[ ARENA FOOTBALL ]
Ako revives career
The former Boise St. linebacker
goes from the country life
to the Islanders
Chauncey Ako found contentment on a tranquil seven-acre plot outside Hilo where his daily routine consisted mainly of sprinkling out feed for the chickens and tending to the pigs he helped raise.
"I loved it," Ako said. "It was just real country life."
For the past year Ako immersed himself in the relaxed pace of the Big Island town of Kurtistown, enjoying a simple existence removed from the bustle of urban life.
Riptide at Islanders
When: Today, 6:30 p.m.Where: Blaisdell Arena
TV: None
Radio: Live, KUMU2 1500-AM
Internet: hawaiianislanders.com
Tickets: $25 upper bowl reserved, $15 upper bowl sideline, $10 upper bowl end zone (general admission), $7 youth (17 and under), $10 handicaped
Parking $5
Promotions: Olympic gold-medal figure skater Kristi Yamaguchi will participate in the coin toss prior to kickoff. ... The first 1,000 fans receive a free hot dog and soda.
But a chance to continue his football career prompted Ako to head to the city, and the former Boise State linebacker now finds himself far from the quiet of the country and in the middle of the high-decibel world of arena football as the Hawaiian Islanders' newest member.
"I felt at home again. This is what I remember and what I love about the game," Ako said after a recent practice at Blaisdell Arena. "I'm a hitter. The contact is what I love the most, so it felt real good."
Though it's been just a few weeks since he traded the great outdoors for indoor football, Ako, a fullback/linebacker, has been added to the Islanders' 21-man roster for tonight's arenafootball2 game against the San Diego Riptide.
He contacted Islanders coach Cal Lee last month and was invited to work out with the team. Recent injuries to Keiki Misipeka and Fabian Manumaleuna left the Islanders in need of an FB/LB to back up veteran Vai Notoa and opened a spot for Ako. Lineman Joe Correia has also been working at fullback this week.
"This is (Ako's) opportunity now to step up," Islanders assistant coach Frank Pahia said. "He comes from a fine program at Boise State; he knows about big-time football and pressure. I don't think we're losing a step with him coming in as a new player."
Although the pidgin influence in his speech indicates an island upbringing, Ako lived most of his life in Northern California.
He was born in Hauula, but his family moved to Rohnert Park, Calif., when he was 4. He attended school on the mainland while spending his summers with his grandparents on Oahu's Windward coast.
Ako played two seasons at Santa Rosa Junior College before transferring to Boise State in 2001. After his junior season he considered moving to Hawaii to finish out his college career.
"After my first year I was rotating as a linebacker," he said. "I was getting kind of down and I told my dad I wanted to go to UH. But he said just stick it out, you're going to do really well at Boise State."
He stayed in Boise for the 2002 season and posted 91 tackles, including four sacks, and was named to the All-Western Athletic Conference second team while helping the Broncos to a 12-1 record and the WAC title.
Ako didn't pursue football after his college career, opting instead to move in with his girlfriend's family on the Big Island last year. But family members convinced the 22-year-old to give football another shot.
"I was content with just relaxing and being an island boy," he said. "But I was blessed, I was healthy, so people told me, 'You should just go back. You never know what can happen.' "
He began training in January and attended a workout for University of Hawaii draft hopefuls in Carson, Calif., in March. Ako knew his size (he's listed at 5-foot-11, 235 pounds) and a year out of the game would work against him and wasn't disheartened when he didn't get a call from the NFL.
He contacted Lee while visiting family on Oahu last month and the coach invited him to practice. Ako is now working to get on the field with the Islanders this season and perhaps start a climb to the game's higher levels.
"The main thing is for coaches to see how I move, see how I run, see how I hit," he said. "You want the right people to see you at the right time and just get that one shot. If it doesn't work out, at least I can say I tried."
Ako continues to learn the Islanders' schemes on offense and defense as he resumes his football career. Although he's working to cultivate a future in the sport, he's confident his journey will ultimately include a return to the Big Island and the peace of country life.
"That's where I'm going to go back and live someday," he said. "Someday when I get old I know I'll be over there feeding the chickens, feeding the pigs."
af2 standings
Northeast Division W L T Pct. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton 6 1 0 .857 Cape Fear 3 3 0 .500 Albany 3 4 0 .429 Manchester 3 4 0 .429 South Division W L T Pct. Birmingham 6 1 0 .857 Florida 4 3 0 .571 Columbus 2 5 0 .286 Macon 2 5 0 .286 Mid-South Division W L T Pct. Tennessee 5 2 0 .714 Memphis 4 3 0 .571 Bossier 2 6 0 .250 Arkansas 1 6 0 .143 Midwest Division W L T Pct. Quad City 6 2 0 .750 Louisville 5 2 0 .714 Green Bay 3 4 0 .429 Peoria 2 5 0 .286 Southwest Division W L T Pct. Oklahoma 5 2 0 .714 Wichita 5 2 0 .714 Tulsa 4 3 0 .571 Rio Grande Valley 3 4 0 .286 West Division W L T Pct. Hawaii 5 2 0 .714 Bakersfield 4 3 0 .571 San Diego 2 5 0 .286 Central Valley 1 6 0 .143