached youth football where he built a good relationship with a lot of the players.”
At the high school level, Laulu spent time coaching at Barsow, Adelanto and most recently at Silver Valley High School, developing linemen.
Barstow head coach Clayton Leleimene describes Laulu as more than a coach and friend.
He considered Laulu as family.
With his uplifting sense of humor, Laulu’s mission was to inspire young athletes to not just be great players, but better human beings.
“During our time together, he gave everything he had,” Leleimene said. “Not just on the field but in the way he carried himself and lifted up the people around him. To the football community, coach Laulu was a pillar who was respected, dependable and always there when you needed him. His legacy will always live on through Barstow football and the many lives he touched.”
At Silver Valley’s season-opener, his purple outdoor chair rested out past the end zone, with a No. 74 jersey laid across the chair with a large picture of him.
He was there in spirit, along with his wife Tasha, Ziyon and other family members.
“We are forever grateful for the time we had with coach Junior,” Silver Valley head coach Austin Crank said. “His impact on these young men and women, us as coaches, and this football program as a whole will never be forgotten. His passion, positivity, and smile will be our reasons for this season and many more.”
This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Junior Laulu is remembered for his sense of humor, love of music, and passion for coaching football
Reporting by Jose Quintero, Victorville Daily Press / Victorville Daily Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
