Lindsey calls rock-hard UH
practice field ‘a travesty’

University of Hawaii offensive coordinator Don Lindsey walked off the grass practice fields yesterday evening with fire in his eyes.

Since the start of two-a-days, the Rainbows have been plagued with a variety of shoulder, groin and hamstring injuries that members of the coaching staff believe is the result of the rock-hard surface that has grass trying desperately to grow out of it.

"I don't mind going on the record and they can fire me for speaking out," Lindsey prefaced his remarks. "But this is a travesty.

"This field is a disgrace to college Division I football. South Central L.A. high schools have better football fields than this one.

"It's a disgrace when these kids have to practice on this football field. They want to know how come we have so many hamstring pulls. Have you watched it?

"Do you hear the clanking of the cleats on this ground. It sounds like they're running on concrete. The softball field over there has better grass than this."

Lindsey is not the first UH coach to rip the field. Current Arizona coaches Dick Tomey, Bob Wagner and Rich Ellerson have been pointing out how bad things are for two decades.

Ellerson got so tired of it, he brought in his own dirt and spread it around in the summer of 1991, but to no avail. It is rock hard again.

"I think the players sometimes prefer playing on the turf at Cooke Field than out here," UH head coach Fred vonAppen said. "That should tell you something."

Defensive backs James Polk, Clyde Lewis and Ricky Lumford, running backs Afatia Thompson and Charles Tharp, linebackers Jeff Ulbrich and Yaphet Warren, and wide receiver Robert Kemfort have missed practices as a result of groin and hamstring pulls, and shoulder problems from hitting the ground.

"How are we supposed to get better when we have so many guys missing practices with these kinds of injuries?" Lindsey said. "Something needs to be done about it because it's a disgrace, an absolute, total disgrace to these young men, who are working their butts off out here twice a day, every day to get better."

INJURY UPDATE: Several players, who were missing during Tuesday's workout, were up and playing yesterday.

Chief among them were quarterback Josh Skinner, defensive backs Polk and Phil Austin, and wide out Kemfort, who made several big plays against the defense in both of yesterday's workouts.

Kemfort was slowed with a bruised shoulder, while Polk was bothered with a groin and Austin with a stinger in his shoulder. Skinner is still slowed by a hip pointer, but could be back having full contact as early as today.

Offensive lineman Andy Phillips is still out with a badly bruised shoulder and is listed as day-to-day. Projected starting free safety Daniel Ho-Ching remains at about 70 percent with a hamstring pull. It's unlikely he'll be able to start in the Arizona game.

Linebacker Rinda Brooks is also down with a hamstring. He probably won't play in the opener with the Wildcats. Hawaii trainers expect him to be about 50 percent for that game.

Defensive nose tackle Tony Tuioti also returned to practice yesterday after missing a couple of days with a strained shoulder.

GOLF TOURNEY SET IN L.A.: Rainbows athletic director Hugh Yoshida said yesterday there will be a benefit golf tournament on Oct. 8 in Los Angeles for the UH athletic program.

It will be played on the Royal Vista golf course owned by Na Koa Club president Alex Waterhouse and is primarily for UH fans in the Los Angeles area.

"It's to help us make new friends in Southern California," Yoshida said. "There will be several UH coaches there, including Riley Wallace."

The winner of the tournament will receive two tickets for the UH-San Diego State game that was originally scheduled for Oct. 10.

The Star-Bulletin reported nearly a month ago that a possible scheduling conflict with the San Diego Padres could force the game to be moved from Saturday to Friday.

As of now, San Diego State wants to play the game on Friday night, but that still has to be approved by Major League Baseball. Yoshida discounted the possibility that the game would be played here.

OFFENSIVE PLAY OF DAY: Freshman quarterback Shawn Withy-Allen and many other backup offensive players pulled a good one on the top defense during the morning workout. Withy-Allen, not known as a pure runner, called a naked bootleg that left him all alone as he ran up the right side of the field untouched for a touchdown. He was so excited on the play, he ran 70 yards before vonAppen told him to turn around and go back to the huddle.

SPECIAL TEAMS PLAY OF DAY: Place-kicker Eric Hannum sent a high end-over-end kick on a PAT into the top reaches of an African tulip tree that grows about 30 feet beyond the goal posts. This football never came down, even though Hannum tried to nail it several times during the same PAT drill.

"I think there are three footballs stuck up there," Hannum said.

WEATHER REPORT: The wind was up and the humidity down during yesterday's workouts at Cooke Field. During the afternoon practice, the temperature on the field was a cool 84 degrees with the humidity checking in at a comfortable 60 percent. At one point during the morning workout, the winds were blowing so hard, vonAppen turned up the collar on his jacket.

QUOTE OF THE DAY: "Bows win, Bows win."

-- UH head coach Fred vonAppen just after Eric Hannum nailed a 37-yard field goal to end the morning workout.

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By Paul Arnett and Bill Kwon