Bill Belichick said that Jake Ingram is further along than most rookies because of the position he plays

Asked to talk about the importance of getting Ingram in rhythm with Chris Hanson and Stephen Gostkowski, Bill Belichick said:
“Jake’s [Ingram] an experienced snapper. He’s done it in college, but it’s still basically the same skill. It’s just working against better competition and trying to refine it, make it even sharper, more accurate, faster and all those things. We’re going through our protection things. Adjustments, we did that yesterday [and] we’ll go back and hit that again tomorrow. Different rush looks with twists and things like that and the long and short snap accuracy as well as the coverage stuff. I think Jake’s … He’s working at it. Like every rookie, he’s got a long way to go, but his skills are a little more specific. He’s probably further along in terms of reaching the top level at his skill than most of the other rookie players are because they have a lot more skills to master. But I think the competition between Jake and Nate [Hodel] is good. I think they’ve both done a good job. [Those are] two guys that are competing well against each other.”

http://www.patriotledger.com/sports/x1560722836/Q-A-with-Patriots-coach-Bill-Belichick

Colt Brennan and Chase Daniel are competing for the #3 QB spot in Washington

RR = realredskins.com

RR Note: “During the offseason, there has been speculation that the Washington Redskins might choose to keep both Colt Brennan and Colt Daniel and release the 38-year-old Todd Collins. The thinking was that Collins is not the long-term answer at quarterback so why not go with a youth movement and have a leg up should Jason Campbell leave via free agency at the end of the season.”

Asked if both Colt and Chase Daniel could make their roster, Jim Zorn said:
“I’m not going to keep four quarterbacks. I can’t. I will not do that. That’s tough.” (RR)

http://realredskins.com/2009/08/collins-safe-daniel-brennan-will-battle-for-spot.html

Colt Brennan is Centurians #1

About walking on to UH, Colt said:
“I wanted to get away and play football. “It was that simple.” (HSB)

About how Hawaii accepted him even before had played a game, Colt said:
“When I came here to Hawaii we talked about it being so much different than the mainland. Money, material things are not valued as much out here. The person you are, the character you have, that’s what’s valued. I was accepted before I ever started a football game.” (HSB)

HSB Note: “Prior to 2007, the BCS was a goal for other people. And surely, having a Hawaii player among the elite at the Heisman Trophy ceremony in New York was fantasy at best. Yet there they were that December. Hawaii, the last undefeated team in the land accepting a berth to the Sugar Bowl. And Brennan, a lei draped over his dark suit, sitting in the front row of the Nokia Theatre in Times Square as the Heisman was awarded to Florida’s Tim Tebow.”

HSB Note: “Following his conviction for second-degree burglary and first-degree trespassing while at Colorado in 2004, Brennan spent a year at Saddleback Community College in Mission Viejo, Calif., and had a scholarship awaiting him at San Jose State, where his cousin was a receivers coach. But it was also about that time that Hawaii associate coach Rich Miano, while watching footage of Saddleback receiver Jerard Rabb, took note of Brennan’s accuracy and quick release, and began the process of recruiting him to Manoa. The Warriors didn’t have a scholarship to offer, but Brennan found a head coach with a history of presenting opportunities to those he believed deserving of a second chance.”

About giving Colt and Pisa Tinoisamoa second chances at UH, JJ said:
“I knew they were great kids. (I) told them I’m not going to judge you from the past, if you want a new start, we’ll do it. From this day forward is what we’ll know you as.” (HSB)

HSB Note: “While Miano’s decision to take Brennan to the North Shore to check out the Pipeline Masters during his recruiting visit certainly didn’t hurt, it was meeting the players already in the program that sealed his decision to walk on.”

About how meeting the Warrior players helped convince Colt to walk onto their team, Miano said:
“He told me he saw Mel Purcell and Ikaika Alama-Francis and Nate Ilaoa and Davone Bess and guys like that and he knew we were going to be a good team.” (HSB)

HSB Note: “While Brennan’s grasp of the offense his first season was lacking, his playmaking ability was undeniable. So expectations ticked up a notch in 2006, and the Warriors came within 18 points of going undefeated during an 11-3 season as Brennan set an NCAA record with 58 touchdown passes. Although Brennan looks back on the 2006 team — which he regards as the most talented of his tenure — with a sense of “what if,” he now views those tight losses as a key to the 2007 campaign.”

About how they learned from their losses in 2006 to overcome adversity in 2007, Colt said:
“People correlate sports and life all the time, and that’s exactly what it was. Whether in business or whatever, you take your losses here and there and years down the road you know how to take advantage, you know when opportunity comes to jump on it. We took our losses, and when those situations happened our senior year, instead of letting them slip away, we succeeded and we rose up.” (HSB)

Colt said that the constant demands for interviews and autographs in 2007 weighed on him, but:
“I remember being like, ‘Dude, this is what you came back for, this is what you wanted.’ ” (HSB)

HSB Note: “While he attended the Senior Bowl in Alabama, a few of the youngsters in Mobile told him about their “Hawaii sleepovers,” when their parents would let them stay up past midnight to watch the Warriors play.”

Happy to have affected people like that, Colt said:
“You hear little stuff like that and you realize that’s why you play the game, to touch people, to make a difference.” (HSB)

About his maturation process, Colt said:
“The biggest thing now is becoming a man. When I was here I was finding myself. Now that I’ve found myself, it’s maturing into who I want to be in the future.” (HSB)

http://www.starbulletin.com/specialprojects/09/centurions/20090802_the_greatest_warrior.html

Jason Elam is Centurians #2

HSB Note: “Morten Andersen was exiting the Pro Bowl practice field stage left when this teenager from the University of Hawaii tapped him on the shoulder pads. He believed it to be an autograph seeker who had mistaken him for Joe Montana, but it turned out to be a kid who would replace him as the Atlanta Falcons’ kicker 18 years down the road. Jason Elam was alarmed the NCAA rules committee had removed the tee for field goals and was hopeful Andersen would provide pointers on how to boot the ball off the ground. You see, the youngster was fearful his kicking career might be short-lived if he failed to make this conversion.”

About how Morten Andersen helped him, Jason Elam said:
“He actually helped me. Can you believe somebody like him doing something like that for a guy like me? I never forgot it.” (HSB)

HSB Note: “Eventually, the injury that Elam feared would cut short his playing career led him to a medical redshirt that prolonged the Snellville, Ga., native’s stay by a single season. Had he not, Elam would have missed arguably the greatest campaign in UH history. He was a critical component in that 11-2 season. His two field goals at Air Force — the day after Hurricane Iniki came ashore in September of ’92 — were the difference in a 6-3 victory. Elam also converted field goals of 37 and 45 yards in the 27-17 Holiday Bowl win over Illinois. Had they counted the postseason in career totals in those days, Elam would have set the NCAA scoring record.”

HSB Note: “He finished with 395 points — 79 field goals and 158 PATs. It’s still No. 1 in Hawaii all-time after all these years and No. 5 in NCAA history. That Aloha Stadium night against Pitt, Elam finished a field goal shy of breaking the mark set by the University of Miami’s Carlos Huerta.”

About finishing one FG short of breaking Huerta’s record, Elam said:
“You know, I saw him years later and he told me he thought I was going to break his record. I told him it wasn’t meant to be.” (HSB)

HSB Note: “For 15 years, Elam kicked for the Denver Broncos. In that tenure, the 39-year-old was a part of two Super Bowl wins, earned three Pro Bowl selections and even had his favorite shoe put in the NFL Hall of Fame after he tied Tom Dempsey’s field-goal mark of 63 yards. He returned home to Georgia in 2008 to the Atlanta Falcons with a new four-year $9 million contract in hand. In his career, Elam has missed only three PATs in 646 attempts. At one point, he went eight years between misses. As a field-goal kicker, his lifetime percentage is .814 (424 of 521), including 38 of 63 from beyond 50 yards. Inside the 40, Elam is deadly accurate, with only 17 missed in 16 seasons. Despite a nagging hip injury last year, the NFL veteran appeared in 16 games. He made all his PATs and 93.5 percent of his field goals. Wagner calls his career the greatest in UH history — it began as a freshman with a game-winning field goal over No. 9-ranked Iowa 21 years ago and ended with a Holiday Bowl victory over another Big Ten opponent in Illinois.”

About his UH career, Elam said:
“I loved my time at Hawaii, especially that last season. It was definitely the right choice for me.” (HSB)

http://www.starbulletin.com/specialprojects/09/centurions/20090802_kicking_up_a_storm.html

Al Noga is Centurians #3

I was lucky enough to meet Al Noga last year while having lunch with some UH football fans in Hawaii. He was very nice to come by and shake hands…it was such an honor because I followed his UH and pro career and he was such a memorable player.

HSB Note: “Noga is still the only UH football player to be named as a first-team Associated Press All-American. Pro Football Hall of Famers Michael Irvin and Rod Woodson were on that team. So were Deion Sanders and Brian Bosworth, a pair of colorful characters who would surely turn pale if Noga lined up opposite of them.

HSB Note: “The Samoan Sack Man burst onto the national scene during Hawaii’s 1986 season, his junior year. He didn’t tackle whoever had the ball, he undressed them. Aside from his AP recognition, Noga was the Western Athletic Conference defensive player of the year in ’86. That’s the same year BYU’s Jason Buck won the Outland Trophy, awarded to the best college football interior lineman by the Football Writers Association of America. Noga should have won it. Snubs like that are part of the chip that sat upon Hawaii football’s shoulders for so long. Noga did his best to knock that chip off by knocking out opposing players.”

About how Noga’s teammates feared him, then-UH coach Bob Wagner said:
“I think his teammates all feared him. Not feared him in a crazy way, but in a tough way with respect.” (HSB)

About Al Noga being elected team captain before the 1987 season, Wagner said:
“Al comes to me prior to his senior year and says he wants to be captain. I tell him the players elect the captain. Al says, ‘They’ll vote for me.’ … I believe it was pretty unanimous.” (HSB)

HSB Note: “Even the coach himself was not immune to Noga’s steely determination. Former Hawaii player Shawn Ching recalls a film session during the 1987 season when Wagner called out Noga for loafing on the field. Wagner told Noga to stand, and then told Noga he wanted him to lose weight and get in shape. “Coach, I’m not losing weight,” was Noga’s response. He then sat down … end of conversation.”

About being a true freshman on their scout team and having to practice against Al Noga during his senior season, Shawn Ching said:
“I had an Al Noga baseball card on my bulletin board … with an X across his face.” (HSB)

About how he would scheme up ways to legally work over Noga in practice, Ching said:
“Never happened.” (HSB)

About wondering if he would survive to make it to the training table on one particular practice day, Ching said:
“He abused the crap out of me … showed me no mercy.” (HSB)

HSB Note: “It was during a Noga audition before a large gathering of NFL evaluators. They had heard the stories, read the press clippings, studied the game film.”

HSB Note: “This recap from Hawaii’s 1986 win over UTEP: “Al Noga led the fierce Rainbow pass rush which knocked out two of UTEP’s quarterbacks with serious injuries. In all, Noga had nine tackles and three sacks.” After the game, UTEP coach Bob Stull coined a phrase for what Noga did to his team. Stull said UTEP got “Noganized.”

Two weeks later, Noga and company sent New Mexico’s quarterback to the hospital, where he stayed overnight. He did not play again the rest of the season. On the first weekend of November 1986, Noga was named WAC defensive player of the week after making just three tackles against Utah. The Utes ran away from Noga all night, but so great was his presence that he still won the award.”

Utah coach Jim Fassel said about Noga:
“His athletic ability and intensity on the field makes him one of the premier defensive players in the country …” (HSB)

HSB Note: “A week after Utah and before 50,000 at Aloha Stadium, Al and brother Pete Noga combined for 28 tackles and three sacks against BYU. The Cougars’ two eventual first-round NFL draft picks, Shawn Knight and the aforementioned Jason Buck, combined for 10 tackles and one sack. Hawaii lost the game, but Al Noga was named the game’s outstanding lineman for the fourth time in eight games.”

About Noga, then-BYU coach Lavell Edwards’ said:
“One of the great pass rushers we have ever played against.” (HSB)

Former Fresno State coach Jim Sweeney said that Al Noga is:
“the most exciting defensive lineman I know in college football.” (HSB)

Evaluating himself, Noga said:
“(I) never had loads of talent, but I was a hard worker and a quick learner. … I had to push myself over and over with hard- core training and hard-core conditioning.” (HSB)

HSB Note: “Part of that motivation came from his brothers, Niko (1980-83) and Pete (1983-86), who also played for Hawaii. It was Niko Noga whose inspired play led to the UH fan chant of ‘No-ga, No-ga, No-ga.’ Al Noga has said that Niko was the “complete package” and Pete “had the most natural ability.” All three brothers would eventually carve out jobs in the NFL. After Noga’s senior season, 1987, the Minnesota Vikings selected him in the third round of the NFL Draft. He played for the Vikings, Redskins and Colts before finishing his NFL career back in Minnesota in 1992.”

HSB Note: “Noga’s name is still atop several statistical categories in the Hawaii football record books. In 1986, he set the Hawaii single-season record for forced fumbles (6), tackles for a loss (31), and sacks (17). Those, as well as the career marks for forced fumbles (15), and tackles for loss (70) belong to Noga. If they kept a stat for knockouts, the record would be retired under Noga’s name.”

About how Noga was used in UH’s defense, Bob Wagner said:
“That 1986 squad had one of the best defenses the WAC has ever had … to this day. We played Al wherever he could have the most impact.” (HSB)

HSB Note: “Noga’s impact on that 1986 defense helped Wagner land the head coaching job the next season when Dick Tomey left.”

About how he cannot remember the last time he saw Noga but said that he knows what he would do if he saw him again, Bob Wagner said:
“I’d give him a hug.” (HSB)

http://www.starbulletin.com/specialprojects/09/centurions/20090802_the_sack_man_scareth.html

Tommy Kaulukukui is Centurians #4

HSB Note: “In my long-ago West Coast newspapering days there was an L.A. press box legend that one sportswriter complained that it took him longer to type Tommy Kaulukukui than it did for the University of Hawaii halfback to return a UCLA kickoff 103 yards for a touchdown, then a Coliseum and still a UH record. Tommy also had a 39-yard touchdown run called back in that November 1935 game, won by the home team Bruins 19-6 while football fans in Hawaii crowded around radios, listening in as Kaulukukui also made touchdown-saving tackles from his safety spot and was the focal point on offense at tailback in the single-wing.”

HSB Note: “Bruins Ace Is Outshone by Little Tommy, screamed one headline. One of the greatest backs to ever trod on the Coliseum turf, gushed Jack James of the Los Angeles Examiner. Five-foot-four when fully stretched, 145 pounds when fully fed, Tommy had firmly stamped University of Hawaii football on the mainland map in one day.”

HSB Note: “BORN IN KALIHI in 1913 and raised in Hilo, Tommy was the fifth of 15 children. He attended Hilo High, where he was an all-around athlete, even performing with a Hilo all-star baseball team against a visiting major league squad that included Babe Ruth, an experience Tommy regularly related.”

HSB Note: “His wartime service as an Army officer earned him the gratitude and eternal comradeship of veterans of the 442nd. His calm, determined voice during 14 years as a founding force and Trustee of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, tamed many a potentially turbulent time.”

HSB Note: “As Tommy told the story, he was playing in a 135-pound barefoot league between his jobs as a stevedore and working in the Hilo foundry when he was spotted by a scout from the Manoa campus. Famed composer and former UH football player Albert Nahalea sealed the deal, according to Tommy’s son.”

About how he was offered a scholarship to UH and became a 21-year-old freshman, Tommy said:
“Coach Proc Klum offered me a scholarship, sight unseen.” (HSB)

HSB Note: “Tommy won 17 letters in five sports — football, basketball, baseball, track and tennis — a record that will never be approached. On the football field he ambled with a little limp, a result of a childhood fall from an uncle’s shoulders. Instead of hurting his athleticism, Tommy — and most opponents — agreed that one leg being about an inch shorter than the other helped him.”

About how he was going to punt the ball when UH had the ball at its 10-yard-line and 4th-and-long in a 1937 game against Denver (UH won 7-6), Tommy talked about deciding to run when he thought he saw an opening:
“But the opening closed, so I reversed field, circled back through the end zone and ran up the left sideline for a first down at about midfield. We ran out the clock from there and preserved a one- or two-point victory.” (HSB)

HSB Note: “All Denver players reputedly had a shot at tackling Tommy on that run. Some had two. His gridiron exploits caught the attention of famed sportswriter Grantland Rice, who named Tommy to the Board of Football All-America team. He was the first Hawaii player ever honored with an All-America accolade. He hung a nickname on Tommy: “Grass Shack.” Rice may have thought he was doing something nice, and son Tom said Tommy didn’t care about the moniker one way or the other. But it was all wrong for Tommy, as it implied of a lazy life under the tropical sun.”

HSB Note: “Following the Pearl Harbor bombing, Tommy served as an Army officer in a work battalion composed of young men of Japanese ancestry who were not allowed to volunteer for military duty. Many of these men later fought with the 442nd, and invited Tommy to reunions here and on the mainland for decades after. TOMMY WAS AN assistant coach for several years at Michigan State, then returned to coach ‘Iolani in 1960.”

About playing for Tommy when he coached at Iolani, Hugh Yoshida said:
“He had this little limp, you know, and you could see why it was so hard to tackle him in his playing days. He was soft-spoken, and commanded respect. When he said something it was a good idea to pay attention, because you would learn something.” (HSB)

Yoshida said that the main lesson he learned from Tommy was:
“how to deal with people.” (HSB)

About working with Tommy at OHA, Steve Kuna said:
“He was a calming force amid a chaotic OHA in its formative stages. As a trustee he was in the middle of what was often a Wild West show, but Tommy never aggravated someone on the other side of the issues. Everyone knew he did what he thought was right for the people.” (HSB)

HSB Note: “And throughout his long and meaningful life, Tommy was regularly asked to reminisce about his Coliseum run. He always said it was a designed play, and once when Tommy Jr. was the special teams coach for the Kailua JV, he asked his father about it.”

About how he asked his Dad about his famous kickoff return play and he promised his players a staek dinner if they scored on a kickoff, Tommy Jr. said:
“Dad diagrammed the play for me. We had three touchdowns on kickoff returns that season. I bought a lot of steaks.” (HSB)

HSB Note: “Kaulukukui and his wife, Felice, had three children. He made time to spend with his lifelong friends from the Fighting Deans, including Bill Ahuna and Tony Morse. He died in March 2007, leaving a legacy of quiet leadership, universal respect and athletic greatness highlighted by a tremendous run in 1935.”

http://www.starbulletin.com/specialprojects/09/centurions/20090802_little_big_man.html

Gary Allen is Centurians #5

About how Gary Allen didn’t start at RB at UH, then-UH head coach Dick Tomey said:
“He started out as a wide receiver. He wasn’t even a tailback when he started.” (HSB)

HSB Note: “During a bye-week scrimmage between redshirts and backups in 1978, Tomey and his staff found themselves short at running back. So, they inserted Allen, a freshman recruited as a wide receiver coming out of Baldwin Park (Calif.) High School.”

About how Gary Allen immediately showed his RB skill in that bye-week scrimmage, Tomey said:
“We put him back there, and the first time we gave him the ball, he ran for a touchdown. We said, ‘Let’s do that again’, and he ran for a touchdown (again). And pretty soon we decided, we have to start him at running back.” (HSB)

HSB Note: “Allen rushed for 92 yards against Pacific and went on to set what was then a freshman rushing mark of 521 yards in half a season. Running out of the I-formation, the 5-foot-9, 170-pound tailback was a scintillating combination of speed, quickness and agility who teamed with tough fullback David Toloumu to form the most productive and popular backfield duo in program history.”

About Allen’s ability to make people miss, Tomey said:
“He had a unique ability to start and stop and make people miss. He was just magic with the ball.” (HSB)

About Allen’s running ability, Jim Donovan (a junior guard during Allen’s senior year) said:
“He was a very smooth runner, but he also had the strength to go for the first down when he needed to. He was definitely the strongest running back. If I remember correctly, he was bench pressing 350 to 375 pounds.” (HSB)

HSB Note: “Allen was small but handled a heavy workload and absorbed punishment from defenses primed to stop him. Tomey and his staff also took advantage of his great hands and open-field elusiveness, throwing to him often and at times deploying him as a punt returner.”

HSB Note: “As a sophomore in 1979, Allen racked up six 100-yard games en route to 1,040, averaging more than 6 per carry. His highlight reel included a six-carry, 112-yard cameo in a blowout of Prairie View, a 202-yard rampage in a win at Texas-El Paso, and a three-touchdown, 141-yard performance in a tough loss to Temple. The Temple game capped a four-game streak during which he rushed for 100-plus yards, but Allen still admits to feeling the sting of that defeat. He understates his heroics to keep the ‘Bows in the game — including scoring runs of 77 and 55 yards and a 32-yard TD reception — and instead takes the blame for the loss.”

Dismissing his 141-yard, 2-TD performance against Temple and taking the blame for the loss, Allen said:
“I was having a good game until the fourth quarter. I fumbled, they recovered and eventually went on to win by three (points).” (HSB)

About how Allen ran for 155 yards against Arizona State in the game after Temple (UH upset Arizona State 29-17 to end their season), Tomey said:
“They could not tackle him. That was an amazing game. (Arizona State was) just loaded with outstanding players, and (Allen) was clearly the best player on the field.” (HSB)

HSB Note: “After toughing it out despite a nagging turf toe injury that bothered him his entire junior year, Allen returned to top form in 1981, rushing for 1,006 yards. The ‘Bows climbed as high as 16th in the UPI national coaches’ poll and finished with a 9-2 record.”

About Allen and his teammates in 1981, Tomey said:
“He was part of a group of guys that was a special, special group of players who gave us a chance to compete at a very high level. That group of guys had great pride, great spirit and outstanding capabilities.” (HSB)

HSB Note: “Allen played three seasons in the NFL and three more in Canada. In 1984 with the Dallas Cowboys he ranked fourth in the league in combined kickoff and punt return yards. For Allen, the highlight of his time in Dallas was reuniting with Mark Tuinei, his former UH teammate.”

About his close friendship with Mark Tuinei when they were with the Cowboys, Allen said:
“We were friends in Hawaii, but when I got to Dallas, we became inseparable. (Mark) picked me up when I got to Dallas. The team had him bring me back and forth to practice (and) we stayed in the same apartment complex.” (HSB)

HSB Note: “Playing for Calgary, Allen lead the CFL in rushing in 1986.”

About how he is still the all-time career leader in most significant rushing categories at UH, Allen joked about JJ:
“Thank goodness that June Jones ran his offense. It kept good running backs from coming there.” (HSB)

HSB Note: “After his pro career, Allen returned home to Baldwin Park. He’s worked for the (San Gabriel) Valley County Water District for 20 years. Last fall, Allen returned to his high school alma mater as an assistant, coaching the wide receivers and running backs.”

About how he doesn’t want to be a head coach, Allen said:
“I don’t need that many headaches.” (HSB)

About how his 8-year-old son Jaden is an “awesome football player”, Allen said:
HSB Note: “Allen, 49, has a stepdaughter, Adrian, and son, Jaden, with his wife, Hilda.”
“I could hear the parents talking about my son, saying things like, ‘All we have to do is give the ball to Jaden.’ That was a rush for me. I tell my mom it’s just awesome to sit in the stands and watch my son play, and she says, ‘Well, that’s the same thing we (Allen’s parents) felt.’” (HSB)

HSB Note: “He visited Hawaii in 1998 for his induction into the UH Circle of Honor and the UH-Arizona game, where he reunited with Tomey. In 1999, the circumstances were somber, as he returned for Tuinei’s funeral. Allen hopes to be on hand when the Warriors travel to play UNLV and San Jose State this year. He’s already planning another trip back to Honolulu next fall when Hawaii hosts USC in the 2010 season opener. Oftentimes, he’ll wear his old green-and-white No. 26 Rainbow jersey to the games and occasionally receives compliments from unwitting Warrior fans who think he is just another spectator with a cool throwback jersey. Unless asked, the unassuming Allen won’t come out and tell them he played for UH. He certainly won’t boast that he’s the most prolific rusher in the history of the program.”

About how some UH fans realize who he is when they see him at games, Allen said:
“a few people put two and two together, come up and talk to me and ask for autographs.” (HSB)

http://www.starbulletin.com/specialprojects/09/centurions/20090802_magic_with_the_ball.html

UH WR coach Craig Stutzmann is expected to leave for Portland State

HA Note: “Hawai’i assistant receiver coach Craig Stutzmann is expected to accept a football coaching job at Portland State. Stutzmann has an in-person interview with PSU head coach Jerry Glanville today in Portland.”

HA Note: “As a standout slotback, Stutzmann is eighth on the UH career list with 177 receptions in 46 games. Although he is classified as a graduate assistant, Stutzmann is in charge of the Warrior receivers.”

About how he will have to leave Hawaii to take the Portland State opportunity, Stutzmann said:
“I love Hawai’i, and I love the program, but at this time in my life, it would be beneficial for me to take this opportunity.” (HA)

HA Note: “Stutzmann and his wife, Briana, have a 2-month-old son. A graduate assistant receives tuition and a small stipend. The PSU coaching job pays about $30,000 annually. But the position comes with benefits — a UH graduate assistant does not receive medical benefits — and Oregon does not have a sales tax.”

About how he cannot turn down the opportunity for a full-time coaching position, Stutzmann said:
“It’s a fulltime position. I have a family. This would be a way to get my foot in the door. The ultimate dream would be to start off at UH. Unfortunately, there’s nothing available right now.” (HA)

About how his brother Billy Ray Stutzmann will remain at UH, Craig Stutzmann said:
“I talked to my brother. He’s going to stay. This is a great fit for him.” (HA)

http://sports.honoluluadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090802/SPORTS0201/908020387&template=UHsports

The WAC will announce their decision on McMackin on Monday

HA Note: “WAC commissioner Karl Benson declined to say which way he was leaning but said violations of the conference’s sportsmanship code can entail “private reprimand, public reprimand or game suspension.” He said he planned to make an announcement tomorrow.”

About why the WAC must decide on a proper response regarding the controversy, Karl Benson said that because the incident occurred at a WAC event, it:
“comes under the umbrella of the WAC” (HA)

Appreciating UH’s quick response, Benson said:
“I appreciate (UH-Manoa) chancellor Virginia Hinshaw and athletic director Jim Donovan’s quick and decisive action and I’m confident that will make my decision easier. I appreciate what they have done over the course of the last 48 hours.” (HA)

HA Note: “Benson said he will make the decision after “seeking some counsel and advice” among WAC members, including presidents and athletic directors.”

About how this case was “unique” in his 16 years as WAC commissioner, Benson said:
“We had some WAC coaches that made bad decisions and uttered offensive remarks but it didn’t come under the umbrella of the WAC.” (HA)

http://sports.honoluluadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090802/SPORTS0201/908020376&template=UHsports

Brashton Satele, Mana Lolotai, and Rocky Savaiigaea worked out with Chad Ikei’s program in Arizona

HA Note: “Inspired by the work of Arizona-based trainer Chad Ikei, who helped defensive tackle Josh Leonard earn an NFL free-agent contract, linebackers Brashton Satele and Mana Lolotai and defensive tackle Rocky Savaiigaea enlisted in the intense program. They ran, lifted, and cut out carbs and desserts. Satele lost 26 pounds and, at 238, will not have to move to defensive end. Savaiigaea, who is in the final days of Ikei’s program, has shed about 30 pounds.”

About going through Chad Ikei’s program in Arizona, Brashton Satele said:
“The first day was one of the hardest things I’ve done. You plateau, then you have to change your workout. It was worth it. I feel great.” (HA)

http://sports.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/20090802/SPORTS0201/908020389/sportsfront&template=UHSports/Boise+targets+WAC+title