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Centurions

STAR-BULLETIN
Commemorative cover of the Honolulu Star-Bulletin's "The Centurions" special marking 100 years of the University of Hawaii's football program.

A great idea, a century in the making

What better time to name the top 100 players in University of Hawaii history than the season the school celebrates the 100th anniversary of its first football program.

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Welcome to the final countdown

You may already know the names of the top five Centurions, since we announced them last week. In the following pages, we reveal their order, along with their profiles (as well as a recap of the other 95).

The greatest Warrior

Somewhere amid the frenzy following Hawaii's title-clinching victory, a few among the throng covering Aloha Stadium's field found Colt Brennan and boosted him above the celebration.

Magic with the ball

Hard to believe, but the greatest running back in the history of the University of Hawaii got off to a late start in the backfield.

Little Big Man

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.

The Sack Man scareth

Al Noga sacked quarterbacks with his stare. He was a pitbull in pads. His bark was spine-chilling, his bite was bone-crunching.

Kicking up a storm

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.

Gametime for readers: Vote for the No. 1 player out of top 5 Centurions

The word for today is "deduction." We're not talking about taxes, so we skip to Maid Merriam-Marvin Webster's second definition: "The deriving of a conclusion by reasoning."

Heart of the matter

He was the boy who had to sit down while the other kids got to play. A heart condition, caused by a rheumatic fever infection when he was a 5-year-old in American Samoa, made little Jesse Sapolu stick out as an elementary school kid in Kalihi.

Noga stood his ground vs. the best

In 1982, the best center in the history of college football was playing his final regular-season game. It would be the end of a storied career, and to top it all off, it would happen in Hawaii. A nice little trip to paradise.

Stanley hit foes, books hard

All Levi Stanley wanted to do was play football. But little did the star defensive lineman from Waianae High School know that there was more than that when he decided to stay home and play for the Rainbows at the University of Hawaii.

Many happy returns

The average hang time on a college football punt is roughly 5 seconds. Enough time for Joey Chestnut to chow down a hot dog on the Fourth of July at Coney Island, or to kiss your spouse good-bye on the way to work in the morning.

White turned corner at UH

In the picture, Jeris White is wearing No. 85 because the best defensive back in Hawaii's history wore No. 85. It was a freshman's number; it was what was given to him when he showed up (like a minor-league pitching prospect being issued No. 85 in his first spring training with the big club). White made the varsity as a freshman.

Gabriel got monkey off 'Bows' backs

Garrett Gabriel has an old videotape of Hawaii's historic 56-14 rout of Brigham Young ... somewhere. Make no mistake, the quarterback who led UH to that triumphant thrashing of BYU in 1989 and a 59-28 thumping the following year has fond memories of those two huge wins.

Gaison walked the walk

His legs keep pumping hard, churning mile after mile, day after day. Before his job as co-athletic director at Kamehameha begins each morning, Blane Gaison is up at 4 a.m. and running the hills of Kapalama Heights. He's never known the meaning of surrender.

In time, Lelie's shine was brilliant

The diamonds you see in fine jewelry stores don't start out beautiful, sparkling like the sun's reflection off the Kaiwi Channel at sunrise. They need refinement. The right cut. Give them that -- and put them in a proper setting -- and you have something.

Sam was the man in Manoa

He's an epic figure who combats enemies and performs heroic feats unachievable by ordinary humans, and he does so by finding tremendous strength in his long hair. Sound familiar?

Carter still has his bruises

It's been more than 17 years and Michael Carter can still feel the jolt shooting through his torso. Then a sophomore quarterback, Carter played nearly the entire 1991 season with a painful rib injury, and whether he'd play in Hawaii's finale against Notre Dame was in doubt.

Greatness and inconsistency

What is the legacy of Timmy Chang? Do you focus on the career passing record, and leave it at that? Maybe you embrace him for being synonymous with University of Hawaii football for the better part of five years. Or you appreciate some of his signature victories and moments.

Bess' loyalty to UH led to NFL

Ron Lee can laugh about that night in Fresno now. The Hawaii offensive coordinator was coaching the Warriors receivers in 2004, when he thought one of his first encounters with Davone Bess might be his last.

Cherry was pinball wizard for Rainbows

I await the call. That's all I can do. I've deposited the money into the account, and wait for a phone call. That's how you try to have a conversation with someone in prison thousands of miles away.

High impact from low-key 'V'

The recipient of numerous accolades, Vince Manuwai lacks the bravado of an athlete who, during his career at Hawaii, was among the nation's most proficient offensive lineman.

'Brick' played hard for 'Bows

"Hey Arnett. There's somebody you've got to meet." Former University of Hawaii quarterback Josh Skinner was sitting at the end of a bench outside the locker room, removing his football gear piece by piece, before heading in for the evening. Sitting next to him was the new kid in town.

Sydner big on punt returns

He's got to fair catch. Right? Jeff Sydner just stands there, staring into the Halawa night.

‘Dangerous’ double-threat

George Lumpkin is good at keeping his mouth shut. He could and he would this time, for sure. No way was he going to let Dick Tomey and the offensive assistant coaches know what he'd seen.

Rivers always ran through it

Jason Rivers was not in any way "athletic" in the modern stereotypical use of the word. Oh, he could run, and he could jump, and catch passes, and had great hand-eye coordination and a good 40 time.

Pisa keeps proving himself

It can be such an unforgiving game, football. Every play, every day, there is something to prove. It's not just about being better than the next guy, it's about being the best. Always.

Dyer was always tough to catch

Combine Gary Allen and Chad Owens and what do you get? Many old-time Hawaii football fans would say Skippy Dyer.

Destined to make a difference

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

Goeas helped tame Cougars

The official attendance is listed at 50,000, but hundreds -- perhaps thousands -- more will say they were there. At Aloha Stadium on that picture-postcard perfect night of Oct. 28, 1989.

Turning improbable into 'pro'

There is a play Hawaii defensive backs coach Rich Miano shows his players. It looks like something from a video game. The defender -- who happens to be Rich Miano -- hurdles the blockers, lands on the guy with the ball, taking him down.

Odom left lasting marks

For all of football's seeming complexity, Mark Odom preferred to break the game down to the simplest terms.

Rolo stepped up instead of staying down

Nick Rolovich traces it back. Before the BYU blowout, before the shootout with Ben Roethlisberger and before the lob to Ashley Lelie against Fresno State.

Tough yards you could count on

Where do you start with a guy like Travis Sims? How about here. Bam — 4 yards. Bam — 12 yards. Bam — 28 yards.

Clown was no joke

The thing about Harry "Clown" Kahuanui was his enthusiastic approach to being an athlete, or in just greeting people. An ambassador, an embodiment of the Aloha Spirit.

Front & center

In early 1984, Dick Tomey lured Amosa Amosa into the memorabilia room of his house, held up Jesse Sapolu's old No. 76, and the kid from Campbell was sold.

Still 'Mento' after all these years

Using a black Sharpie, David Maeva wrote "Jimmy" on the white towel that hung from his hip pad, penning his own football future.

Wonder-ful Wise

You haven't accomplished anything until you are tagged with a cool nickname. And the Roaring '20s had the coolest nicknames. The Four Horsemen of Manoa earned their own cool nickname, the "Wonder Teams."

Kafentzis legacy began with Mark in '79

Every so often, someone with island ties might pass through the town of Buckley, Wash., (population 4,000) and notice the name on the office door. Then comes the inevitable, "Didn't you play football for Hawaii?" conversation.

Morse provided the force when UH was last perfect

When you tire of surfing the 'net, fish the 'fiche. I'd forgotten how fun it is to read old newspapers on library microfiche. There's a big wide world of things out there that happened before the 1990s -- with no popover ads or balky servers.

Mission accomplished

If YouTube were around in the 1990s, Darrick Branch would have his own channel. With a college career chock-full of eye-popping moments, his playmaking skills made him a popular name on a team overflowing with talented players.

He liked to break stuff

Heikoti Fakava just kept those legs pumping. One tackle broken. Another evaded. Then those last few powerful strides over the goal line.

Fan favorite Klaneski left it all on the field

From 1994 to 1997, Eddie Klaneski did not capture many victories on the scoreboard. His Rainbow football teams went a combined 12-47.

Asato built -- and rebuilt -- UH football

He's 81, and only a few remain who remember the fast and fearless left halfback with boulders where most people have calf muscles.

Kid Lightning

He was lightning, this kid. That's how we remember him. Matthew Harding was so fast at the snap he would race the ball back to the punter, and there were times you would swear it was a tie.

Botelho was too early for the flying circus

Maybe Don Botelho needed a time machine. Those who saw him play for Roosevelt and the University of Hawaii recall a supreme athlete, nimble of foot and mind.

Price dished out his share of katooshes

It wasn't always Perry on the left, Price on the right. Some recall when it was Ellis on the left, Price all over the place.

Choosing the Centurions wasn't easy

"This was ... daunting." Those were the words of Star-Bulletin sportswriter Billy Hull as he turned in his ranking of the 100 greatest football players in University of Hawaii history.

Centurions gallery, part five

KIP AOKI / KAOKI@STARBULLETIN.COM
COLT BRENNAN: He set or tied 31 NCAA records in a three-year career. The marks include touchdown passes in a career (131) and single season (58 in 2006). Brennan led the nation in total offense, touchdown passes, passing efficiency, points responsible for, completion percentage and passing yards in 2006. He broke 41 school records that season. Brennan was winner of the 2006 Sammy Baugh Award for the nation's best passer, and was a finalist for the Davey O'Brien Award (best quarterback) and Cingular National Player of the Year.

Read the story >>


Centurions gallery, part one


Centurions gallery, part two


Centurions gallery, part three


Centurions gallery, part four


The cards