Kahuku alumnus Inoke Funaki is one of several quarterbacks in the mix for the starting job.
Mission didn’t rob
Funaki of skills
Inoke Funaki spent two years far removed from a football field. But the game was never distant from his mind.
After leading Kahuku High School to consecutive state championships, the All-State quarterback put his playing career on hold as he embarked on a religious mission to the Dominican Republic.
He returned to Hawaii in November enriched by the experience and possessing a heightened appreciation for both the luxuries of home and the opportunity to play college football.
"I missed it a lot," said Funaki, now a Hawaii freshman. "Every time I wrote home I was asking people, 'How's the football team doing?' ... just wanting to know what's going on with football. Especially where I was, nobody knows what football is, it's all baseball."
Funaki signed with UH as a high school senior in 2002 and was invited to join the Warriors for spring practice after he returned from his mission. He's spent the last month getting reacquainted with the sport while working his way into the competition for the quarterback spot.
Despite his extended absence from the game, UH coach June Jones said he'll be in the mix for the job when fall camp rolls around.
"I'm very impressed with him," Jones said yesterday as the Warriors wrapped up spring practice. "He's very accurate throwing the football and he has the right demeanor. He has a lot to learn, he's raw, but over time he could be a player."
Funaki last suited up for a game in 2001 when he led Kahuku to a victory over Saint Louis in the state championship. He left on his two-year mission after graduation, spending most of his time in Santo Domingo, the capital city of the Dominican Republic.
The mission opened his eyes to the stark realities of life in a third-world country.
"It was a shocker for me," he said. "I never realized how good I had it out here in Hawaii and in the United States until I got out there. Just seeing the poverty and how they struggle so much helped me to realize how lucky I am to be here."
Although he didn't set foot in a classroom for two years, Funaki's work in the mission field provided its own form of education as he spent his days sharing his faith with local residents.
"Experience is the best teacher," he said. "It's different when someone's telling you something, and when you're up there with the chalk in your hand trying to teach someone how to make their life better. You learn a lot that way."
Hawaii coach June Jones watched freshman quarterback Inoke Funaki take snaps at Wednesday's practice.
"You could tell he was a pretty good athlete, but he has picked it up very fast, a lot faster than I picked it up," said senior quarterback Kainoa Akina. "He kinda has a knack. He just naturally knows where to throw the ball."
Funaki's throwing ability provided balance for a ground-based Kahuku attack as he passed for 2,172 yards and 28 touchdowns and ran for 532 yards as a senior. He also helped spoil Cal Lee's farewell to high school coaching by leading the Red Raiders to a 21-14 win over Saint Louis in the state title game.
Lee, now a linebackers coach at UH, still recoils at the recollection of Funaki's performance against the Crusaders, which was highlighted by a 76-yard touchdown run that put Kahuku ahead for good.
"We made a lot of mistakes and one of the mistakes was letting him run the ball," Lee said. "I can still see him running and not very many people catching him.
"Inoke, I thought, ran the option the best I've seen in a long time. ... You have to make decisions when you throw the ball and I think if he can throw the ball like he ran the option, we're in good shape."
Funaki is among five quarterbacks vying to replace NCAA passing yardage leader Tim Chang at quarterback and is committed to competing for the job. But he's willing to make a move if the coaches ask.
"I'm out here to give my all to help the team. If they need me somewhere else that's fine with me," he said.
"They brought me here believing I could help them out as a quarterback so that's what I'm working at right now."
Funaki's missionary work taught him to be grateful for the little things in life, and as he resumes his life as a student-athlete, he certainly doesn't take his return to the field for granted.
"I'm thankful for football," he said, "and I'm thankful for the coaches giving me the opportunity and just having faith in me that I can somehow contribute."
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