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Saturday, February 3, 2001
Mawae revisits The 6-foot-4, 305-pound hapa haole lineman's face glistens with sweat as he catches his breath from a late morning workout with the AFC squad at Ihilani Resort.
isle ties for
Pro Bowl
Hawaii, where his father
Isles, bowl great for each other
was born and raised, remains
a big part of his life
NFC: Bucs, newcomers
AFC: Super Bowl roll?
Official Pro Bowl siteBy Pat Bigold
Star-BulletinNew York Jets Pro Bowl center Kevin Mawae is starting to feel the heat, but he's glad someone on the practice field has recognized his island roots.
"A lot of people think I'm just some dark-skinned Louisiana kid, but I have plenty of ties here," said Mawae with a broad smile against the backdrop of the Waianae mountain range.
The two-time Pro Bowler is listed in the program as a product of Bayou State but his father, David Mawae, is actually a Honolulu-born Hawaiian.
Kevin's dad was raised on Kauai and left the islands to join the Army as a young man.
Kevin's mother, the former Linda Swidirski of Longview, Wash., is Polish-American.
"I'm familiar with the kapu system, and all of the Hawaiian traditions," said Mawae in a soft Southern drawl that belies his Polynesian background.
"It's all about respecting people and respecting the land. My father ingrained that in us."
Around the big man's powerful right arm is a warrior armband tattoo that bears the image of a shark, his family's aumakua. Also worked into the design are the names of his wife, Tracy, his late brother, Keoni, and the initials of his 3-year-old son, Kirkland Keoni.
The Mawaes have a 10-month-old daughter, Abigail Kanahele, who was born after the tattoo was applied.
Mawae said that he and his family practice their Hawaiian culture in Louisiana by holding luaus that are as authentic as possible.
"My dad, me and my brothers get together and do the kalua pig," he said. "My dad tries to get poi as much as he can from family here in Hawaii."
Mawae said his family also tries to collect as much contemporary Hawaiian music as they can lay their hands on for the luaus.
"It's hard to come by in Louisiana," said Mawae. "But Hapa is one of my favorites, and Israel Kamakawiwo'ole."
Mawae said he loves the ocean. But he knows his limitations.
"I learned one thing a couple of years ago, and that's that fat guys aren't supposed to be on boogie boards," said Mawae.
"We were in Poipu where all these 12- and 13-year-old local kids were running out on these big old old eight-foot waves, and I thought 'this is a piece of cake.'
"I get on top of a wave and it (the boogie board) falls out from underneath me and I crash down and wash up into the rocks. Now I just get about knee deep and leave it at that."
He always has an excuse to visit Hawaii.
His grandmother (Dorothy Kanahele Mawae) lives in Washington state but has a home on Kauai she visits regularly. Mawae also has an aunt and uncle who reside on the Garden Isle.
But he made his first trip to the islands only a few years ago.
"I came here in 1998 as a (players) union rep," he said. "We stayed on Kauai and saw where my dad grew up. That was pretty neat.
"Then I came back for the Pro Bowl last year and this is my third trip back."
David Mawae served in Vietnam before being reassigned to Georgia, where Kevin was born on Jan. 23, 1971.
He retired from the U.S. Army at Ft. Polk in Louisiana and that's where the family stayed.
Kevin became an all-state football player at Leesvile (La.) High. He was also a four-year starter and All-SEC pick at Louisiana State.
Mawae was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in 1994 and played right guard until 1996 when he switched to center.
He signed with the Jets as an unrestricted free agent in 1998.
Mawae said he's also aware of the league's other Hawaiian starting center, Honolulu-born Olin Kreutz of the Chicago Bears.
"I know he's a good player and he's going to be a great player because he's got all the tools," said Mawae.
Pro Bowl 2001