A Legacy of Leaders: Tracing the History of University of Hawai'i Football Coaches

The University of Hawai'i Rainbow Warriors football program boasts a rich and vibrant history, dating back to its inception in 1909. From humble beginnings playing local high schools and military teams to competing on the national stage in NCAA Division I FBS, the program's journey has been shaped by a diverse array of head coaches. Each coach has left their unique mark, contributing to the team's evolution and its place within the landscape of college football. This article delves into the history of the University of Hawai'i football coaches, highlighting key figures, eras, and milestones that have defined the program.

Early Years and the Rise of the "Wonder Teams"

In 1909, the University of Hawai'i fielded its first football team, then known as the "Fighting Deans." Coached by Austin Jones, the team secured a 6-5 victory over McKinley High School in its inaugural game. For the first eight seasons, limited travel opportunities restricted competition to local high schools, military teams, and club teams.

The program experienced a turning point in 1920 when the College of Hawai'i transitioned to the University of Hawai'i. Raymond Elliot coached the first intercollegiate game against the University of Nevada (Reno). Otto Klum, who would become a legendary figure in Hawai'i football history, coached UH to its first victory over a collegiate opponent in 1922, a Christmas Day triumph over Pomona College. Klum also led the team to its first road game in 1923 against the same Pomona team at the Pasadena Rose Bowl, a journey that took five days by ocean liner.

Klum's tenure also saw the emergence of a unique tradition. During the final game of the 1923 season, a rainbow appeared over the gridiron late in the team's contest against Oregon State. The "Deans" scored shortly thereafter and held on to win, 7-0. This event contributed to the adoption of the "Rainbows" nickname.

Under Klum's guidance, Hawai'i produced the "Wonder Teams" of 1924-25, which went undefeated in both seasons. These teams dominated their opponents, outscoring them 606-29 in 18 games. In 1926, the Rainbows moved into their newly constructed home field, Honolulu Stadium.

Tom Kaulukukui: A Local Legend

One of the earliest stars in UH history was Thomas Kaulukukui, a running back from Hilo. As a member of UH's undefeated 1934 team, Kaulukukui helped lead the Rainbows to a 14-0 shutout of California in the New Year's Day Classic (later re-named the Poi Bowl). He gained national fame and earned his nickname, the "Grass Shack," by legendary sportswriter Grantland Rice.

Kaulukukui's number 32 was later retired by the University and remained the only number to be retired in Hawai'i football history until Colt Brennan's No.

The Impact of World War II and Post-War Rebuilding

The 1940 season marked the end of Klum's 19-year tenure as football coach. In 1941, the Rainbows completed a 20-6 Shrine Game victory over Willamette. The next morning, Japan invaded Pearl Harbor, resulting in the cancellation of the team's upcoming game against San Jose State and the 1942-45 seasons.

UH returned to the gridiron in 1946 after the conclusion of the war. That same year also marked the program's entrance into the NCAA under head coach Kaulukukui. In the late 1940s, the team began to travel by air, making the journey to the West Coast in an unheard-of nine hours. Kaulukukui coached until 1951, becoming one of the school's winningest coaches at the time.

The Vasconcellos Era and a Memorable Upset

The 1950s marked the arrival of the Hank Vasconcellos era as head coach and athletics director. In 1955, a year after suffering a 50-0 blowout loss to Nebraska in Honolulu, the Rainbows went up to Lincoln the following season and upset the Huskers 6-0.

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Transition and Turmoil in the 1960s

In 1961, the UH Board of Athletic Control voted to abolish the football program due to a lack of finances. Football returned to intercollegiate competition in 1962 behind the urging of new athletics director Young Suk Ko. After Shaughnessy's one-year "consultant" term concluded, the program went through turmoil with the firing of Ko and surprise hiring of Phil Sarboe as head coach. Sarboe coached for one year before bolting for northern California following the 1966 season, UH's first all-collegiate schedule.

Dave Holmes and a Period of Sustained Success

The arrival of head coach Dave Holmes in 1968 marked the beginning of the most successful years in school history. From 1968-1974, UH won 67 percent of its games and never suffered a losing season. Holmes still ranks as the all-time leader at Hawaiʻi in winning percentage (.718). In 1973, Hawai'i recorded its biggest upset in school history, with a 10-7 road victory over the Pacific-8 Conference's Washington Huskies, who were favored by as many as 50 points. However, Holmes resigned due to team turmoil following that season.

Moving to Aloha Stadium and NCAA Division I Status

During Price's tenure, UH became an NCAA Division I member, changed its nickname to the Rainbow Warriors, introduced the "Hula-T" formation, and on Sept. 13, 1975, christened the newly-built 50,000-seat Aloha Stadium against Texas A&I.

Dick Tomey: Putting UH on the National Football Map

Dick Tomey, a UCLA assistant who was hired to replace Price, put UH on the national football map. Tomey headed the program from 1977-87. In the 1977 season-finale, UH hosted nationally ranked USC, a team which featured Heisman Trophy winner Charles White. During the third week of the 1984 season, the Rainbow Warriors faced Brigham Young.

Bob Wagner and the Spread Offense

After Tomey left UH for Arizona of the Pac-10, assistant coach Bob Wagner took over the program and introduced the spread offense or "Triple Option" to Hawai'i. In the 1988 season-opener, ninth-ranked Iowa came to the islands and the Rainbow Warriors shocked the Hawkeyes, 27-24, behind running back Heikoti Fakava's three touchdowns. In 1992, behind quarterback Michael Carter, Hawai'i won a share of the WAC championship and posted its first bowl game victory, a 27-17 defeat of Illinois in the Thrifty Car Rental Holiday Bowl. UH finished the season ranked No. During Wagner's nine seasons as head coach, Hawai'i defeated nationally ranked rival Brigham Young three times, including a 1990 victory on the day quarterback Ty Detmer won the Heisman Trophy.

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The Von Appen Era: A Period of Struggle

Wagner was fired following consecutive losing seasons and was replaced by Fred vonAppen in 1996. UH lost 10 games in vonAppen's inaugural season, and in 1998, Hawai'i suffered through a winless 0-12 campaign, a first in the program's rich history.

June Jones: A Historic Turnaround

June Jones became the new head coach at Hawai'i in 1999 and guided the Rainbow Warriors to the best single-season turnaround in NCAA history, winning nine games and a share of the WAC championship. Under Jones, UH dropped the "Rainbows" from its nickname and were simply known as the "Warriors" while introducing the new "H" logo that replaced the iconic rainbow logo. In 2001, the Warriors capped off a stellar season by handing Brigham Young a 72-45 romp on national television. Despite a 9-3 record, Hawai'i was snubbed for a bowl game. Over the next three seasons, Jones led the Warriors to bowl games.

Record-Breaking Quarterbacks: Chang and Brennan

Also in 2004, quarterback Timmy Chang became the NCAA all-time passing leader and finished his career with 17,072 passing yards. In 2006, Chang's successor, Colt Brennan, won the Sammy Baugh Trophy as the nation's top quarterback. Brennan led the nation in seven statistical categories and set 19 NCAA records. The next season, Brennan led UH to an undefeated 12-0 regular season and captured the program's first outright WAC championship with an emphatic win over Boise State. After a come-from-behind win over Washington in the season finale capped UH's perfect regular season, the Warriors were invited to the Allstate Sugar Bowl, the program's first-ever BCS bowl appearance. Brennan was invited to New York City as the school's first Heisman Trophy finalist and finished third in the final voting.

Greg McMackin and a WAC Championship

In four seasons, McMackin guided the Warriors to two Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl appearances, including 10 wins and a share of the WAC Championship in 2010.

Norm Chow and Transition to the Mountain West

Chow was introduced as UH's 22nd head coach and brought with him a resume that included being on the coaching staff of three national championship teams; having coached three Heisman Trophy winning quarterbacks and six NFL first round draft picks. The 2012 season also marks UH's entrance into the Mountain West Conference, ending a 33-year affiliation with the WAC. After compiling a 10-36 record, Chow was fired with four games remaining in the 2015 season.

Nick Rolovich and the Return of the Run-N-Shoot

Offensive line coach Chris Naeole took over as interim coach for the remainder of the season before Athletics Director David Matlin picked Rolovich as the program's 23rd coach. Nick Rolovich took over in December 2015 and brought a new attitude. The former Warrior quarterback re-established "Pride Rock," ending a seven-year drought in winning seasons and guiding UH to three bowl games in four seasons. In his final two seasons as head coach, Rolovich re-installed the vaunted Run-N-Shoot offense. The result: 18 combined wins, including a 10-win 2019 campaign that saw the Warriors play in the Mountain West title game for the first time in program history.

Todd Graham and a Bowl Victory

Graham took the reins during the most unusual of seasons as the world grappled with the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. With a tough, disciplined approach, Graham led UH to just its third-ever bowl appearance on the mainland where the Rainbow Warriors defeated Houston in the New Mexico Bowl to cap an abbreviated nine-game season. Despite a season that saw the team reach a program-record fourth consecutive bowl game even with a 6-7 record, an upset over Fresno State, and reclaiming the Paniolo Trophy with a 38-14 win over Wyoming in Laramie, Graham resigned after multiple reports surfaced of player mistreatment on January 14, 2022.

Timmy Chang: A New Era Begins

Following the resignation of Graham in January 2022, Hawaii signed former quarterback Timmy Chang to a four-year deal to be head coach. Chang, a record-setting quarterback for the Rainbow Warriors from 2000-04, returned to his alma mater to lead the program. In Chang's second season, Hawaii finished 5-8 with nonconference games against Vanderbilt, Stanford, Albany, and New Mexico State.

Rivalries

With the BYU rivalry losing steam after the Cougars left the WAC in 1999, the rivalry with Fresno State has increased greatly in recent years, with both teams being the oldest members of the WAC contending regularly for the conference championship. This is one of the oldest rivalries involving Hawaii, along with the Fresno State rivalry. This rivalry is attributed to the late General Laurence S. Kuter, who was stationed on Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam as commander of the Pacific Air Forces. This led to the creation of the Kuter Trophy, a symbol of sportsmanship and school pride, but also the eternal friendship between the Air Force and Hawaii. Hawaii is in possession of the trophy following their 44-35 in Colorado Springs in 2025. The two teams have met 24 times, with Air Force leading the series 14-9-1.

Key Program Statistics

The Hawaii Rainbow Warriors football program has compiled an approximate all-time record of 596-507-25 through the 2024 season, reflecting over a century of competition since its founding in 1909. Otto Klum amassed the most wins with 84 during his 19-year tenure from 1921 to 1939. Dave Crawford holds the highest winning percentage at .857, achieved in his brief but dominant stint from 1917 to 1919 with an 11-1-2 mark. The program has made 14 bowl appearances and holds an 8-6 bowl record through 2024.

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