Reinebold right at home
with Hawaii football team

The former NFL Europe coach
gives up a $100,000 a year job to
be a graduate assistant for Hawaii

Jerry Glanville gave him the nickname "Fritz" yesterday, because the animated way he teaches technique reminds him of Fritz Shurmur, the late NFL mastermind.

But if you really want to compliment Hawaii graduate assistant Jeff Reinebold, call him "Kepi," the Hawaiian version of his first name.

"I'm a Hawaiian man trapped in a haole man's body," Reinebold said after yesterday morning's practice. "I'm probably German, but I never researched it because I never felt akin to it."

Graduate assistant is not quite the dream job for a 47-year-old football coach -- unless you're Reinebold and the job's here in Hawaii. He doesn't care that the pay is next to nothing (he left an NFL Europe job paying around $100,000 a year in London).

Reinebold's extensive background includes head coach at Winnipeg of the Canadian Football League. His love of the islands has roots in Canada. It was 1994, and the Hula Bowl had degenerated into a glorified pickup game between college all-stars and a collection of former local players. Reinebold came looking for players to take back to Canada, and he found them -- on the Hawaii Ponoi team.

"From that game we signed Junior Tagoai, Joe Seumalo, David Maeva, Roy Maafala, Akili Calhoun. I took all those guys to the CFL. In my first year in NFL Europe, we actually had an all-Hawaiian defensive line," Reinebold said. "There's something special, if you ever work with Polynesian kids. There's something special about them."

His strongest bond is with Maeva, the hard-hitting former UH safety and linebacker. Reinebold calls him the toughest football player he's ever met.

"I stayed at his house four or five days," Reinebold said. "Mrs. Maeva said, 'You know, you white on the outside, but I think there's some Samoan in there somewhere.' "

Everywhere he coached, he brought Maeva with him, along with other Polynesians. British Columbia. Edmonton. Las Vegas. Amsterdam.

Along the way, Reinebold became obsessed with Hawaii. In a good way.

"I ordered some stuff from 808.com. With your order, they send you a sticker that says 'Live aloha.' I realized that's it. I put it on my door to remind myself every day," he said. "Even though your skin's not brown, you can 'live aloha.' "

To 'live aloha' away from Hawaii is one thing. But Reinebold was homesick for the home where he'd never lived. He had to find a way back to the islands. He thought he found his opening in the spring of 2004, when Tyson Helton left the UH staff.

"I got ahold of June. I knew him a little since 1995 in Atlanta. I told him I always wanted to be here. At that time he said he already had some people in mind. I stayed in contact, then Mouse (Davis) came, and Mouse is the godfather of the offense. Then Jerry comes here and I said I don't care if I have to volunteer, walk-on, hand out jocks, whatever, I want to be a part of this. This is an unbelievable football environment."

In two days, Reinebold has connected with the defensive ends, most of whom are Polynesian. He has already developed a special bond with sophomore Karl Noa, a Kamehameha graduate. The court ruling affecting admission policies at his alma mater stung Noa. Reinebold broached the subject with him in a sensitive but meaningful manner.

"We talked about Kamehameha and what's going on now. He knows a lot of stuff locally, and it's from the heart," Noa said.

Reinebold said he is against the court's decision to open up admission to non-Hawaiians.

"I'm going to follow that closely, because I think it'd be a tragedy to lose that specialness," he said. "I can't speak of the political issues, but I know this: There needs to be a place for the culture and the language and the heritage."

The players also respect Reinebold for his football knowledge.

"He's cool. He knows a lot of stuff, it's good to learn from a guy who's been there," senior Mel Purcell said. "We're just taking it day by day and trying to learn what we can from him. He's fired up. He's like (defensive line) Coach (Vantz) Singletary, always ready to step on the field. That's the kind of personality I like from a coach."

Reinebold's attachment to Hawaii is more than football, and it's more than the postcard allure of the islands.

"Sure, there's the beach and the mountains, the aina is beautiful. But it's a state of mind," he said. "When I got off that plane the first time, there was something telling me, 'I'm home.' "