Through the years, the sun-baked islands dotting the Pacific have produced the likes of Utah's Chad Kauhaahaa, BYU's Alema Fitisemanu and Utah State's Piliki Tauteoli.
Kauhaahaa (Hawaii), Fitisemanu (American Samoa) and Tauteoli (Tonga) are among a host of Polynesian football players known for both their polysyllabic names and gridiron feats. Collectively, they make up the Polynesian Pipeline - one of college football's most intriguing, if lesser known storylines.When did it begin? Where do all these Polynesians come from? Why have they had such a big impact on the sport? Where do they buy their vowels?
To answer these questions, first pay a visit to Norm Chow, a native Hawaiian who played at Utah and has coached at BYU for 20 years. If anybody's an expert on this subject, it's him (even if his name isn't exactly a tongue-twister).
As the longtime Cougar offensive coordinator talks, a sound, barely audible, emanates from the stereo in his office. It's not the kind of music associated with football.
Chow is oblivious to the muffled noise until he's asked about it. Then a broad smile breaks out over his face. He reaches down and turns the volume button up a notch or two. "All I listen to," he says matter-of-factly, "is Hawaiian music."
There you have it. BYU's intricate, high-flying offensive scheme has a soundtrack, and it's filled with ukuleles.
Some 20 yards away, in the lobby of the BYU football office, more distinct sounds are heard. Plopped down on couches on this afternoon is a group of Polynesian players wearing flip-flops, shorts and T-shirts. They are laughing and speaking a variety of languages: Samoan, Tongan and pidgin English.
"The football office is the gathering place," says BYU linebacker Donny Atuaia. "We love to go there and talk stories." Explains Cougar fullback Kalani Fifita Sitake: "You can take the boy away from the island, but you can't take the island away from the boy."
Of course, not all Polynesian players arrive directly from an island. Sitake, for instance, played high school ball in Missouri. Former Ute star Luther Elliss (his mother is Polynesian) is from Colorado. Ex-Weber State tight end Alfred Pupunu and former Ute Filipo Mokofisi prepped in Salt Lake. USU nosetackle Walter Fiefia hails from Hyrum.
But no matter where they're from, all trace their geneology to some tiny island in the South Pacific.
You'll find Polynesians at all of the other in-state schools and you're likely to find Polynesians participating in those same cherised pastimes - telling stories and playing football.
And you'd better believe, "bruddah," that they can play football.
Headlining the current in-state stars is Utah running back Chris Fuamatu-Ma'afala. Numerous greats have preceded him. Many go on to play and star in the NFL, such as Elliss, currently a starting defensive lineman for the Detroit Lions; BYU tight end Itula Mili, the only local NFL draftee (Seattle) in 1997; Pupunu, a tight end and BYU's Kurt Gouveia, a linebacker, both with the San Diego Chargers and BYU's Vai Sikahema, who enjoyed a lengthy career as a punt returner for Philadelphia and other teams.
No wonder Polynesian players have been staple imports for decades, especially in Provo. "They've made a major impact," says Cougar coach LaVell Edwards. "We've never had a team without key Polynesian players."
Most Polynesians go about their business quietly, without making statements about their ethnic background. They are proud of their heritage, but they don't flaunt it.
"I'm a football coach," Chow says. "I'm not a Polynesian football coach. I'm a football coach who happens to be Polynesian."
As he says this, the smooth strains of Hawaiian music plays. Hawaiian memorabilia adorns the walls of his office. Yes, the Polynesian influence on in-state football is profound. And the same can be said for football's influence on Polynesians.
DURING THE 1960s, Chris Apostol felt like he had discovered gold. Then-BYU coach Tally Stevens had hired Apostol in 1959 and subsequently issued him an edict to recruit in Hawaii. So Apostol began panning for talent there.
The Cougars had had Polynesian players trickle into the program in previous seasons - many via what was then Weber State College - but Stevens decided to actively tap the resource.
For 11 years, Apostol traveled to the islands a couple of times a year to scour the playing fields for athletes. Basically, he had the place to himself. "There was virtually no competition," recalls Apostol, who is considered the unofficial Godfather of the Polynesian Pipeline.
Perhaps partially due to BYU's satellite campus in Hawaii and the influence of the LDS Church, BYU "always had a presence there," said Apostol. "It was the mystique of coming to the mainland for the kids."
Apparently, Stevens found the right man for the job in Apostol. "He related to those guys very well, and he was very successful," said Edwards. Later, years later, when Edwards became head coach, the Cougars began scheduling games against the University of Hawaii on a regular basis, increasing BYU's exposure on the islands. As a result, Hawaii became a recruiting stronghold for the Cougars.
During Apostol's tenure, BYU didn't offer a lot of scholarships to players from Hawaii, but enough came that other programs, by the late 1960s and early 1970s, began taking notice.
"After we had some success, Arizona State started coming, then USC and Michigan State," said Apostol, now 70.
Making Polynesian players feel comfortable in Provo was not a problem. "On campus visits," he said, "I would call the Polynesian Club and 200 kids would show up to meet the prospects. And 20 of them would be relatives."
POLYNESIAN ROOTS in football on the mainland sprouted as early as the 1940s and 1950s. But players who found their way to the mainland were few and far between.
Utah quarterbacks coach Tommy Lee was among the first to play college football on the mainland, when he accepted a scholarship to play for Willamette University in Oregon in the late 1950s. At that time, it was the smaller colleges that took chances on Polynesian players. In 1964, Chow was recruited by both the Cougars and the Utes. He opted for Utah.
But both Chow and Lee were forerunners to a trend that would grow with the years. And, as coaches, they have helped cultivate that growth.
Of course, not all the players from Hawaii who come to the mainland are Polynesian (though the vast majority are). On the flip side, Polynesian families have migrated to the mainland in droves, settling in Utah, California, Arizona, Oregon and Washington. That's one of the reasons Polynesian athletes are found on nearly every collegiate roster in the country.
There is a wealth of talented Polynesian athletes in the West, Utah included. In fact, many of the state's top prep athletes are Polynesian.
Don't think recruiting in Hawaii is passe, either. The recruiting climate today is more fierce than ever. "Now all the Pac-10 and many of the WAC schools are (recruiting) in Hawaii," said Lee. "Notre Dame will go for one or two guys a year. Big 12 teams like Nebraska are there, and they never used to be."
"You bump into everyone over there," said Chow. "Iowa, Washington, Penn State. A lot of staffs have hired Polynesian kids to help recruit."
Both BYU and Utah have been exceptionally successful at nabbing top-notch Hawaiian talent. In 1994, Utah plucked a stellar crop, which included Fuamatu-Ma'afala. The Utes' knack for landing Hawaiian players can be directly linked to Ron McBride, who assumed the head coaching job in 1989. "Sometimes I think he's part Polynesian," said Utah director of athletic media relations Bruce Woodbury. "He loves those people."
"Utah and coach Mac are well thought of in the islands," explained Lee. "The exposure we get over there helps us." It also helps that Lee's brother coaches at Fuamatu-Ma'afala's alma mater, St. Louis High, one of the powerhouse prep programs in the state. And high school football is huge in the Aloha State.
When BYU and Utah reap the benefits of Hawaiian players, it's the University of Hawaii, long beset by financial problems and poor facilities, that suffers.
"It's tough to keep kids in the islands," said Lee. "Many want to get away from home and experience a different culture."
That home-grown players are leaving in droves has caused plenty of consternation for Hawaii fans, who would rather see their native sons stay put. But many athletes see playing in the mainland as their ticket off the island.
"There are mixed feelings," said BYU offensive lineman Joe Wong. "But we've been on that Rock all our lives."
Out of high school, Wong signed with Hawaii to please his father, who is Hawaiian, and his mother, who is Portuguese. But he was unhappy at UH. So, with his parents' blessing, he transferred to BYU last year. In the process, he lost a year of eligibility for transferring from one WAC school to another. But the move was worth it, he said.
"There are very few of us all over the nation that get a chance to play Division I football here," he said. "We're living our dream."
While BYU once signed the majority of blue-chip Hawaiians, Utah has made big inroads in the 1990s. "The rivalry has precluded us from getting too many from there," Chow admits. Last year BYU decided not to sign a single player from Hawaii. No Hawaiian recruits were even invited for campus visits. But BYU did sign five Polynesian players from areas outside Hawaii.
NOT LONG after returning from his LDS Church mission to Oakland, Calif., last year, Sitake had a tattoo engraved on his left arm. It depicts the letter "S" (for Sitake) inside a compass. "My ancestors were navigators," explained the Cougar fullback. "It's a compass leading me home, even if I'm far from home. It helps me remember who I am."
As the Polynesians will tell you, family is at the center of the Polynesian culture. Its influence is so strong that Sitake, who was known as Kalani Fifita before his mission, added the name Sitake at the request of his grandfather.
Though Sitake has lived on the mainland most of his life, his heritage remains in the forefront of his mind.
"When you come from small islands and play at this level, it's a big deal," said BYU linebacker Spencer Reid, who's from American Samoa. "Here we're doing something good for our island. We're doing it for everybody back home. We look out for each other. It's a family thing."
Having a Polynesian coach on the staff makes the transition easier. Utah defensive lineman Toni Fatafehi often turns to Utah defensive line coach Steve Kaufusi, who was born in Tonga. There are times when Fatafehi has trouble understanding defensive coordinator Kyle Whittingham's instructions during games. "(Steve) breaks it down for me and tells me in Tongan what coach Whittingham wants us to do," said Fatafehi. "When he explains it in Tongan, it clicks."
The bond among Polynesians is so strong that it's common to see them, following even the most bitterly contested games, greet their fellow Polynesians from the other team.
"I have friends who play in Provo," confessed Ute fullback Tai Lepule, who's from San Diego. "On the field we try to kill each other. Then after the game, we talk to each other like friends."
"It all goes back to that little place where you come from, whether you know them or not," said Kaufusi. "You look across the field and you say, `Hey, there's one of my kind.' The Polynesian kids here cling together."
This is especially true of Polynesian families. If a school signs a Polynesian player, tradition is his brothers will follow.
The Kaufusis are a prime example. Steve, the oldest of eight children, played at BYU, as did Rich. But when Henry came along, BYU didn't offer him a scholarship. Utah did. Now brother Doug is a redshirt freshman for the Utes, while Jason was signed by Utah last February.
"Utah gave Henry an opportunity and our family was grateful," said Steve Kaufusi. "When the other brothers came along, they wanted to be together and stay close to home."
Following in the footsteps of older brothers is typical. Families are so close that they have been known to uproot in order to stick together. Sitake's family lived in St. Louis before he signed with the Cougars. They later moved to Provo and now Kalani's brother, T.J., is a highly sought senior fullback at Timpview High.
Donnie Atuaia moved to Provo prior to his senior year of high school, while his brothers, Mark (who married Elizabeth Wolfgramm, member of the Polynesian singing group, the Jets), and Alema, attended BYU. Said Donnie: "I want to uphold the tradition,"
WHEN REID was elected by his teammates to be a co-captain this season, Chow pulled him aside. "Because your skin is brown," he told him, "you have a bigger responsibility than the other (captains)."
Chow, who was recently named to the Polynesian Advisory Committee by Gov. Mike Leavitt, cares deeply about the Polynesian people, regardless of whether or not they play football.
He wants to help break down the negative stereotypes. "When I read about a drive-by shooting," he said, "I just pray it doesn't involve Polynesians. When things like that happen, my heart aches.
We need more positive examples, like Alema Harrington (former BYU player who is a sports anchor at KSL-TV in Salt Lake). He's proof that Polynesian kids can make it."
Several Polynesian players have reached out to the local community. A professor at Utah helps arrange speaking engagements for Polynesian players like Lepule and Fatafehi to interact with troubled youth - and not just Polynesians.
Gang problems, which are on the rise in Utah, are of concern to Polynesian players. "I try to speak to kids about that. I wish someone would have been like that for me," said Fatafehi. "You tell them about the consequences of doing wrong. Sometimes you can get through to them."
Lepule understands all too well how blessed he is to be at the U. "Without football," he said, "I'd be shot up or stabbed by now. I was stupid when I was younger."
Kaufusi acknowledges that football opened countless doors for him. "When I moved here, college wasn't a possibility. We didn't even think about it. My parents couldn't afford it. For us, playing football is an opportunity to get a degree and a job."
Because of their status as athletes, whether they like it or not, they are role models in the Polynesian community. Fuamatu Ma'afala's stardom has forced him to emerge from his shell. "Chris is in the limelight," said Kaufusi. "He's being attacked by people wanting to interview him. As a kid, he stayed back and listened. Now in college he has to open up, both in class and in interviews. He's come a long ways."
The same can be said about the Polynesian Pipeline. "More Polynesians are playing football," said Kaufusi. "I think we'll see even more in the future."
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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Polynesia invasion
A look at the number of Polynesian football players on rosters of in-state schools since 1965 reveals there has been a significant, overall increase over the past four decades.
1965:
Weber State 1
Utah State
Utah 2
Southern Utah NA
BYU 2
1970:
Weber State 2
Utah State 3
Utah 1
Southern Utah NA
BYU 1
1975:
Weber State
Utah State 1
Utah 1
Southern Utah 4
BYU 6
1980:
Weber State
Utah State 3
Utah 1
Southern Utah 8
BYU 7
1985:
Weber State 2
Utah State 3
Utah 7
Southern Utah 3
BYU 12
1990:
Weber State 4
Utah State 3
Utah 7
Southern Utah 2
BYU 9
1995:
Weber State 7
Utah State 4
Utah 17
Southern Utah 4
BYU 16
1997:
Weber State 2
Utah State 4
Utah 16
Southern Utah 5
BYU 14