When sports columnist Dave Reardon first floated the idea of doing The Centurions project, all involved knew it was a good one.

What better time to name the top 100 players in University of Hawaii history than the season the school celebrates the 100th anniversary of its first football program? In this complicated equation, the idea was the easy part. Executing it so it reached its full potential involved more people than we could list in this short space.

Reardon was responsible for compiling the rankings with plenty of help from past and present football coaches and local media advisers. Their input in compiling the top 100 players was immeasurable.

Graphic artist Kip Aoki designed the look of the football card that could not have worked without the help of the Hawaii sports information department. Current ringleader Derek Inouchi dug through more photo files than a magazine researcher, while former head SID Eddie Inouye advised Reardon on those men who played way back when and how they fit among the modern-day athletes.

It was a daunting task and one Reardon worked painstakingly on before handing off the list six weeks ago. From there, finding the right reporters to write about the players involved was critical. Ranging from Mike Wise of the Washington Post to Neil Everett of ESPN, this collection of reporters wrote some of the finest work appearing in the Star-Bulletin sports pages.

Enjoy reading the final five selections and weigh it against your own list of the top UH players of all time.

—Paul Arnett
Sports Editor