Jesse Sapolu spoke from the heart, although he probably could have spoken of the heart.

In addressing the Hawaii football team, Sapolu spoke of fighting the good fight.

He spoke of how his San Francisco 49ers lost five of the first 11 games but rallied to win the Super Bowl, one of his four NFL championships.

"I wanted to remind them never to give up," said Sapolu, a former UH offensive lineman and Farrington High graduate.

Sapolu will be the honorary captain when the Warriors play South Alabama in the season finale at Aloha Stadium today.

"I respect Jesse a lot," UH coach Norm Chow said. "He did a good job" in a speech to the players.

What Sapolu omitted were his own struggles, which he confessed in his recent autobiography, "I Gave My Heart to San Francisco."

Sapolu wrote about a heart condition he downplayed to Farrington, UH and San Francisco coaches.

He said he contracted rheumatic fever when he was a child, a condition that led to a torn aortic valve. The tear was diagnosed during a hospital visit when he was 5.

"I couldn’t play P.E. at Kaewai Elementary or Dole Intermediate," Sapolu said.

He said there was not enough widespread information to know about the dangers of his condition, which sometimes left him short of breath.

"If it was known back then, they would have stopped me," Sapolu said.

Sapolu had a standout career with the Rainbows. The San Francisco 49ers drafted him in 1983. During a physical, his condition was detected. Still, he received clearance to play.

In 1996, he underwent surgery to replace the damaged valve.

He started every game in 1997, his 14th and last season in the NFL.

Sapolu, who works for the 49ers, said he has lived a life of no regrets. As a Farrington senior, he received offers from BYU, Oregon, Arizona State and UH. He ruled out BYU, turning down Chow, who was one of the recruiters for the Cougars.

It came down to Arizona State, which was ranked No. 2 under Frank Kush, and UH. It wasn’t that close.

"I wanted to play in front of the people I grew up with," Sapolu said.

UH defensive end Paipai Falemalu can relate to Sapolu’s decision. Raised in Hauula, Falemalu also had several scholarship offers. Falemalu plays his final college game today.

"It went by quickly," Falemalu said. "Five years here went faster than four years in high school. I have to embrace the moment, make the most of it. I have one more game. I have to go out with a bang."

South Alabama is in its fourth year as a start-up program. The Warriors are completing their first season under Chow.

"Whatever they do," Sapolu said, "they have to give their all."