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Polynesian Football Hall adds 5 more legends

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  • Charlie Ane's NFL trading card. (Courtesy photo)

Charlie Ane, Rockne Freitas, Al Lolotai, Troy Polamalu and Vai Sikahema will be the newest members of the Polynesian Football Hall of Fame when it inducts its third class of enshrinees in January.

The newest honorees were announced this morning at a news conference at the Sheraton-Waikiki hotel.

Ane was an All-American at USC and went on to play for the Detroit Lions from 1953 to 1959. The offensive lineman made two Pro Bowls and helped the Lions to NFL championships in 1953 and 1957.

Freitas also played offensive line for the Lions, after a stellar college career at Oregon State. He finished his NFL career at Tampa Bay in 1978 after playing for Detroit from 1968 to 1977. He was All-Pro twice.

Lolotai, selected in the contributor category, was the first Polynesian to play in the NFL, as an offensive lineman with Washington in 1945. He was also with the San Francisco Dons from 1946 to 1949.

Polamalu recently retired after 11 NFL seasons at safety, all with the Pittsburgh Steelers. The USC alumnus is a two-time Super Bowl champion, garnered eight Pro Bowl nods and was named NFL Defensive Player of the Year by the Associated Press in 2010.

Sikahema won a national championship at BYU in 1984, and went on to play eight seasons for three teams as a running back and kick returner. He was the first Tongan to play in the NFL.

The honorees were selected from a list of finalists by a committee including Dick Tomey, LaVell Edwards, Ron McBride, Dick Vermeil, Neil Everett, Gil Brandt, Kevin Mawae and Robert Kekaula. More than 200 players, coaches and other contributors were considered.

The PFHOF also annually names a Polynesian College Football Player of the Year, and this year, for the first time, a Polynesian Pro Football Player of the Year.

They will be celebrated Jan. 29 and 30 on Oahu with a dinner Friday at the Hawaii Convention Center and a ceremony Saturday at the PFHOF at the Polynesian Cultural Center in Laie. Go to http://www.polynesianfootballhof.org for more information.

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