Shaun Nua Named Assistant Football Coach At The Naval Academy

Navy head football coach Ken Niumatalolo announced today that Shaun Nua has joined the staff as an assistant coach and will assist Dale Pehrson in coaching the defensive line. Niumatalolo also announced that Justin Davis will move from the defensive line to assist Tony Grantham at outside linebackers. Nua replaces Napoleon Sykes, who left Navy in January to coach at UNC-Charlotte.
Nua comes to the Naval Academy from Brigham Young, where he assisted for the past three seasons. He is a 2005 graduate of BYU where he received his bachelor's degree and is currently pursuing his graduate degree.
Over the past two seasons, Nua helped the Cougars achieve the nation's 24th-best total defense in 2010 and the 13th-ranked defense in 2011. BYU won its bowl games both years while finishing the 2011 season ranked No. 25 in the final USA Today Coaches Poll with a 10-3 record.
"Shaun is a bright and enthusiastic coach and I'm very excited to have him join our staff," said Navy head coach Ken Niumatalolo. "He is a man of character and coaches with a great deal of passion. I went to BYU last spring to watch a couple of spring practices and he immediately caught my attention with the way he coached. He will be a great asset."
"I am very excited to be at Navy," said Nua. "I have so much respect for these young men and what they do here at the Naval Academy and what they are going to do after graduation. I am fired up about having a role in helping these young men progress on the football field and I am very grateful that Coach Niumatalolo has given me this opportunity." "Shaun is an exceptional coach and an exceptional person," said Brigham Young head coach Bronco Mendenhall. "He has an outstanding defensive mind blended with great optimism, and he is an excellent teacher who cares for the players in his charge. Our players and coaches are sorry to see him leave, but excited for him and his opportunity at Navy. Shaun has a very bright future in the coaching profession." As a player, Nua was a 6-foot-5, 280-pound defensive end at BYU from 2002-04 before being drafted in the seventh round of the 2005 NFL Draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers. Nua played four years in the NFL, three seasons with Pittsburgh and one in Buffalo, including a winning trip to the Super Bowl with the Steelers his rookie year in 2006.
Nua earned All-Mountain West Conference Second-Team honors as a senior. He played in all 23 games of his BYU career, appearing in 12 games his junior season in 2002 and 11 games as a senior in 2004 (redshirted in 2003 due to an injury). He totaled 54 tackles in his two seasons, including 10 sacks and 16 tackles for loss. His four sacks were second on the team behind longtime NFL veteran Brady Poppinga his junior season, while his six sacks led the Cougars his senior year.
Born on May 22, 1981, Nua is a native of Pago Pago, American Samoa. He transferred to BYU from Eastern Arizona Junior College, where he earned junior college All-America honors. He prepped at Tafuna High School in Tafuna, American Samoa where he was an all-league performer as a defensive end.

Navy head coach's playbook of principles

Walk past the football coach’s office Monday around 4 a.m., and you will find him alone, his back to the door, studying a book on his desk. It’s in the quiet solitude of those predawn hours that Navy’s head man, Ken Niumatalolo, becomes immersed in his playbook.
Not his football strategies, his scriptural playbook, the Book of Mormon.
“It’s his personal time. No one will bother him until he turns back forward in his desk,” said Barbara Niumatalolo, the coach’s wife. “If something touches him, he goes back to it during the day. It’s usually something he needs to hear to prepare him for that day.”
Daily scripture study is just one of many key strategies in Niumatalolo’s personal playbook of principles. Devotion to family, church service and living the gospel have helped the Mormon coach endure the rigors and stress of the college coaching lifestyle from Hawaii to Annapolis, Md., for almost two decades. Much of his success can be traced to something he learned at an early age.
“For me, growing up as a member of the church, I always knew as long as you are obedient, the Lord will bless you and everything will work out,” Niumatalolo said. “Gospel principles are universal.”
Putting the Lord first
Niumatalolo was born the fifth of seven children to Simi and Lamala Niumatalolo, who moved to Hawaii from American Samoa. He grew up in a small, tin-roof house on stilts 200 yards off the north shore of Oahu. His father worked for the Coast Guard before retiring to work in food services at the Polynesian Cultural Center. Two grandmothers and an uncle lived with the family, so space was limited. The family held tight to its Samoan roots.
“We weren’t rich, but we weren’t poor,” Niumatalolo said.
Niumatalolo led Radford High to a state title as a junior and finished his senior year 22-1 as the starting quarterback, then accepted a scholarship to the University of Hawaii. But even as his college career began, Niumatalolo felt out of place.
“I had accomplished my goal of getting a Division I scholarship but still wasn’t happy, and I knew why,” the coach said. “I was trying to mask the feeling that I needed to go on a mission.”
He submitted his papers and was called to speak Spanish in Ventura, Calif. From many lessons, a theme emerged that would stay with him for the rest of his life: “As you put the Lord first, everything else will work out.”

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USC's Kennedy Polamalu is going back to his roots

August 15, 2011|By Gary Klein

USC took Monday off from practice, but players still attended meetings in preparation for their Sept. 3 opener against Minnesota.

That gave USC's running backs coach another chance to quiz and encourage his charges.

"I've finally got the [meeting] room the way I always had it," the coach formerly known as Kennedy Pola said last week.

Much has changed since the former Trojans fullback returned to USC in 2010 for his second stint as an assistant coach.

His name, for one.

It won't be official until all of the legal paperwork he initiated has been processed, but he already is listed as Kennedy Polamalu in the school's 2011 media guide.

"It's something I'd wanted to do for a while," he said of adopting his given surname.

His family shortened the name to Pola after leaving American Samoa for California in the mid-1970s.

Polamalu began the process of legally changing it back while preparing for a return to Samoa in June. He was part of a contingent that included former USC players Rey Maualuga, Deuce Lutui, Malaefou MacKenzie and others who returned to Samoa for a football camp sponsored by his nephew, former Trojans All-American and Pittsburgh Steelers safety Troy Polamalu.

"It helped my children because when they got to see the family, they're all Polamalus," he said. "When my family got to see where I'm from and how I grew up, it was really cool."

As Pola, he played at USC from 1982 to 1985. He coached as an assistant from 2000 to 2003 before joining the Cleveland Browns' staff in 2004 and then coaching with the Jacksonville Jaguars for five seasons.

He was preparing for his first season with the Tennessee Titans when Trojans Coach Lane Kiffin brought him back to USC. The Titans sued USC and Kiffin, but the NFL team and the school announced in April that they had reached a "mutually satisfying arrangement" to end the lawsuit.

Polamalu was just happy to re-immerse himself in college football.

"I was scrambling at first," he said. "The information that is available [on recruits] is unbelievable now.

"All that you hear, and the YouTube stuff. … They all look good on their highlight reel. But I like to see them in person and see how they prepare and handle themselves."

Polamalu inherited a position group that included several upperclassmen, including seniors Allen Bradford, Stanley Havili and C.J. Gable and junior Marc Tyler.

All but Tyler are gone now, leaving Polamalu with a mostly younger group.

"Guys last year — they didn't know me," he said. "I was trying to teach a foundation they didn't have. Now they know what I expect."

Mids extend Niumatalolo 'formula' with long-term contract

By BILL WAGNER, Staff Writer

Published 04/22/11

Toward the end of the 2010 season, the internet was rampant with rumors about Navy head coach Ken Niumatalolo. At various times, Niumatalolo was linked to the vacancies at Minnesota and Vanderbilt while other schools were reportedly interested in luring the up and coming coach away from Annapolis.
Neither Niumatalolo nor athletic director Chet Gladchuk wanted to go through that annual exercise anymore, so they agreed on a long-term contract that should end speculation about the coach’s future.
"A formula for the continued success of our football program has been our commitment to quality continuity," Gladchuk said in a statement.
"Keeping our excellent staff in place has always been a goal and that begins with our outstanding and accomplished head coach. We now have a road map in place that can allow for Kenny to continue leading our team for years to come. I have always felt strongly that Coach Niumatalolo is the perfect fit for Navy and Navy is the perfect fit for Kenny."
Terms of the contract were not disclosed, but both sides indicated Niumatalolo is now guaranteed more years and a higher base salary. Evan Beard, the coach's agent, repeatedly used the description "long-term" and said the deal provides Niumatalolo with the opportunity to "be at the Naval Academy for quite a long time." Beard would not reveal financial elements, but called the contract "far and away the most lucrative of all the service academies."

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Anae Joins Football Staff

Jan. 11, 2011

Robert Anae, a 17-year Division I coaching veteran, was hired today by Mike Stoops to be offensive line coach and running game coordinator at the University of Arizona.
Anae, 52, has been offensive coordinator and inside receivers coach at Brigham Young for the past six seasons and has a strong background in offensive football as a former BYU player under LaVell Edwards and five years spent in Lubbock, Texas, on then coach Mike Leach's Texas Tech staff from 2000-04.
"Robert's a perfect fit for what we're doing," Stoops said. "He brings a ton of experience to our program. He's been a successful coach wherever he's been, and he'll be a great asset in our recruiting," Stoops said.
"I look forward to this opportunity. It's like a jump-start to my coaching career, again," Anae said. "It's very refreshing to be here and I'm eager to work with the staff and players. I really think we're on the verge of something special on offense and I'm grateful to Mike for the opportunity." he said.
Anae replaces Bill Bedenbaugh, who worked as Stoops' offensive line coach since 2007 and co-offensive coordinator in 2010. Seth Littrell, running back and tight ends coach, will take over solo offensive coordinator duties for UA after serving with Bedenbaugh last year in his second year on the staff, Stoops said.
Anae began his coaching career as a graduate assistant working with the offensive line at Hawaii in 1986-87, working Dick Tomey's final season in Honolulu before he took the Arizona job. He then was a grad assistant for a pair of years at BYU in 1990 and 1991 before coaching the offensive line at Ricks College in Idaho from 1992-95.

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Tomey: Hiring of Robert Anae as assistant coach is a ‘win-win’

by Anthony Gimino

Less than an hour after coach Mike Stoops offered an assistant coaching position to Robert Anae — who accepted — the former BYU offensive coordinator called the man who gave him his first coaching job.

Dick Tomey.

“He is really fired up about being a Wildcat,” Tomey said Tuesday night from his home in Hawaii.

“I have talked to him several times, and he is so excited about coming to Tucson. … He is fortunate to be coming to Arizona, and Arizona is fortunate he’s coming. It’s a win-win.”

Arizona athletic director Greg Byrne broke news of the hiring on his Twitter account on Tuesday night, although it was already well-known that Anae was likely to replace offensive line coach and co-offensive coach Bill Bedenbaugh, who is leaving for West Virginia.

Still to be determined (or announced) is whether Anae will handle any of the coordinator or play-calling duties.

Anae, 52, was a standout offensive lineman for BYU and played on the Cougars’ 1984 national championship squad. One the BYU’s closest calls in that undefeated season was an 18-13 victory over Tomey’s Hawaii team.

“We played against him. He and his brother (Brad, a defensive end) were both great players. They were a thorn in our side,” Tomey said.

“His dad was a great coach on the islands, and we were fortunate enough that Robert elected to come with as a graduate assistant.”

Anae was Hawaii’s offensive line coach in 1986, Tomey’s last year at Hawaii before becoming the head coach at Arizona.

Anae’s most notable coaching assignments after that were as the offensive line coach for Mike Leach at Texas Tech from 2000 to 2004 and then as the offensive coordinator for BYU head coach Bronco Mendenhall after that. Anae resigned under pressure after this season as Mendenhall opted for sweeping changes.

Anae is known for his no-nonsense, demanding style of coaching.

“I’m a tough guy,” he said in a 2005 interview with the Deseret News. “That’s how I coach, how I live, how I am, how I played.”

Tomey said Arizona is getting a coach with a reputation for being strong in the fundamentals of the offensive line position.

“First of all, he has a strong coaching base because he played under Lavell Edwards and his coaching staff, and you know the kind of teams they had,” Tomey said.

“He was a winner as a player at BYU, and he certainly has been a winner as a coach. He has coached on some real outstanding teams with Coach Leach at Texas Tech and with Bronco at BYU. Arizona is getting someone who is used to winning.

“He coached some tremendous lines at Tech that were adept at pass protection. At BYU, they combined a Tech system with a more traditional running game, and they ran the ball very effectively.”

As it turns out, Tomey launched the careers of both new Arizona coaches. Last month, Stoops added defensive tackles coach Joe Salave’a, who started with Tomey at San Jose State in 2008.

That coaching combination should invigorate Arizona’s efforts to recruit Polynesian players.

The Samoan-born Salave’a is well-known in the Polynesian community because of his NFL career and his football camps on the islands. Anae has extremely strong ties, growing up on the North Shore of Hawaii and attending Kahuku High School, where his late father, Famika, was the long-time football coach.

“This is the best tandem of guys recruiting Polynesian players, wherever they exist in the country,” Tomey said. “You can’t have two guys who are better connected.”

Tomey said it was special to him to have Salave’a and Anae on Stoops’ coaching staff.

“I’m just thrilled to death, because I believe in Mike and what he’s doing,” Tomey said. “And these are two guys I really believe in.

“Joe is becoming an outstanding coach and Robert is already established. It’s neat for me because I root for the Wildcats every week.”

Coach steering El Camino football program in right direction

By Don Norcross

Thursday, November 18, 2010 at 10:58 p.m.

El Camino coach Pulu Poumele has high expectations for the Wildcats.

Sensing his players didn’t understand the school’s storied football history when he took over as head coach at El Camino High last year, Pulu Poumele marched his squad into the gymnasium.

There on a wall hangs a brown and gold banner listing the Wildcats’ section championships: 1976, 1982, 1984, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993 and 1999. Eight titles. Four in a five-year span.

Of the history lesson, Wildcats senior Ryan Ena said, “It changed players’ mindsets. (We thought) why not continue the legacy?”

The Wildcats (5-5) open the San Diego Section Division I playoffs tonight, hosting Otay Ranch (6-4). While a .500 record won’t awaken the ghosts of El Camino greats like Toussaint Tyler, Dokie Williams and Bryant Westbrook, it’s a start. Consider that El Camino suffered losing records six of the past seven seasons, including a 4-8 mark in Poumele’s first season.

“We’re taking baby steps,” El Camino Principal Dan Daris said.

Daris knows football. He was the section Player of the Year in 1975 at Oceanside High and was an assistant coach for 10 years under Herb Meyer, the architect of El Camino’s tradition.

Last Friday the Wildcats took a Bob Beamonesque, how-did-they-do-that leap toward respectability, beating crosstown rival Oceanside 24-14. The Pirates, winners of six straight section titles, were soundly beaten, not scoring until the fourth period. Oceanside had won eight of the previous nine meetings between the schools.

How stunning was the upset?

El Camino players said the week of the game students and teachers at school asked them not if they were going to upset Oceanside, but by how many points were they going to lose.

“I’m serious,” said running back Xavier Finney. “Teachers and staff members. They didn’t believe in us.”

After the game, Poumele was approached by Oceanside coach John Carroll.

“Pulu, congratulations,” Carroll said as he shook Poumele’s hand. “Your kids played a heckuva game.”

Poumele was an all-section lineman as a senior in 1989 at Oceanside High, Carroll’s first year as Pirates head coach. He was an assistant under Carroll from 2000 to 2007, serving as defensive coordinator the last four seasons.

A towering presence at 6 feet 3, 315 pounds, Poumele described earning his mentor’s praise as “humbling.”

“It was special (beating Carroll),” said Poumele. “A lot of what I do I learned from him, preparation and attention to detail. He’s always been a resource to me. I respect him with every inch of my mind and body.”

Poumele, 38, said his first challenge at El Camino was changing the culture, specifically what’s expected from the players. He implemented a taxing circuit drill in the summer of 2009, the players running steps, jumping rope, running up ramps and executing quick-feet drills with minimum rest.

“We didn’t do this last year,” one of the players said.

“That’s right, you didn’t,” replied Poumele. “And I don’t care whether you like it or not. This is my ship, and I’m going to run it the way I want. There’s a road right there, and you can take off if you want.”

Said sophomore Justin Williams, a starting fullback and linebacker and the team’s leading rusher, “He demands 100 percent and we respect that.”

Poumele’s expectations extend to the classroom. He requires that players be passing five classes with no grade lower than a “C,” standards that are stricter than the Oceanside Unified School District and the San Diego Section.

He said coaches check on the players’ progress weekly. If a player slips below Poumele’s standards, they’re required to attend study hall. If they miss more than one study hall they sit out at least one quarter of a game. More than one starter has missed playing time this season because they didn’t meet Poumele’s standards.

“Football is our vehicle to teach kids real life lessons,” Poumele said. “I want to mold men as well as football players. That’s why I’m in it.”

Vanderbilt assistant Rick Logo puts football before family

By Jeff Lockridge • THE TENNESSEAN • October 29, 2010 

Rick Logo was in his early 20s and a football player at North Carolina State when he was summoned 6,000 miles away to the South Pacific. The question of his future was at hand.

Instead of continuing the life he knew in the United States, Logo was asked to assume his grandfather's position as a high chief in American Samoa, overseeing an extended family that encompasses hundreds of people on the island and around the globe.

He turned it down.

"I haven't looked back since," said Logo, Vanderbilt's defensive tackles coach in his fifth season.

"Culturally, I probably wasn't qualified to take on that role as my grandfather wished. It would take a lot of years of training. My wishes, and my parents' wishes, were for me to finish school. I was able to fulfill what I wanted to do in coaching athletics."

Logo, 40, is presently focused on stopping the offense of Arkansas (5-2, 2-2 SEC) when the Commodores (2-5, 1-3) visit Fayetteville at 6 p.m. Saturday.

Had he become a matai, or high chief, his daily responsibilities would be vastly different.

"A chief helps organize affairs, especially for the extended family that meets for funerals, weddings, title ceremonies, land disputes and all the political stuff," said Bradd Shore, an anthropology professor at Emory University with an expertise in Samoan culture.

"The chiefs also have a role as members of the fono, an organization that runs villages and districts. A chief is someone who has incredible responsibility. It's not simply power. It means the people can call on you for help."

The son of a U.S. military policeman, Logo called Santa Ana, Calif., home as a child and later lived at several military bases. He attended high school in Columbus, Ga.

Logo's heritage was brought back to the forefront in August, when his mother, Lupe, died at age 61. Logo missed two weeks of preseason practice to deal with the funeral details in Seattle. Samoans from all over attended, including the family's current matai.

"Talk about an event for just one person coming in — cooking for two days to have him," Logo said. "We showed our proper respect. It's an honor for him to fly all the way from the island to be there because of my mom."

Unusual circumstances

In 1992, Logo was a senior defensive tackle for Coach Dick Sheridan and an N.C. State staff that included Vanderbilt coaches Robbie Caldwell, Jimmy Kiser and Ted Cain. That year Logo received word from the Red Cross about his grandfather's failing health. He was on the first flight to American Samoa."There was a discussion of who was going to be the next high chief," Logo said. "There were people more qualified than I was, and it was carried on to my uncles. But I had the opportunity addressed to me."

Logo's uncanny resemblance to his grandfather played a major role in him being offered the title. Such a decision is made collectively by the family, specifically those who claim to be heirs, but special consideration is given to the current matai's opinion.

It is uncommon for a person of Logo's age at the time to be offered this title. It is just as uncommon for someone to turn it down.

Damon Salesa, an associate professor at the University of Michigan with a background in Pacific Island studies, has a Samoan parent and is a matai himself.

Salesa agreed to a title as long as he could live in the United States and have limited obligations. He said Logo needed tremendous courage to face that pressure and choose his own path.

"I wasn't as strong as him, I suspect," Salesa said. "For me, as for him, this is something that is deeply important. Not just because of the status it gives you, but because it builds a relationship that can never be broken. Even though he declined, it's a sign of how much he means to his family."

Logo's story back then was profiled in Sports Illustrated and numerous newspapers. He was reported to be in line for "the throne" of American Samoa in some articles, terminology that makes Logo smile because there are so many titles on the island.

"That's a poor translation of a Samoan chief into the American imagination," Shore said.

Respect over riches

Logo would have led a comfortable life on the island. Family is obligated to support its matai's financial needs as best it can, especially regarding travel. While it might not have been a life all Americans would deem luxurious, it has its perks.Your family will cook for you," Salesa said. "No one wants a skinny matai. People will bring you what they can afford. By Samoan understandings, it's a tremendous luxury to be surrounded by so much respect and love. "And if your family is wealthy, it might mean a Cadillac. If your family is not wealthy, it might just mean the best food in the village on your table. But you're well looked after in all sorts of ways."

Logo, who signed with the Detroit Lions out of N.C. State but never played due to injury, generally avoids the topic of his opportunity 18 years ago.

"You have to pry it out of him because he's such a humble guy," Caldwell said. "But he had to actually get permission to go play pro ball and try coaching and take his name out of succession, which was a big, big thing."

Every season Vanderbilt's defensive linemen make sure they pass down the word on the status that Logo passed up.

"Whenever we go over to their house, we ask his wife, Folole, 'So, Coach Logo could be a king right now?' " junior T.J. Greenstone said. "She explained the whole situation, and he could definitely have some royalty over there in the islands. But he loves what he's doing here."

'Been quite a journey' for Navy coach and local boy

By Ferd Lewis

POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Sep 06, 2010

There were nights when Ken Niumatalolo turned on the small television in his cramped Makiki apartment to catch a glimpse of Monday Night Football while wondering if his dogged pursuit of a coaching job would ever pay off.

There he was a 26-year old graduate student coach running errands for full-time University of Hawai'i coaches and counting on wife Barbara's job to help pay the bills.

Today the Radford High graduate will be on Monday football, or a collegiate version of it, anyway, when the Navy team he coaches plays Maryland.

"It has," Niumatalolo acknowledges, "been quite a journey."

He's gone from fetching the head coach's exercise bike and delivering assistant coaches' lunches to helping resurrect the Navy program, where he is in his third season as head coach.

And, now, he's climbing out of the considerable shadow of Paul Johnson, architect of the Navy revival and his mentor as the Midshipmen take aim at a national ranking.

"I owe Coach Johnson a lot," Niumatalolo said. "He thought I might have what it took to be a coach at this level and he helped me along the way."

Niumatalolo was a backup quarterback at Hawaii when Johnson, then UH's offensive coordinator, and head coach Bob Wagner gave him a shot in 1990. Through dint of hard work and long hours, Niumatalolo eventually earned a full-time job, spending three seasons at UH before stops at Navy and Nevada-Las Vegas. Then, he reunited with Johnson at Annapolis in 2002.

When Johnson left to become head coach at Georgia Tech after the 2007 season, Niumatalolo was the pick for successor, if a closely watched one.

As the New York Times reported, "many critics will point to Johnson leaving for Georgia Tech as a sign of impending doom for the Navy program ..." that had five consecutive winning seasons.

But the dour forecasts have not materialized. Heading into tonight's season opener, the 44-year old Niumatalolo's 18 wins (against 10 losses) are the most in school history by a coach in his first two seasons. And Navy's 10-4 finish in 2009 tied the program record for the most victories in a season. If not for a 24-17 loss to his alma mater, Niumatalolo would have had the mark.

Moreover Niumatalolo has helped run Navy's streak of domination of Army to eight years and consecutive bowl appearances to seven.

Sometimes, like during his annual summer return home to Hawai'i, Niumatalolo flashes back to the beginning. "We've driven by the apartment," Niumatalolo said. "It was probably more of a studio for us, really," he said. "I was lucky my wife was willing to give me two years to get into the (coaching) business and let me try to do what I wanted. That was the deal we made."

Opening his third season with the Midshipmen, having become the first major college head coach of Samoan ancestry and having made a name for himself at Annapolis, "I know I have been very fortunate," Niumatalolo said. "You could make a story about it."

Or, put it on TV.

Suiaunoa joins staff after Breckterfield leaves for Montana

By Jim Beseda, The Oregonian

February 16, 2010, 4:28PM

Portland State football coach Nigel Burton on Monday named Legi Suiaunoa as the Vikings new defensive line coach, replacing Inoke Breckterfield, who left for a similar position at Montana.

Suiaunoa, 31, worked last season as the defensive coordinator at Eastern Oregon where he ran the same 4-3 defense that Burton plans to run with the Vikings. He previously spent four seasons as the defensive line coach at Western Washington, and also was a graduate assistant at Nevada.

A former linebacker from Oceanside, Calif., Suiaunoa won a junior college national championship playing as a freshman at Palomar Junior College in 1997. He then transferred to Nevada where he played from 1998-2001, earning a degree in general studies administration in 2002.

Army, Navy coaches friendly enemies

By Joe Juliano

Inquirer Staff Writer
Rich Ellerson wanted to do everything right when he headed to the north shore of Oahu to visit the home of a high school quarterback he was trying to recruit for the University of Hawaii.

What he eventually learned was that the quarterback, Ken Niumatalolo, liked Hawaii and wanted so badly for Ellerson to offer him a scholarship that his father, a professional chef, prepared a lavish feast of Samoan food for dinner.
"I'm trying to be polite," Ellerson said last week. "I made the mistake that I finished, because as soon as you finish, there's more. At the time, I couldn't maybe appreciate all the culinary delights they were putting in front of me. Ken's sisters made sure that I had plenty."

Niumatalolo recalled: "I don't think that was his favorite food. I know my family brought a ton of it to him. I think my parents realized that they probably couldn't pay for me to go through college, so if we could kind of butter him up, I'd get a scholarship offer."

The dinner, which indeed led to an offer, sparked a friendship that has endured for more than 20 years. But it will be suspended for a few hours today when Ellerson and Niumatalolo, both head coaches, lead their teams from Army (5-6) and Navy (8-4), respectively, into their 110th meeting, at Lincoln Financial Field.

Niumatalolo said he would not have been in his position without Ellerson's help. After he finished playing at Hawaii, he became a graduate assistant there, then was promoted to a full-time assistant after Ellerson left to join Arizona's coaching staff.

When he heard last December that Army had hired Ellerson, Niumatalolo remembered thinking, "I'm happy for him, not so happy for us."

"He's a great family man, a great person, and a great football coach," he said. "Army is a better football team, and it's because of Coach Ellerson. He knows what he wants. He has a vision and he's as smart as they come."

Ellerson, Army's third head coach in the last four seasons, has the Black Knights on the doorstep of their first bowl appearance since 1996. However, to get to a matchup against Temple in the EagleBank Bowl on Dec. 29, Army must break its seven-game losing streak in games against the Midshipmen.

Ellerson has followed Niumatalolo's rise since day one and appreciates what he has done.

"I can't help but be so proud as to what he's accomplished in his professional career and, first and foremost, the man he has grown to be," he said. "That's not my doing; that's his parents and his family. But I'm proud of who he is and the success that he's had."

Ellerson is trying to do something Niumatalolo achieved last year - win an Army-Navy game in his first season as head coach. The Midshipmen rolled to a 34-0 win at the Linc in 2008.

That could be a tall order. During their winning streak in the series, the Midshipmen have outscored the Black Knights by an average score of 39-10. Navy, which is headed to the Texas Bowl, comes in again with an outstanding rushing attack, ranking third nationally at nearly 280 yards per game.

Army, which like Navy uses the triple option, has a fine running game of its own, averaging 212 yards to stand 14th in the country.

Ellerson realizes that Army men and women, both at the Linc and around the world, will be focused on today's game and breaking the long losing streak.

"There will be a lot of people here to watch us play, but we have to make sure we're 100 percent focused on the challenge between the white lines," he said. "We've got to make sure we don't watch them watch us play. The focus has to be on the next play."

As for how he feels about his coaching rival today, Ellerson said it mirrored the relationship among the players for both academies, all of whom will be serving their country side by side someday.

"I think it's entirely appropriate that the coach at Army and the coach at Navy have a deep respect for one another, because the institutions do," he said. "I think every one of our players feels the same way about the man across from them, because we have respect for them."

Niumat, Ellerson Go Way Back

One of the more interesting subplots of this year's Army-Navy football game surrounds the relationship between Navy head coach Ken Niumatalolo and Army counterpart Rich Ellerson.

Ellerson was an assistant coach at Hawaii when Niumatalolo was a senior at Radford High on Oahu. Niumatalolo, a left-handed quarterback, led his high school team to the Prep Bowl Championship that year and that attracted the interest of the hometown Rainbow Warriors.

As it turned out, Ellerson was the Hawaii assistant who showed up at the Niumatalolo home in the North Shore town of Laie to recruit the local prospect. It was a big moment for Niumatalolo, who had not received interest from any other Division I school.

Simi and Lamala Niumatalolo served Ellerson a traditional Samoan meal. "I'm not sure Coach Ellerson knew what he was eating or liked it, but to his credit he finished everything on the plate," Niumatalolo joked. "We were trying to butter him up a little bit so I could get a scholarship offer," Niumatalolo said.

Ellerson, who grew up in Tucson, Arizona, remembers there were plentiful portions of the Polynesian-inspired feast. "I remember it was Samoan food and Kenny's sisters made sure I had plenty of it," he said.

Niumatalolo would become a graduate assistant at Hawaii and earned a position on the full-time staff when Ellerson departed to become an assistant athe University of Arizona in 1992. "I would not be here if it wasn't for Coach Ellerson. He was the one who came to my house to recruit me. When he left Hawaii, I took his spot on the staff. My playing career and my coaching career got a start because of Coach Ellerson."

Niumatalolo's homecoming

At Aloha Stadium, Navy football coach has done it all

Every stage of Navy coach Ken Niumatalolo's football life can be chronicled in snapshots from Aloha Stadium in Honolulu.

As an elementary school student, he sold programs there. As a high school quarterback, he won a state championship there. As a college quarterback, he played for the University of Hawaii there. As a graduate assistant he coached his first game there. As a full-bird assistant at UNLV, he coached against his alma mater for the first time there.

Saturday night, when Niumatalolo returns to Aloha Stadium, 20 miles from his childhood home on the North Shore of Oahu, it will be as a successful head coach, the first Polynesian in charge of a Division I-A football program, and the first Samoan to head up a program at any level.

Anyone who has seen the face of Niumatalolo after a big win knows how emotional the Mids coach will be Saturday night with his parents, friends and thousands of home-state admirers in the stands as Navy (8-3) takes on Hawaii (5-6).

"Ultimately, it's not about me. It's about our team and our program," said Niumatalolo. "But I am excited to go back. This will be a fun game."

With a 16-9 career record, Niumatalolo, 44, is a rising star. But in a profession that breeds self-importance, Niumatalolo shies from attention. Getting him to talk about his feelings on his homecoming might be more difficult than stopping his triple-option offense, which ranks No. 3 in the nation in rushing (282.2 yards per game).

"We're getting ready for a football game," said Niumatalolo. "Hawaii right now is playing for a bowl berth. They're going to be highly motivated."

The significance of Niumatalolo's homecoming is not lost on his players.

"We definitely want to represent him well. He's a man of great character and he's done a lot for the school, for this program," said senior linebacker Ross Pospisil. "It's true for anyone, when you go back to your home turf, there's some extra motivation."

Navy will leave for Honolulu on Wednesday and will not depart the islands until Sunday night, allowing for some beach time. But aside from a tour of the Arizona Memorial, this will be a business trip, according to Niumatalolo.

"We gotta make sure from a schedule standpoint, we're not taking this as a bowl game," said Niumatalolo. "We don't have much time -- just making sure we have a normal week as we would any Saturday."

Niumatalolo was a basketball and football star at Admiral Arthur Radford High, which has many students from military families. Just to the west are Hickam Air Force Base and Pearl Harbor. A mile north is Aloha Stadium.

In his junior year, Niumatalolo quarterbacked Radford to a 14-2 victory over St. Louis in the Oahu Prep Bowl Championship. Seven years later (including a two-year religious mission as a Mormon), Niumatalolo played in the first bowl game in University of Hawaii history.

"I got hit by Percy Snow (Michigan State) on an interception, so it's something I try not to think about," said Niumatalolo. "I went in toward the end, threw a pick and got KO'd. I didn't play very long, but I had a headache for a long time."

kdunleavy@washingtonexaminer.com

Destined to make a difference

Onosai is the rare great football player who has gone on to even greater things off the field

By Paul Honda

POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Jul 05, 2009

He's been hooked since the day he tried it.

Joe Onosai -- high school coach and former University of Hawaii football great -- admits it freely. He's on Facebook, seemingly 24/7.

"It's addicting," says Onosai, a magnet on the popular social networking Web site. In just a few short months, the former lineman has attracted more than 1,500 followers. Pretty good for a guy who grew up without a computer in Kuhio Park Terrace.

Onosai's daily message via Facebook is no surprise to friends and fellow worshippers at Word of Life Christian Center, where he's been a pastor since 1997.

In some ways, his ascension to ministry was destined. At birth, his grandfather, Lafaele Onosai, a minister, just knew. With no ministers among his children, Lafaele had a vision of sorts.

"When he held me for the first time, he said, 'This young man is going to carry on my ministry.' That's what my mom told me before we left," Onosai says.

They left Se'etaga, American Samoa, because Onosai had health problems. His parents worried about their baby's respiratory issues and more.

"My mom said I was retarded," Onosai says with a grin.

The family got on a military flight to Hawaii, where Onosai was treated at Tripler Army Medical Hospital. They've been in Hawaii ever since.

As he grew up, there were no more questions about his mental capacity. Coaches like George Chang and Lance Carrera saw a future leader.

"He was always bigger than the other kids his own age," says Chang, who was in his mid-20s when he first saw Onosai in the mid-1970s. "He was naturally a good athlete for his age. He could do everything well, was a very nice kid. Kind of a natural leader."

At University Lab School, Onosai continued to blossom. He helped Pac-Five emerge as Interscholastic League of Honolulu and Prep Bowl champion in 1982.

What he remembers most about playing for Don Botelho, however, was off the field.

"Coach Bo was always very old school. The year we won the Prep Bowl, the bus ride home from the stadium, you wouldn't be able to tell whether we won a game or not," Onosai says. "All he wanted was for you to be humble, whether you won or lost. We weren't allowed to talk or cheer. It was who he was and who he is. We followed suit and understood Coach Bo, that we didn't want to overcelebrate.

"One of the greatest values I learned from him is, 'I've been on the other side for many years, where we always lost. I always told myself, if I ever win, I'll never make the other team feel bad.' That sticks with me to this day."

Through high school, Onosai's health improved, but he never had it easy. Bronchitis and asthma followed him, even as he grew to be a man among boys. Asthma attacks in high school scared just about everyone.

"All my Pac-Five teammates, they remember. They called the ambulance," says Onosai, who was a bruising 240-pound fullback.

When life teeters on the brink at such a young age, a teenager can only wonder why. Onosai counted his blessings and kept pushing on. He accepted a scholarship offer from the University of Hawaii, where he moved from fullback to the offensive line and developed into a player with NFL potential.

Onosai quickly became a star lineman as a Rainbow, part of the resurgence under coach Dick Tomey.

"COACH TOMEY is probably the greatest motivator who I've ever met in my life," he says. "Not only was he eloquent and articulate, he was very emotional. He knew how to get you up for a game. He also knew how to put the fear of God in you.

"If he wasn't pleased with you, he'd let you know, whether you were a player or coach."

Tomey remembers someone who needed little prodding.

"Joe was a man among boys, a very physical guy, a tough guy, but a very solid individual," Tomey said. "He became a great leader, an outstanding performer and he was a great worker. He did it all."

O-line coaches Ed Riewerts and Mike Hill did much of the molding at UH. Between daily battles with defensive star Al Noga and constant motivation from the staff -- Tomey once called Onosai "a big sissy," which seems absolutely comical now -- he turned into a sixth-round draft choice by the Dallas Cowboys, his favorite team.

By preseason camp, his dreams about pro football were snuffed out. An injury during practice led to an exam, where doctors found a narrowing of his spinal cord, a birth defect that made the risk of paralysis far too great.

"I hit the guy and bruised the cord severely. Thankfully, that didn't sever the cord," he said.

It took four days for the strength in his legs to return fully. It took two years of rehab work to get his upper-body strength back to normal. What hurt most, though, wasn't the end of his career.

"I felt like my whole world came crashing down. My whole motivation was to buy a house for my mom (Evotia) and dad (Falaniko)," Onosai said. "They would always assure me, the main thing is you're alive, able to function normally, but in my heart, it was a major disappointment."

It was before his senior season at UH when Onosai tapped into a higher power.

"I gave my life to the Lord. I think because of that, I feel like I got the strength to bear all the things I went through," he said.

Onosai married his high-school sweetheart, Ann, in 1986. They have three children, including UH track and field athlete Careena.

ONOSAI FUNNELED his frustration and energy into the World's Strongest Man competitions for many years. At 6-feet-4 and 375 pounds, he had a 65-inch chest and 22-inch biceps. There was no other Strongman who could power lift better.

His current players -- most were still in preschool when Onosai was on the circuit -- have seen the YouTube clips of their head coach. But they see more than a hulking Superman.

"He cares a lot about our families and our school, kind of like Coach Carter," says lineman Judah Parker, referencing the movie. "He's been at that peak, so I really take to heart what he says."

Onosai also led the "Men of War," an evangelizing group of ex-convicts and ex-drug dealers, former gang leaders and police officers. They brought an anti-drug message to high schools through a strongman theme -- busting bricks, bending steel bars, lifting huge logs and more.

After coaching Pac-Five following Botelho's retirement in 2003, he spearheaded Word of Life's program. Last year, the Firebrands won two games in their first crack at the varsity level. The list of former Firebrands now playing college football or volleyball is expanding, and Onosai hasn't forgotten his roots. Eight Word of Life graduates came from his stomping ground, Kuhio Park Terrace.

"Kids definitely need discipline. Some of them grew up in homes where they're not taught core values," he says. "What you become is more important than what you achieve. You're able to see the kids' confidence levels increase. The light turns on."

Facebook helps Onosai keep in touch despite a busy schedule.

"I love to bring hope to people," he says.

Real results matter. Through offseason training, Word of Life's athletes get stronger and faster. Onosai is right there in the gym with his coaches and players every day, overseeing their players. He isn't as big on protein supplements as he is on a basic balanced diet. He isn't as gung-ho about overnight success as he is about steady, realistic progress, both for Word of Life and Polynesian families.

"I know our people have come a long way, but some of us still struggle with assimilation. The alcoholism. The violence," he says.

In addition to a Samoan mayor, Mufi Hannemann, there are two Samoan judges and several doctors now, he points out.

"There's been progress, but we're still struggling. There's a breakdown of the traditional Samoan family. Where before -- every Samoan kid knows this -- you're home by 6 o'clock and you're praying. You can hear a family singing hymns, worshipping and praying. When I was growing up, it was a sacred time to get home when that sun went down or you'd get cracks."

Today, sparing the rod is more common in administering discipline, but the point is still valid and true. Children need attention from their parents, and Pastor Joe gently reminds them.

"He's a great example," Tomey says, "of what a local boy can do when he stays home and makes a difference."

Chang, the former KPT parks and recreation director, is close to retirement now.

"Even as a kid, he took everything into consideration and listened," he says of Onosai. "I'm proudest of the kids who became good citizens."

Pola has inspiring story

By Vic Ketchman, jaguars.com senior editor
His birth date is etched in American history. Kennedy Pola’s father heard the news, felt the heartache and instantly new what to name his newborn son.

“The nurse came in and said President Kennedy had just been killed,” Pola said of the story of his entrance into the world, on Nov. 22, 1963, in American Samoa.

Pola hopes his Jaguars running backs will author an exciting story this coming season, but the story of how Pola got from there to here is a fascinating read. It begins with an arrangement by Pola’s parents to move Kennedy and his younger brother, Aoatoa, to Los Angeles when Kennedy was a mere 14-year-old.

“My parents thought there was an opportunity for me and my younger brother. We lived with guardians that were friends of the family,” Kennedy said.

He spoke almost no English, which caused him to be shy.

“It was the hardest language to learn and I’m still learning. The hardest parts of the language are the tenses and the plurals. I feel for a lot of those young men,” he says of young players who lack verbal skills. “Some of that shyness is embarrassment.”

Broken English didn’t hold Pola back. His father shortened his son’s name from Polamalu when he sent him to California, an obvious attempt to Americanize his son’s identity. Kennedy did the rest.

“I was blessed enough to be good in sports. My guardian said there’s this really good program at Mater Dei High School. I played there; played basketball and football, became a student body president,” Pola, one of 10 children, said.

Pola accepted a scholarship to play football at USC, where he met Jack Del Rio and formed the bond that brought him to Jacksonville to serve as Del Rio’s running backs coach the past four seasons.

“I took my recruiting trips to Penn State, Notre Dame, Alabama, USC and Washington. Jack was a top recruit. Everywhere I went they said you’ll never play at USC. It was one of those, ‘I could play there.’ I ended up playing as a true freshman at linebacker,” Pola said.

He was moved to fullback for the final four games of freshman year and stayed there through the end of his college career. Pola’s father passed away when he was a sophomore at USC.

Kennedy’s brother, Aoatoa, carved out his own niche in college football. He was the nose tackle on the 1986 Penn State team that defeated Miami to win the national title.

An older brother, Faasasalu Polamalu, was a fire dancer at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel in Honolulu. Faasasalu now lives in Oregon and provided a stable upbringing for his and Kennedy’s nephew, Steelers safety Troy Polamalu, the son of the oldest of Kennedy’s four sisters. Her husband abandoned the family when Troy was four years old and eventually Troy moved in with Faasasalu’s family in Oregon.

Between college and the start of his coaching career, Kennedy was a home builder in Los Angeles, where he also did mentoring work with gang members

“I was building next to a HUD complex that had a lot of gangs. I ended up building programs, tutoring and mentoring. It’s great when one of those kids writes to you and says you saved my life,” Pola said.

Since then, he has carved out a considerable coaching career that includes a national championship stint at USC.

“My goal has always been to lead a program; be a coordinator, be a head coach,” Pola said.

The Jaguars running backs he coaches will help Pola achieve recognition. Maurice Jones-Drew is on the cusp of stardom, Greg Jones is considered to be one of the top fullbacks in the game, and seventh-round pick Rashad Jennings is a mouth-watering prospect Pola ranked the fifth-best running back in the draft.

“I want the goal this season for my group to be to make every practice and play in every game. That means come to practice every day. When you’re not available, the game-planning, everything hurts. I used to say to Fred (Taylor), you may not get a rep, but the team sees you’re out there,” Pola said.

“They’re so talented that if we get them in that mindset, the stats will show up. Maurice Drew hasn’t missed a game. They’re going to be bruised, they’re going to be sore, but I’ve got to get them to the game,” he added. “I love them. They’re good guys. They’re good people and you can do a lot when you have good people.”

Obama Honors Navy Football Team for Commitment to Team, Country

WASHINGTON (NNS) -- President Barack Obama presented the U.S. Naval Academy football team the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy April 21 during a White House Rose Garden ceremony.

Obama extended congratulations to the midshipmen from Annapolis, Md., who bested both the U.S. Military Academy "Black Knights" 34-0 and the U.S. Air Force Academy "Falcons" 33-27 during the 2008 season.

The wins earned Navy the coveted Commander-in-Chief's Trophy � and a trip to the White House to receive it -- for the sixth consecutive year.

"By now, you guys know your way around here better than I do," Obama said at the ceremony.

Obama offered high praise to Navy for its "fearsome offense" as well as the nation's most-improved defense.

But amid the levity of the event, he identified attributes that make Navy's players unique, including the top graduation rate in the NCAA for four consecutive years and a demanding schedule of coursework and military training.

Obama noted that all 32 seniors on the Navy team are "preparing to trade one proud uniform for another � and that's the United States of America's uniform."

And although the Navy team has won a record 13 consecutive service academy games dating back to the 2002 Army-Navy game, the president told them, "You're all joining the same team now."

"Football, it's said, makes boys into men," he said. "But the academy makes men and women into leaders. And the bonds that you've built and the lessons that you've learned on that field and in your 'four years by the Bay' have prepared you to join and lead the finest fighting force in the history of the world."

Obama, who is scheduled to deliver the keynote address at this year's Naval Academy graduation, told the team he has no greater honor or responsibility than serving as their commander in chief. "I'm proud of you," he said.

"And I promise you this," he continued. "From the minute you put on that uniform to the minute you take it off, and for all the days of your life, this country will stand behind you and will be here for you, because we know that you will be there for us."

During today's ceremony, Obama recognized Lt. Cmdr. Wesley Brown, who in 1949 became the U.S. Naval Academy's first black graduate, and for whom the academy's new field house is named.

The president also recalled his Hawaiian roots, recognizing two fellow Hawaiians: team coach Ken Niumatalolo and Midshipman Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada, the starting quarterback. Rendering a "shaka" or Hawaiian "hang loose" sign in during the ceremony, Obama noted Niumatalolo's calmness under pressure.

"That's the Hawaiian spirit," Obama said. "That's how we roll."

Polynesian pipeline

By BOB HAMMOND Boomerang Sports Editor

It’s not easy to have a Polynesian influence in Laramie, Wyo.

Somehow, the gentle ocean breezes, the warm temperatures and the way of life in American Samoa and Huntington Beach, Calif., does not quite compare with the high, wind-swept plains and cold temperatures of Laramie at the base of the Rocky Mountains.

Surf board or snow board?

But the University of Wyoming football team definitely has a Polynesian influence in place now with new outside linebackers coach Mike Fanoga.


In five short months, the Cowboys have already recruited three Polynesian players in defensive back Trendt Marsom (Honolulu), wide receiver Alo Moli (West Valley, Utah) and defensive Mike Purcell (Highlands Ranch, Colo.). All are part of UW’s 2009 recruiting class.

Two other Hawaiian players have indicated that they will walk-on at Wyoming in the fall.

In looking ahead to 2010, two additional players with Polynesian ties have given Wyoming and new head coach Dave Christensen verbal commitments — defensive end Sonny Poletasi (Lawton, Okla.) and defensive lineman Desmond Tautofi (Honolulu).

Although Fanoga wasn’t solely responsible for recruiting the above-mentioned, he had a hand in the process because of his ties in the Polynesian community.

“The only reason I got involved is because I know some of the family names,” Fanoga said. “If you know a family from American Samoa, you probably pretty much know everybody. They know your family … your background. A lot has to do with the contacts and your ties.

“If we can get two or three (Polynesian recruits to come to Wyoming) in a year, that would be great,” Fanoga said. “My goal is to get five or six per year.”

Just how many players with Polynesian backgrounds have played at Wyoming over the years would purely be a guess. Most recently there have been only three — defensive lineman Paul Nunu (1974-76), fullback Mike Patolo (1996-97) and linebacker Leo Caires (1998-2001).

Although Fanoga has retained a number of contacts in American Samoa and Hawaii, he wasn’t raised there and hasn’t coached in either place.

His family moved from American Samoa to Huntington Beach when he was around 8-years-old. That’s where he learned the game of football and where he played his prep ball before going to play collegiately at Snow College in Utah and at UTEP.

All of his coaching experience, and there has been plenty of it, has come on the mainland.

Not only did he play football at Snow College in Utah and at UTEP, but also he received both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from UTEP.

In his two years as a linebacker with the Miners (1985-86), he had an opportunity to line up twice against the Cowboys — first in the Australian Bowl in Melbourne, and then in Laramie the following year.

The Cowboys won both of those games — 23-21 in UW coach Al Kincaid’s final season and 41-12 in Dennis Erickson’s one and only season.

He has 22 years of coaching experience on the college level, beginning with his alma mater in 1987. After leaving UTEP, Fanoga has made stops at Livingston (Ala.) University, Iowa Wesleyan, Valdosta (Ga.) State, Kentucky, Western Kentucky and most recently, New Mexico State.

He has recruited over 100 Polynesian players at those stops.

The big question remains … How is Fanoga able to retain those Polynesian contacts since most of his life has been spent on the mainland?

“I have a lot of good people helping me, especially the coaches at the high school level from American Samoa to the island of Hawaii and all the other islands in the South Pacific, especially the Hawaii area,” Fanoga said.

“I also recruit the West Coast … a lot in California,” he continued. “I get kids from everywhere, not just the islands.”

While Fanoga has an inside to the Polynesian community, he doesn’t like to think of himself as solely a recruiter of Polynesian players.

“I try not to tab myself as a true Polynesian recruiter. I try to recruit everybody … the top players, wherever they are,” he added.

And how have his first five months been for Fanoga, his wife, Soana, and daughter, Sydney?

“I never thought I’d be here at Wyoming, but I feel lucky to be here,” Fanoga said. “I knew about Wyoming back when I played because they were one of the top-notch programs in the WAC. But now, here I am.

“Wyoming is a beautiful place. The last couple of months I’ve had a chance to look around and I have really enjoyed it. It grows on you. I enjoy the people here, the community. I love being here and working for the University of Wyoming and being part of the Cowboys.”

Cowboy spring spurs

Cowboy coaches built strong ties

By RYAN LUCAS Boomerang Sports Writer

Trendt Marsom spent his high school football career bulldozing opponents.

The 6-foot, 195-pound defensive back knocked down his Hawaiian pigskin brethren again after the 2008 season ended when he verbally committed to play for the University of Wyoming.

That Marsom stuck true to his word — officially keeping his promise on Wednesday as one of 24 players inked in new Cowboy coach Dave Christensen’s first recruiting class — is an expression of confidence in his football suitors.

Marsom’s bond with a fellow Polynesian headed to Laramie helped in his decision, which he settled on weeks ago as one of Christensen’s initial oral pledges.


“They were really surprised that the kid was committed to us already,” Cowboys’ outside linebackers coach Mike Fanoga said of his peers’ reaction to Marsom choosing UW. “The only reason why he’s coming is because I have a great relationship with him.”

“He could’ve gone to BYU, UNLV, Colorado or Oregon State (along with Hawaii), but I have a great relationship with the kid and the family,” Fanoga added. “They trusted me, and that’s what happens.”

The player-to-coach association is one of the foundations of Division I recruiting, and the ‘Pokes’ new staff has already-established reputations in several hotbed areas. The clout reaches from the fertile gridiron grounds of Oklahoma to the shores of paradise, and the coaches intend to develop it further.

“When I was out there, they never even knew about Wyoming,” Fanoga said of the Hawaiian athletes. “(Wyoming) would never recruit the islands, and Wyoming was never out there.”

The Cowboy assistants swayed their influence to the point of signing student-athletes from 13 different states in year one. While the stream of regional talent flowing into War Memorial Stadium takes precedence, other channels are equally important in creating a pool full enough for sustained success.

“We’re going to target kids in this area first — the Wyoming kids, the Colorado kids — because we’ve had success in that area,” new UW running backs coach Jason Ray, the brother of former ‘Poke safety and 2008 senior Michael, said.

“To branch out, especially as a new staff, we all have to have connections in different areas.”

“When you have good relationships with the high school coaches, you’re able to get in there and they’ll tell you about the kids more in-depth,” Ray added. “You can really identify the talent a lot more than you would going in cold.”

Any part of the country will apply to the process in the years to come.

“We talked about trying to get the best kids, no matter where they’re from,” tight ends coach Jim Harding, who courted two players from Illinois to add to the current class, said.

“Our biggest thing is we’ll go anywhere we have to in order to fill our needs as a program.”

Secondary coach Alex Grinch spent his recent time in football-lush Texas, luring three standout prep players to become Cowboys. The massive state feeds many major collegiate programs, and Christensen was quick to plant a fresh seed there for future growth.

“We feel there’s more Division I players down there than there are Division I scholarships,” Grinch said. “That being said, it’s not as if you’re taking the last in the barrel; you’re still taking some high-end guys, and you have to evaluate some people to get those types of guys.”

With the contacts entrenched in certain spots, Wyoming can prod those areas for skill while building ties with less familiar places.

Ray — a graduate of Broken Arrow High School in suburban Tulsa, Okla. — underlined the significance of keeping up with the Mountain West Conference’s upper echelon in recruiting stamina and strength.

“When I was recruiting (Oklahoma), a lot of people said, ‘You know, Wyoming comes in here every once in a while,’” Ray said. “That’s a good thing to have that presence because this is such a great conference and we have just a great opportunity to do some big things here, but it’s going to take a lot of hard work.

“We work long, countless hours.”

The tireless Cowboy coaches also come from diverse backgrounds, all of which can assist in the demanding cycle of bringing in yearly reinforcements to the field.

Fanoga, who also brought in two other athletes of Polynesian descent, is excited to take in more Samoan or Hawaiian athletes. The idea is anyone can help in transforming the UW football culture into one of MWC elite status under Christensen.

“I think it’s important to get some Polynesian kids to start playing here,” Fanoga, who found out during the recruiting process he is distantly related to defensive line commitment Mike Purcell, said. “That’s one of the reasons I’m here.”

“Utah and BYU will get their guys, but we’ll get our guys, too.”

Eti Ena joins Idaho Vandals

MOSCOW, Idaho – Eti Ena has joined the University of Idaho football staff as the Vandals’ defensive line coach, Robb Akey announced Friday.

Ena, a graduate of Eastern Washington University, comes to Idaho after three seasons at Eastern Oregon University. He was the Mountaineers’ assistant head coach, defensive coordinator and recruiting coordinator last season after serving as defensive coordinator, linebackers coach and strength and conditioning coordinator in 2006 and 2007.

“I’m very excited about the addition of Eti to our staff,” Akey said. “He’s a great teacher and a great communicator. His reputation among the young men he’s coached is outstanding.”

Prior to his stint at Eastern Oregon, Ena was the assistant defensive line coach at Eastern Washington (2004-05) and assistant linebackers coach (2003) for the Eagles. His coaching career began at Shelton (Wash.) where he was the junior varsity head coach and later the high school linebackers coach and co-defensive coordinator.

“His experience at all levels of football is a tremendous bonus,” said Akey, noting Ena’s brother and father both are football coaches.

Ena said he welcomes the FBS coaching opportunity.

“I’m very excited to be a part of the University of Idaho coaching staff,” said Ena, who graduated from Inchelium (Wash.) High School. “This is a great opportunity to work with a great staff and great people.”

Ena played linebacker at Utah’s Snow College and Walla Walla (Wash.) Community College before transferring to Eastern Washington. A shoulder injury during his junior year ended his playing career.

Niumatalolo finds success at Navy

By Joe Juliano

Inquirer Staff Writer

The first thing people notice about Navy coach Ken Niumatalolo is his name, one that can trip up even the most conscientious and considerate among those he meets.

President Bush tried valiantly to succeed at pronouncing the coach's surname in April during a White House ceremony honoring the Navy football team for winning the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy before offering a compromise.

"You can call me George," Bush said with a laugh, "and I'll call you Ken."

The name is distinctive, as is the fact that Niumatalolo (nee-uh-mah-tah-LO-loh) is only the second Polynesian head coach in Division I-A history and the first Samoan to be a head coach at any level of college football. But once you get past all that, you immediately realize the man can coach.

In his first full season at the helm, he has orchestrated a smooth transition following the departure of Paul Johnson as head coach after last year's Army-Navy game. On Saturday at Lincoln Financial Field, the Midshipmen (7-4) will try to extend their winning streak over Army (3-8) to seven and seek to post a record 13th consecutive victory over a service academy.

Niumatalolo, 43, of Laie, Hawaii, served as assistant head coach and offensive-line coach for all those victories by the Mids before being promoted Dec. 8.

"I'm grateful for the opportunity," Niumatalolo said earlier this week. "I'm grateful I was judged on the quality of my work, not my ethnicity. I've always looked at myself, first and foremost, as a football coach that happens to be Polynesian, so I feel very fortunate that way."

In two stints as a Navy assistant, Niumatalolo became very familiar with the pomp, pageantry and pressure of the storied rivalry with Army. Now, however, he is the man in charge preparing his team, trying to be oblivious to all the attention on the game from servicemen and servicewomen around the world.

"I'm honored by it, but more so, right now, my focus is on getting our team ready," he said.

"I don't want to think about the past or the future, just think about the present."

But that doesn't mean strange things can't happen on game day. Niumatalolo recalled his first Army-Navy game in 1995 at Veterans Stadium as an assistant in charge of the running backs when he witnessed something "mind-boggling."

"We had the same pregame routine all season," he said. "We got there before the game, and none of our guys could remember what the routine was. They were saying, 'Coach, where do I go? What do I do?' I'm saying, 'The same thing you've been doing for the last 10 games.' It's the intensity, the magnitude . . . it's like they couldn't remember their names."

Niumatalolo sold programs at University of Hawaii games as a youngster. He played quarterback for the Rainbows in the late 1980s before beginning his coaching career as a Hawaii graduate assistant. He made only $400 a month, with a wife who worked and a baby girl, and struggled to make ends meet.

He was fired during his first go-round at Navy but returned to the academy in 2002 after being hired by Johnson, for whom he played at Hawaii. Niumatalolo learned the most intricate details of Johnson's unique triple-option offense during that time, and did very little, if anything, to change things after taking over.

"This is his offense," Niumatalolo said.

The Mids lead the nation in rushing, averaging 292.0 yards, and are vying to be the top rushing team in the Football Bowl Subdivision (Division I-A) for the fourth straight season. As a result, Niumatalolo will become the third Navy head coach in the last 60 years - joining Wayne Hardin and Gary Tranquill - to lead the team to a winning season in his first year.

But all that is secondary when Saturday comes around.

"When I see us playing against Army, I see us playing against ourselves," Niumatalolo said. "We're the same. We're going to play until the last whistle. We're going to play very disciplined, very tough.

"Somebody asked me, 'Are you nervous about this [Army-Navy] game being your first as a head coach?' Hey, I was nervous in the first one" as an assistant.