Perhaps you remember a TV series about hippies-turned-yuppies called “thirtysomething.” It aired from 1987 to 1991, when most of the current University of Hawaii football coaches — thirty-somethings themselves now — were kids. One of them wasn’t even born yet.
Perhaps you remember a TV series about hippies-turned-yuppies called “thirtysomething.” It aired from 1987 to 1991, when most of the current University of Hawaii football coaches — thirty-somethings themselves now — were kids. One of them wasn’t even born yet.
With the departure after last season of defensive coordinator Kevin Lempa, 65, and the addition of safeties coach Jacob Yoro, 37, the average age of the 10 Rainbow Warriors coaches is 36.3. At 38, Nick Rolovich is nationally one of the youngest head coaches of a Division I college football program.
It makes you wonder if that gray in the beards of Rolovich, defensive coordinator Legi Suiaunoa, 38, and defensive backs coach Abe Elimimian, 35, might have been added purposely.
Rolovich chuckled at the thought.
“Just to earn some respect, right?”
Rolovich disagrees when it is suggested that the youth of the Hawaii staff can be used against it by coaches of other programs trying to recruit the same talent.
“The (UH coaches) have earned their way to this point,” said Rolovich following a practice this week. “I’m never that guy to say we’ve got the best coaching staff in America, but I’ll tell you what. I felt like saying it the other day. They’ve all done such a great job so far.”
College football coaching has become nearly a 365-days-a-year job, even for assistants. It stands to reason a younger staff can relate well with players, and has the energy to hit the recruiting trails hard.
In his first year as Memphis head coach last fall, Mike Norvell, 35, led the Tigers to a bowl game, which they lost. Rolovich, also a rookie head coach, guided the Rainbow Warriors to a bowl game, which they won.
The youngest FBS head coach this fall will be Lincoln Riley of Oklahoma. He is 33.
But Memphis and Oklahoma have assistants much older than anyone on the Hawaii staff.
Darrell Dickey, the Memphis offensive coordinator, is 57 and defensive coordinator Chris Ball is also in his 50s.
Ruffin McNeill — East Carolina’s head coach when Riley was offensive coordinator there — is now assistant head coach at Oklahoma. He is 58. Defensive coordinator Mike Stoops, 55, stayed on when his brother, Bob, retired as head coach.
Meanwhile, the only man over 40 on the UH football staff is offensive line coach Chris Naeole, who is 42.
Offensive coordinator Brian Smith is 36 (until Wednesday) and passing game coordinator Craig Stutzmann is 37. Special teams coordinator Mayur Chaudhari is 39, linebackers coach Sean Duggan is 24, and receivers coach Kefense Hynson is 37.
“What’s pretty neat about that is you’re talking about 10 years of experience or more for most of them, but they’re just in their 30s,” said UH athletic director David Matlin, who hired Rolovich before last season. UH’s two previous football head coaches, Greg McMackin and Norm Chow, were in their 60s at the times of their hiring.
Mouse Davis turned 78 in 2010, during his final season as UH receivers coach. But he seemed to possess the energy of someone 50 years younger.
The trend toward younger coaches in Manoa extends beyond football.
Men’s basketball coach Eran Ganot was 33 when he was hired in April 2015. Women’s volleyball coach Robyn AhMow-Santos, who starts her first season as retired Dave Shoji’s replacement this year, is 41.
Two other Matlin hires were in their 20s when he interviewed them. Swimming and diving head coach Dan Schemmel, who came aboard last month, recently turned 30. New women’s golf coach Stephen Bidne is 28.
“The funny thing is the youngest one (Bidne) has more head coaching experience than the rest combined,” Matlin said. “You always start with character, then obviously if they can coach. And Eran, Nick and Robyn all had a previous connection with Hawaii.”
Another benefit is that young coaches with less experience — and, in most cases, smaller families — than older coaches generally have lower salary demands. That’s always a factor at UH, which doesn’t have money growing on palm trees.
But if anyone might think there’s age discrimination at work here, Matlin can point toward the recently hired track and field head coach. Tim Boyce is 51.
“It’s not about age,” Matlin said. “It’s about who you think is best for the student-athletes.
