COURTESY OF UNLV Keith Uperesa, a 1974 Punahou graduate, is the offensive line coach at UNLV.

Uperesa working toward
a breakthrough

The UNLV offensive line coach could
become the first Polynesian college
head coach since Larry Price

LAS VEGAS » As the elevator opens on the second floor of the UNLV football building, visitors come face-to-face with the muzzle of the Fremont Cannon.

Rebels offensive line coach Keith Uperesa knows the continued presence of the artillery piece -- which goes to the winner of UNLV's game against rival Nevada (Reno) each year -- is a key to his employment in Las Vegas. It's even more important than the view out his window: that of the glittery strip.

Uperesa, a 1974 Punahou graduate who came from Utah with head coach Mike Sanford, said the recruiting value of the casinos and resorts is overrated.

"I don't think I've been on that strip of land more than four times since I've been here, in January," Uperesa said. "I'm probably more excited about the local flavor here. The connection between Hawaii and here."

Uperesa, who is of Samoan ancestry, said as of last week there were six Polynesian players on UNLV's roster. Only one, walk-on offensive lineman Kea Toledo, is from Hawaii (Damien). When players report tomorrow, he hopes to also have cornerback Mike Holt (Kamehameha) and at least two other players from Hawaii in camp.

Uperesa said it's part of Sanford's plan to recruit Hawaii and Samoa.

"It is a goal for us right now, it would be senseless for us not to try to develop that," Uperesa said. "We want to generate some interest among the many people from Hawaii who live here."

Uperesa will lead UNLV's Polynesian recruiting efforts. Sanford, who was the offensive coordinator at Utah, said he planned to hire him anyway when he got the Rebels job.

"I would say first of all Keith is an outstanding person and outstanding coach and I was excited about having him on our staff here," Sanford said. "He's a potential Division I head coach. His ability to recruit Hawaii is important. We're going to make our presence known in the islands."

One recruiting tool is UNLV plays at Hawaii next fall, and the Warriors visit the Rebels in 2007. Both schools want to make it a continual series.

Uperesa's résumé includes two seasons at USC (offensive line coach in 2001, tackles and tight ends coach in 2002), Idaho State (assistant head coach, offensive coordinator 1999-2000). He was a head coach at Snow College in 1995-96.

After gaining All-Western Athletic Conference honors as a tackle at BYU in 1977, he played for the Denver Broncos in 1978 and Oakland Raiders in 1979. He is the uncle of Hawaii offensive lineman Dane Uperesa.

Keith Uperesa's wife, Kaipo, and daughter, Kahikole, continue to live in Salt Lake City. Uperesa said Las Vegas' reputation as a party town is not the reason his family isn't here.

"As a family person and my perception as an outsider, I had some red flags, but those were disproved. The thing is, I'm an hour-and-5-minutes flight from home (in Utah). My daughter's going to be a (high school) junior this year," he said. "This would be the second move for her in two years, which I felt wasn't going to be fair."

Uperesa spoke with former UH quarterback Kenny Niumatalolo -- a one-time assistant at UNLV who's now at Navy -- before he accepted the job with the Rebels.

"He liked it here. He had a lot of positive things to tell me about it," Uperesa said. "My cousin Robert Anae was down here as well. In all my years in the Mountain West, the thought was that this place is really a sleeping giant. We're hoping we're the group to come in and wake up this giant."

Sanford and Uperesa are coming off an unbeaten season with the Utes, finishing No. 5 nationally. Uperesa's charges included second-team All-American guard Chris Kemoe'atu from Kahuku, a sixth-round pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

UNLV was 2-9 overall and last in the Mountain West with a 1-6 mark.

"Change is always good and we're coming in with a very different philosophy than what was here previously. Good, bad, right, wrong or indifferent doesn't matter," Uperesa said. "It's something different, a whole new different structure. It's more based on the concept of accountability and expectations."

Uperesa said he has noticed several college coaches of Polynesian descent could be on the verge of becoming head coaches soon, including himself. Other than Brian Cabral, who was interim head coach at Colorado during the offseason last year, there hasn't been a Polynesian head coach of a Division I-A team since Larry Price's last season at Hawaii in 1976.

"Yes, and it's also an issue for all my brothers across the country. I'm moving forward in my career and I'm at that stage where I think about it. This business right now is timing. Who you know. The clock is always against you. I approach it from the standpoint you just try to compete and work hard. Hopefully you get to the point where people realize what you're doing," Uperesa said. "We've talked about it as we've gathered together. I've discussed it with Norm (Chow), Robert. It's growing among our ethnicity, whether it be Samoan, Tongan or Hawaiian guys, like Cal (Lee) and his brothers. A lot of it is because of the success of the kids we bring into the programs."

Not that Uperesa is displeased with his position. He has a job he loves, coaching college football. He turned 50 on July 28.

"The sun came up and I saw it, so I'm happy," he said.

Head-coach material?

The following are Division I college football assistant coaches of Polynesian descent. Some could become head coaches within the next few years.

Name	School	Position
Duane Akina	Texas	Co-defensive coordinator/defensive backs
Robert Anae	BYU	Offensive coordinator
Brian Cabral	Colorado	Assistant head coach/linebackers
Cal Lee	Hawaii	Inside linebackers
Ron Lee	Hawaii	Receivers
Ken Niumatalolo	Navy	Assistant head coach/offensive line
Joe Seumalo	San Jose State	Defensive line
Wes Suan	Hawaii	Offensive line
Keith Uperesa	UNLV	Offensive line