Penisimani (Ben) Allison was born in San Bernardino, CA and moved to Utah as a youth. The son of an African American father and Samoan mother, he excelled in many different sports including track and basketball. An all-state football player at Ogden High, Allison verbally committed to BYU in early 1999, then says he decided to enroll at Utah as a TE because he grew close to Ron McBride. How much of his decision to change came as a result of his partial-qualifier status is unclear. Upon signing, McBride predicted: "He (Allison) and the Savage kid (Josh) are going to be real good."

Because of his partial qualifier status, Allison did not play in 1999. The next season looked more promising, and Allison began practicing with the Utes in August 2000. He also got married around this time, but it was at another family member's wedding in West Jordan where Ben was shot on Aug. 24, 2000.

A self-professed gang banger, Allison says that he was trying to get out of ganging when the shooting happened. He claimed that during the family festivities, a fight broke out in the parking lot between members of his family who were involved in gang activities, and rival gang members.

As Allison tried to break up the fight, two shots were fired. One hit a bystander in the leg, but the serious gunshot wound was to Ben who was hit squarely in the chest. The 9 mm slug penetrated his right chest, collapsed his lung, and lodged in the rear cavity wall of his lung. Ben said that he knew right away that he had been shot. He said "Everything started to get dark, and all of a sudden, it was like people were moving in slow motion." He was life-flighted to LDS Hospital and put in intensive care.

However, no bones were broken and Ben's superior conditioning allowed him to plan to return to practice only 10 days after the shooting. He jogged his first day back, but landed back in the hospital after he began to bleed internally. After realizing that recovery may take longer than previously thought, Ben secured a red shirt for the 2000 season, but still worked out with the team in September and October, when a rash of thefts to team lockers occurred. The University Police were asked by Ron McBride to investigate the thefts, and detectives placed a baited wallet containing $110 in a locker. Police determined that the thief was Ben Allison.

On Nov. 9, 2000, Allison was dropped from the football team and lost his scholarship. A month later he was charged with 3 counts of misdemeanor theft, for taking more than $450 from teammates as they practiced.

Of the shooting and the thefts, Allison has said: "I'd rather be shot." He said, "I let my teammates down, I let everybody down. I apologized to the team, but everybody was in shock."

With nowhere to go, Allison moved to Modesto, CA where his pregnant wife Christina Nuno's family lived. He enrolled at Modesto Junior College and tried to start a new life, away from bad influences and bitter memories. Encouragement and advice were handed out by Nuno family members, including Carlos Nuno, former TE for BYU, and Daniel Nuno, a TE teammate on the JuCo team. The change of scenery seemed to do the trick, and Allison quickly became MJC's leading receiver while gathering a 3.5 GPA with a full load of classes.

According to an interview with the SL Trib, Allison quit drinking and smoking. He started taking school and church seriously. "Once I got squared away mentally and spiritually," Ben said, "everything fell into place." He earned an AA by summer 2002, enabling him to transfer back to a Div I school with 2 years of playing eligibility.

Although he received offers from other Div I schools, Allison wanted to go back to McBride and Utah. To pave the way for Ben's return, McBride talked to the players before Allison arrived on campus, and told them that they would have to accept him. Nonetheless, Allison was nervous about his reception from fellow teammates, whose trust in him had been broken by his past actions.

In an interview shortly before rejoining the Utes, Allison said that he planned to apologize again and ask for a second chance. He hoped they would give him one.

To indicate his new lease on life, Allison changed his name to Moa, to honor his mother's father.

(Sources: SL Trib and Modesto Bee. Boardmail me for exacts)