COURTESY UH ATHLETICS
UH is hyping Vince Manuwai with notepads and pens.
Manuwai up for As election season approaches, Vince Manuwai is on the ballot — two ballots, actually.
Outland, Lombardi
The UH offensive lineman is among
5 Warriors being considered
for national awardsBy Dave Reardon
dreardon@starbulletin.comThe Hawaii senior right guard will be announced Monday as an addition to the Lombardi Award watch list, Lombardi publicist Chuck Pool said. The award goes to the college football player who gets the most votes from a panel of media as best offensive or defensive lineman or linebacker in the nation. UH linebacker Chris Brown is also on the Lombardi list; he was in the original group announced in March.
Yesterday, Manuwai was among 63 players named to the Outland Trophy watch list. The Outland Trophy is similar to the Lombardi Award, but linebackers are not eligible.
Today, Manuwai begins his official quest to earn such recognition as UH opens fall camp with practices 9:30-11:30 a.m. and 3-5 p.m. at the lower campus grass field.
Voters for other awards will be watching at least three Warriors, all on special teams: Punter Mat McBriar is a candidate for the Ray Guy Award, kicker Justin Ayat is a nominee for the Lou Groza Award, and kick blocker/gunner Sean Butts is on the list for the Mosi Tatupu Award. Brown is also on the watch list for the Dick Butkus Award, which goes to the top linebacker.
The candidates will be pared down later in the season; most awards will go down to semifinalists and then finalists before winners are announced in late November or early December.
Hawaii coach June Jones said such extensive preseason recognition is the byproduct of a winning season.
"When you win nine or 10 games, that's what happens," he said.
But, in Manuwai's case, a publicity push from UH's media relations department and offensive line coach Mike Cavanaugh's conversations with draft guru Mel Kiper Jr. helped get him onto the Lombardi list. Manuwai wasn't on the watch list last spring because he was second-team all-conference, Pool said.
"The first list is very objective," he said. "But then we adjust because some players are second-team because they were behind an All-American or other circumstances."
UH sent out notepads and pens to national college football media trumpeting Manuwai, and Cavanaugh — who has had three players selected in the last three drafts — told Kiper about Manuwai. After Kiper saw him on film, he declared Manuwai among the top 30 prospects for next spring's draft.
"His overall reputation put him on (the watch list)," Pool said. "Obviously, we love guys who have potential to be high draft picks. Pro potential is a bonus thing for us, but not a major consideration."
UH media relations director Lois Manin said she wishes she could promote more extensively, but budget constraints prevent that. She said Fresno State spent twice as much pushing David Carr for the Heisman Trophy last year as UH's annual budget for promoting all of its athletes — in every sport. (Manin declined to disclose that amount, but the Carr campaign is estimated to have cost between $5,000 and $7,000.)
"I'd love to put a billboard of Vince Manuwai up on Times Square, but that's not going to happen unless someone's feeling really generous," said Manin, referring to an Oregon booster group's donation that allowed the Ducks to give Heisman candidate Joey Harrington some big-time exposure last year. "And what did that million dollars do? It didn't get him the Heisman. What does that tell you? It ultimately comes down to performance."
As the season goes along, other UH players could make other lists.
"Pisa (Tinoisamoa), (Travis) Laboy, La'anui (Correa), Timmy Chang, there are a lot of guys on the brink," Manin said. "We don't have enough money to really push all of them, but at their positions, stats will help tell the story. With Vince we have to push because there aren't really any stats for offensive line."
Manin said the Manuwai campaign will continue throughout the season with Web site updates, including a journal written by the player.
Depth chart
OFFENSE
LWR 18 Justin Colbert 5-7 160 Sr. 87 Kanale George 6-1 199 So. LS 2 Chad Owens 5-8 175 So. 84 Britton Komine 5-9 184 So. 82 Omar Bennett 6-1 178 Sr. LT 70 Wayne Hunter 6-6 278 Jr. 66 Brandon Eaton 6-2 292 Fr. LG 77 Shayne Kajioka 6-3 323 Jr. 75 Chad Kahale 6-1 313 So. C 53 Lui Fuata 6-3 313 Sr. 59 Derek Faavi 6-0 261 Fr. RG 65 Vince Manuwai 6-2 285 Sr. 67 Phil Kauffman 6-1 269 So. RT 69 Uriah Moenoa 6-4 331 So. 71 Ryan Santos 6-5 335 So. RS 38 Gerald Welch 5-7 201 Jr. 4 Nate Ilaoa 5-9 190 Fr. 21 Clifton Herbert 5-7 162 Jr. RWR 88 Neal Gossett 5-10 172 Sr. 85 Bryant Stevens 6-1 191 So. 83 Mike Akiu 5-7 151 Fr. QB 14 Tim Chang 6-1 195 So. 7 Shawn Withy-Allen 6-4 220 Sr. 8 Jason Whieldon 6-0 187 Jr. 12 Jeff Rhode 6-5 233 Fr. RB 24 Thero Mitchell 5-10 215 Sr. 20 John West 5-10 173 Jr. 1 Mike Bass 5-6 158 So.
DEFENSE
LE 58 La'anui Correa 6-4 267 Sr. 93 Houston Ala 6-1 251 Jr. LT 99 Lui Fuga 6-1 302 Jr. 97 Isaac Sopoaga 6-2 310 Jr. RT 92 Lance Samuseva 5-11 285 Jr. 91 Viliami Taufa 6-0 240 Sr. RE 1 Travis Laboy 6-5 253 Jr. 11 Kevin Jackson 6-5 244 Jr. OLB 44 Matt Wright 6-1 222 Sr. 46 Keani Alapa 6-0 222 Jr. MLB 54 Chris Brown 6-2 258 Sr. 51 Ikaika Curnan 5-10 235 Fr. 45 Tanuvasa Moe 5-11 222 Fr. OLB 10 Pisa Tinoisamoa 6-0 217 Sr. 48 Isaiah Alameda 6-1 212 Fr. 29 Kilinahe Noa 5-11 214 So. 41 Tyrone Brown 6-0 203 So. LCB 37 Abraham Elimimian 5-10 180 So. 3 Kelvin Millhouse 6-1 198 Jr. SS 19 Leonard Peters 6-1 163 Fr. 5 Chad Kapanui 6-0 213 So. 13 Keith Bhonapha 5-9 188 Sr. FS 23 Sean Butts 6-3 193 Sr. 35 David Gilmore 6-0 188 Jr. 9 Matt Manuma 6-1 200 So. RCB 33 Hyrum Peters 5-8 190 Jr. 25 Josiah Cravalho 5-9 186 So.
SPECIALISTS
P 49 Mat McBriar 6-1 202 Sr. 27 Greg Kleidon 6-0 182 Sr. K 47 Justin Ayat 5-11 203 So. LS 45 Tanuvasa Moe 5-11 222 Fr. 53 Lui Fuata 6-3 313 Sr. PR 4 Nate Ilaoa 5-9 190 Fr. 2 Chad Owens 5-8 175 So. KR 20 John West 5-10 173 Jr. 2 Chad Owens 5-8 175 So. H 7 Shawn Withy-Allen 6-4 220 Sr. 49 Mat McBriar 6-1 202 Sr. Notes: Source is UH media guide with updates from media relations department. Newcomers are not listed yet.
... In 1981, senior Gary Allen rushed for 1,006 yards as the Rainbows went 9-2 and 6-1 in the WAC. Hawaii won its first seven games and attained a No. 16 ranking, but then lost 13-3 to Brigham Young and 23-17 to Pacific. UH was left out of the postseason, spurring the inception of the Aloha Bowl.
Allen remains UH's all-time career-leading rusher with 3,451 yards and holds several other school marks. He went on to play for the Houston Oilers and Dallas Cowboys and in the CFL. Allen was inducted into the school's Circle of Honor in 1998.
Today, Allen works for the water department in Baldwin Park, Calif., and is on the board of the UH Letterwinner's Club.
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