what happened to puka nacua dad

Puka Nacuas father, Lionel Nacua, passed away in 2012 at the age of 45 due to complications from diabetes. Puka lost his father at a young age, and he says that his dad is the reason hes now a professional football player. Lionel Nacua was one of Pukas first football coaches as a youth, and he got a young Puka to break down film and choose that over watching SpongeBob SquarePants. Lionel Nacua bounced between father figure and coach for Puka and his brothers, and the family had a fandom for Brigham Young football, as the father hoped his boys would become a Cougar one day.