Tuesday, March 31, 1998

Two UH players
get fifth season

Stephen Gonzales and
Dan Robinson will be able
to play football

By Paul Arnett
Star-Bulletin

Stephen Gonzales and Dan Robinson are in. Mark Jenkins and Jason Mane are out.

Those are the results of the petitions by the University of Hawaii to the NCAA to get each of those four football players another year of eligibility.

Gonzales and Robinson had the best chances because they experienced well-documented, season-ending injuries. They also had redshirt years available to them.

Such was not the case for Mane and Jenkins. Those two players were seeking a rare sixth season of eligibility. Mane petitioned the NCAA after he blew out his knee in fall camp. The wide receiver didn't play in any games, opting for surgery last November.

Jenkins sought a sixth season after he missed one year due to a death in his family. UH head coach Fred vonAppen still holds out some hope for the linebacker.

"I'm not sure all our avenues of appeal have been exhausted," vonAppen said yesterday afternoon. "I still believe we have a good case for Mark, but at this point, the NCAA disagrees."

Jenkins is the final recruit of former UH offensive coordinator Paul Johnson. The Georgia resident played extensively in the last half of the 1997 season.

Robinson saw action in only one game -- the season opener with Minnesota. Gonzales competed in three games -- the most allowed in order to remain eligible for a medical hardship.

Robinson never recovered from shinsplints. Gonzales had a bad shoulder and ankle. His last game against Fresno State was the Rainbows' final win of 1997.

"We're glad both of those guys got the extra year," vonAppen said. "I'm not sure if Dan will be able to go full speed in the spring. We think he can. But we're still waiting for him to get his medical release from our trainers."

Robinson figures to challenge for the starting job. He and Josh Skinner will be the top two quarterbacks in spring practice, which begins next Monday.

"We also got some news on (freshman tight end) Mike Iosua," vonAppen said. "He was injured last year, but he also received a medical hardship."