Taaca retires
at Waianae
Waianae athletic director Leo Taaca said yesterday he's retiring from his post, effective June 1.
Taaca, 57, has been with Seariders athletics as either an assistant coach, head coach or athletic director since 1971. He was the AD for the past three years.
As head coach of the football team, he led Waianae to Oahu Interscholastic Association championships in 1996 and 1997. He also won two junior varsity championships.
"When I switched from coach to AD, I missed the interaction with the players," Taaca said. "Now I'll miss the complete school setting; I'm a resident of the community so I'll definitely miss that part."
Taaca was a football assistant under Larry Ginoza, Harry Mitsui and Al Beaver, and he had a steady hand in coaching Kurt Gouveia, who went on to play linebacker in the NFL. Beaver is currently the head football coach at Nanakuli, while Mitsui was a longtime Waianae AD who Taaca succeeded.
Taaca also coached track and field and girls basketball for Waianae.
Glenn Tokunaga, a former Seariders head baseball coach and a counselor at the school, will take over as interim AD. Waianae will begin taking applications for the position soon.
Taaca said he had a special football relationship with former Seariders quarterback Glenn Freitas, who went on to play at the University of Hawaii.
"I was offensive coordinator then and I let him call his own plays at times," Taaca said.
The outgoing athletic director said he'll be glad to have his weekends back and plans on being a soccer dad and a volleyball dad for his daughter Kanani, who is in the seventh grade. Taaca also hopes to get to California this fall to watch his son Keone (a Waianae football and baseball player who graduates next week) play for the Menlo College football team.
"He (Taaca) has done a real excellent job at Waianae after Harry left," Nanakuli AD Hugh Taufaasau said. "He did a real good job keeping up the school's tradition and that's not always easy when a new person takes over."
Hawaii School Web Sites