COURTESY KELLY BIRD / LINFIELD COLLEGE Fullback Puni Ellis of Kailua helped Linfield's offense outscore opponents 650-256 this season.

Football players living
the life at Linfield

Hawaii talent has helped the school
go 49 years without a losing season

Football legend Bill Walsh was talking with a small group of disciples at halftime of a game in California three years ago when he offered his opinion that "Linfield has the football program that every small college should aspire to emulate."

About HgR HgR tracks Hawaii student-athletes on the mainland. Submissions must include name, high school, college and sport. Submissions can be sent via: E-mail: dennis@lava.net Fax: 236-4195 Phone: 236-3654 or toll free 1-888-236-3654

Emulating the football program at the small Oregon college this year would include winning the NCAA Division III national championship, going 13-0 and extending college football's all-time, all-divisions record of consecutive winning seasons to 49 years.

It was the fourth national championship for a program that has extensive Hawaii threads woven through its unparalleled run of success, from the first player from Hawaii to play at Linfield -- Al Wills in 1949 -- through this season's 10 players and two coaches.

Fourteen players from Hawaii have earned All-America recognition at Linfield; 27 have been all-conference.

In the 1970s and '80s, a typical Linfield roster included more than 20 players from Hawaii.

Current offensive line coach Doug Hire (Pearl City '83) was an offensive guard on the 1984 and 1986 NAIA championship teams and was a first team NAIA All-American in 1986.

Hire noted that former coach Ad Rutschman, who was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame after 24 winning seasons and three national championships at Linfield, said that "evaluating position by position, the best players he coached were from Hawaii."

Hire's explanation is that, "It's part of the upbringing, the way we play in Hawaii, being very physical players."

Linfield's Hawaii All-Americans Football players from Hawaii who have been selected All-American while playing for Linfield College (with their high schools in parentheses): 1961: Hugh Yoshida (Iolani), linebacker 1964: Tony Ah Yat (Kamehameha), end 1972-73: Bernie Peterson (Kalani), tight end 1977: Pat Silva (McKinley), quarterback 1978: Paul Dombroski (Leilehua), defensive back 1980: Ed Kama (McKinley), offensive tackle 1984-85: Keith Machida (Maui), tight end 1986: Doug Hire (Pearl City), offensive guard 1986: Jody Tyrell (Moanalua), linebacker 1988: Chris Kelly (Moanalua), defensive end 1991: Shaun Aguano (Kapaa), running back 1992-93 : Julian Tyrell (Moanalua), linebacker 1993: Kahale Huddleston (Baldwin), defensive end 2002: Daryl Agpalsa* (Kamehameha), offensive guard * First team on four All-America teams Players from Hawaii who have earned all-conference honors: Al Wills (Saint Louis), tackle, 1950, '52 Rogers Ishizu (Maui), halfback, 1967 Marco Min (Waipahu), quarterback, 1974 Billy Yamamoto (Kalani), safety, 1977 Jose Guevara (Moanalua), offensive tackle, 1985 Aundre Pace (Radford), tailback, 1987 Tony Pang-Kee (Castle), defensive back, 1987-88 Peter Ranta (Kalaheo), safety, 1988 John Santiago (Damien), punt returner, 1991 Amancio Agcaoili (Damien), slotback, 1994 Bruce Assily (Saint Louis), defensive end, 1996-98 Brandon Tom (Kamehameha), defensive end, 2003-04

The most physical of the Hawaii players at Linfield this season was junior defensive end Brandon Tom (Kamehameha '02 of Kailua).

Tom is a two-time All-Northwest Conference selection and got a lot of attention on ESPN2 last Saturday for his big plays in Linfield's 28-21 victory over Mary Hardin-Baylor of Texas for the NCAA III championship in the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl in Salem, Va.

Tom made eight tackles, including sharing a quarterback sack that ended the Texas team's last bid for a game-turning score at the Linfield 19 late in the fourth quarter.

"He has it all," Hire says. "He's explosive, a dangerous pass rusher with power moves and quick moves. He's tall (6-2) and physical (225 pounds).

Tom led Linfield's defensive linemen in tackles for the season with 53 in 13 games, including 4 sacks and 5.5 others for losses.

The other Hawaii players who got into the national championship game were senior fullback Puni Ellis (Kamehameha '00 of Kailua), sophomore defensive end Nik Soo (Kamehameha '03 of Kamuela), and redshirt freshman special teams stalwart Keone Tawata (Radford '03)

In the coaching box with Hire was graduate assistant Daryl Agpalsa (Kamehameha '98 of Waikele), who made a small-college grand slam -- first-team offensive guard on four All-America teams -- in his senior season of 2002.

Ellis was the starting fullback in a passing offense that seldom used a fullback. He only carried the ball 14 times the last two years, but he scored five touchdowns and blocked for many others.

"He was our MVP Diamond-in-the-Rough utility player," Hire said. Ellis also played wide receiver, linebacker and special teams during his five-year Linfield career.

Soo often started as the opposite defensive end from Tom. "He's got a motor, he does not stop," Hire said. "Nik made huge gains from his freshman year and will be a phenomenal player."

Soo was in on 45 tackles, including 5.5 for losses.

Tawata blocked three kicks during the season. "He is fast, physical and crazy -- an impact player on all special teams," Hire said.

Also on the postseason roster was redshirt freshman wide receiver Josh Vierra (Kamehameha '03 of Kahalu'u).

The other players from Hawaii on Linfield's regular-season roster were:

Freshman cornerback Chris Thorpe (Radford '03); redshirt freshman, second-team linebacker Kevin Kauweloa (Waianae '03), redshirt freshman, scout-team wide receiver Brad Lau (Hawaii Prep '03 of Kamuela); physical freshman fullback Ryan Ishizu (Maui '04 of Pukalani), and redshirt freshman back-up punter/kicker Stan Fisher (Punahou '03 of Kailua).

"If you want to experience our winning tradition and get a great education, this is the place to come," pitched Hire, who is in Hawaii to visit his parents and recruit.

Ellis, the only senior among the current Hawaii ohana, said Linfield has been a perfect fit for him.

"I always wanted to go to a small college," he said. "You don't feel that ohana-ness at a big school.

"I grew to be a better person here."

Linfield's Hawaii connection blossomed under 13-year coach Paul Durham.

When Durham brought his Linfield team to Honolulu in 1967 and beat University of Hawaii 15-13, UH was so impressed that they hired him as athletic director. He served seven years. (Durham, 91, currently resides in Waikiki and still attends every UH football, volleyball and basketball game, and plays golf once a week.)

One of Durham's first Hawaii recruits and Linfield's first All-American from Hawaii (in 1961) was Hugh Yoshida, who served as athletic director at UH from 1993 to 2002.

Former UH football coach Fred vonAppen also was an all-star at Linfield ... but that is another story.