THE news that Waialua High School is dropping OIA varsity football brings back memories. Little Waialua
football team gave us
lots of memoriesNot only for me, but for three prominent figures who began their head coaching careers at the North Oahu school -- Hugh Yoshida, Norm Chow and Skippa Diaz.
Yoshida, now University of Hawaii's athletic director, coached at Waialua from 1970 through 1972.
Chow took over for Yoshida for the next three years before getting a call from Brigham Young coach LaVell Edwards in 1975 about an opening as a graduate assistant. "And I have been here (in Provo, Utah) ever since," Chow said.
Diaz replaced Chow in 1975 and '76, continuing a remarkable run of coaches at Waialua.
After five years as an assistant at Mililani, Diaz finally got his "dream" job -- at his alma mater, Farrington, in 1981. He has been there ever since.
Skippa's in Wisconsin with his wife, visiting her relatives and couldn't be reached for comment. But Yoshida and Chow recalled their memories about Waialua, the little sugar plantation town, which fielded small but spunky, overachieving athletic teams.
"I was taken aback that they dropped football," said Yoshida. "But I knew it has been a struggle. The school's size and numbers weren't there, even during my time."
The most Yoshida ever had on a squad was 27 players.
"We always had a difficult time getting enough players, but you couldn't find better kids anywhere" added Chow. "It's a shame that they had to drop football."
BOTH Yoshida and Chow were just starting out after graduating from college, where they starred in football -- Yoshida at Linfield and Chow at the University of Utah.
"I was just looking for a job back home," said Yoshida, a Kauai native who won all-star honors as a linebacker at Iolani. "I was very familiar with Waialua because of my uncle, 'Fat' Yoshida."
Yoshida was also sold on the job because it came with a rent-free cottage. Anything to reduce expenses for his young family -- wife Patti and their year-old daughter, Lesli, who later grew up to be a Cherry Blossom Queen.
Yoshida then went to Leilehua, where he developed the Mules into an OIA powerhouse.
Waialua never lost a beat in coaching smarts. Chow, a former football and basketball standout at Punahou, took over for the next three years.
"I was the youngest head coach in the league and my team showed it," said Chow, who was 23 at the time.
"You took your lickings but it was a great training ground for coaches," Yoshida said. "You get humble. But you always remember your first job as a head coach."
O does Chow.
"I always go back to Waialua whenever I'm back," said Chow. "The place has a lot of memories for me." He still visits Waialuans Walter "Loho" Young and Richard Funai to "talk story."
"Richard is 90 and still drinking his martinis," Chow said. "And if you want to know anything about Waialua, ask Walter."
I won't forget some of the great players in Waialua's past:
All-star quarterback Lyle Lavarias, who played for both Yoshida and Chow.
The Coloma brothers -- Burton, who later starred for the Rainbows, and Jason, who twice made first-team All-WAC as a defensive back for BYU.
Also, Wes Suan, who played for Yoshida and is now on the Linfield football staff. And Ernie Santiago, a running back for Chow, who later won acclaim as a Mr. Hawaii in weightlifting.
Here's hoping Waialua, an original member of the league when it was known as the Rural Oahu Interscholastic Association, resumes varsity football soon.