An hour before the kickoff of the 2004 football game between Tulsa and Hawaii, the visiting assistant head coach/defensive coordinator emerged from an Aloha Stadium locker room and stared into the painted face of intimidation.
“I’m coming out of the tunnel, and this big warrior dude is standing there,” Todd Graham said of his first encounter with Vili “The Warrior” Fehoko, UH’s mascot at the time. “I mean, he’s sticking his tongue out at me. I was like, ‘Wow.’”
Graham then approached June Jones, who was UH’s head coach, to make sure Fehoko was not on the Rainbow Warriors’ active roster.
“He was the best mascot I’ve ever seen,” Graham said. “I love that guy. He was all into it. My personal opinion, I love the Warrior mascot. I’ve played in a lot of stadiums. I’ve played in a ton. I’ve played all over the country, and been around a lot of pretty amazing atmospheres. I remember that experience. When I walked out, he was intimidating. I liked that.”
Fehoko now lives on the mainland. But Graham, who was hired as UH’s head coach in January, said he favors having a mascot for Rainbow Warrior games.
Graham said he also would like to maintain other Warrior traditions, as well as introduce new rituals, such as a “Warrior Walk” the day before games and creating plaques to recognize the 1992 and 2007 teams.
“I don’t believe in coming in and getting rid of traditions,” Graham said. “I want to make sure we’re very respectful to how we’ve done it and the traditions we’ve had in the past. There are things we can add, like the team walk, which will really state who we are.”
Before and after every practice, the players will continue to touch a koa plaque in the football locker room to draw mana and unity. A group of boosters, led by the late Kekoa Furtado, created and contributed the plaque in 2018. “That piece of (koa) represents tradition and the values of our program,” Graham said.
The day before every game, the Warriors, in unison, will walk the length of the football field. Former players are invited to participate.
“The first 50 yards is on the price that has been paid, the people who came before you, what it means to put that ‘H’ on your helmet,” Graham said. “Then the last 50 yards, as we walk the field, I want them to think about what they’re going to do that next day to honor that sacrifice, that commitment. Then we all come together in the end zone, and we’ll have a former Warrior talk to our team about what it meant to him and what it means to be a Warrior. I’ll let those old Warriors pour out their hearts, to what it meant to them, what they would do to play one more snap.”
Graham said his preference is to have the walk at Aloha Stadium, but that is subject to availability. “We want to visualize being on that field,” Graham said. “That’s where we’re going to go to war the next day.”
For road games, former players in that area will be asked to speak.
Graham also wants to revive the practice of awarding helmet stickers for making big plays, such as takeaways or long touchdowns. “The kids like that,” Graham said. “We’ll do the rewards on the back of the helmets.”
Graham said he wants to expand the photo gallery in the football facility’s corridors. He said he wants to place framed pictures of players named to all-conference teams. Graham is creating what he termed a “Scholar-Warrior” sign. “A big sign,” Graham said, “and it’ll have every kid’s name on there who’s a 3.0 (grade-point average) or higher.”
In a reminder of the importance of the fan base, Graham said, “the last thing I tell them before the game is: ‘Give them what they want. Give these fans what they want. These people worked hard. They’re coming here. They’re buying a ticket. They’re supporting our program. You give them what they want. Represent them with great honor, great integrity, great discipline, great toughness and physicality.’ “
Graham is learning to adapt to Hawaii. He removes footwear before entering other people’s homes, does not eat the last malasada in the box, and has developed a fondness for plate lunches.
“I had teriyaki chicken and rice and mac salad the other day,” Graham said. “If I don’t get out of this quarantine and start running, I’m going to be a 230-pound coach.”