BOWLING GREEN — Blocking defensive players on the gridiron isn’t the only area in which Tunde Fatukasi excels in.
The 6-foot-5, 320-pound senior offensive lineman for Bowling Green State University’s football team has a talent that can get his teammates, community members, and college football fans across the country pumped up.
Fatukasi displayed his impressive drum-playing ability by joining the Falcon Marching Band for a song during a BGSU season ticket holder party on Saturday at Doyt Perry Stadium. With his football teammates cheering and dancing along, Fatukasi showcased his musical skills in a viral video that was posted on BGSU football’s X account (formerly Twitter).
“It feels really good because my teammates are my brothers,” Fatukasi said of seeing the excitement from his fellow Falcons when he started playing. “I kind of look at this organization as my family, from coaches, from trainers, even from the fans.
“This organization is my family, so seeing everybody being uplifted, energy’s going, it gets me going, as well.”
The energetic video in which Fatukasi goes up and down BGSU’s drumline and plays several different snare drums and a cymbal has been viewed more than 24,000 times as of Tuesday afternoon. Multiple other outlets, including the Mid-American Conference X account, posted the video, as well, leading to thousands of more views.
Beats By Tunde Part ✌️
— BGSU Football (@BG_Football) August 24, 2024
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It’s not the first time Fatukasi has gotten recognized for his talents. Two years ago, a similar video of him playing the drums went viral when BGSU football posted it on social media accounts. But it was still cool for Fatukasi to see.
“Big guys getting some love, we barely get any love,” he said. “But it feels kind of good.”
After BGSU completed an open football practice, the marching band joined them for an entertaining session. BGSU director of athletic bands Jon Waters had a couple of events planned, like teaching the team the school’s fight song and alma mater.
A spur-of-the-moment decision by Waters turned into a memorable few minutes.
“We wanted to play a couple things for them, and I thought, well let’s play. And then sort of on the spot, I just thought, ‘I wonder if there are any players that play an instrument,’” Waters said. “So I said ‘Hey, any of you guys play the drums?’
“And the whole team starts chanting ‘Tunde, Tunde.’ So they pushed him out there. Our drum section leader gave him his drum sticks, and he went to town on the snare drum. He’s got some good skills.”
Fatukasi, a self-taught drummer who started when he was 6, played right in beat with the Falcons’ band while adding some flare of his own at the end. When he finished, numerous teammates ran up to him to celebrate.
Running back Terion Stewart yells out a loud ‘Yeah!’ while the crowd, band, and other teammates cheer, as well.
“It was definitely a lot of fun. He is a showman,” BGSU senior tight end Levi Gazarek said. “He played into the crowd and got everybody fired up. It was so fun to see him rock out on the drums like that.
“I think it brings a lot of joy to everybody when you see one of your teammates showing off something that they’re really good at other than football. So when you see somebody like Tunde that you normally just see playing football, then all of the sudden he grabs some drum sticks and starts doing that, it really fires everybody up.”
Fatukasi admitted he was a little shy playing at first because of the crowd and everyone watching. But after a while, he was able to calm his nerves.
“I’m just like you know what, I’m with my family, so let me just do it for them,” Fatukasi said.
Fatukasi, who came to BGSU in 2022 after spending the previous two seasons at Rutgers, has appeared in 18 of the Falcons’ 26 games — including 11 starts — since joining the program. According to BGSU’s depth chart for Thursday night’s season opener against Fordham, Fatukasi is projected to start at right guard.
Gazarek said Fatukasi “has a big personality” and always has a smile on his face.
“He’s really come a long way over the past couple years, and it’s so awesome to see him succeed on and off the field,” Gazarek said.
Fatukasi’s love for playing the drums started at an early age. The New York native played at the church he attended multiple times per week.
“Every time I went to church, I would go to the choir and drum every Sunday. If there was somebody else or the actual drummer was there, I would ask them ‘can I drum?’” Fatukasi said. “Just watching YouTube videos 24/7, mimicking what’s on YouTube to like, I was playing on silver bowls and everything. That was just something I usually did when I was young, and it kind of carried over to my grown up stages because I still kind of air drum a little bit. I still try to find some time to jam out.”
Fatukasi, part of a musically-inclined family that includes older brothers Folorunso Fatukasi (defensive tackle for the Houston Texans) and Olakunle Fatukasi (practice squad player for multiple NFL teams the past two years), said he takes a lot of pride in being able to play the drums.
Bringing together music and football like he did is something the BGSU community certainly appreciates.
“That moment, to me, summed up what a great tradition college football is in America,” Waters said. “... What is more unique than college football with a great marching band, with a great team, with great students, and the whole thing just embodied for me in that one fun moment everything that we know college football to be.
“These are all student athletes and student musicians. Many different backgrounds, many different interests, and there on the field, there are 425 band members and 110 football players jamming to some tunes. It was a lot of fun.”
First Published August 27, 2024, 10:24 p.m.
