Dennis McKnight has lived a well-traveled life.

He was born in Texas, attended high school in New York, went to college in Iowa, played pro football and ran a car-wash business in San Diego, and has coached in Hawaii, Dallas and Canada.

"And now I’m in frickin’ Beaumont, Texas," said McKnight, who coaches the offensive line for the Lamar football team.

It will be a homecoming of sorts when Lamar plays Hawaii in a nonconference game Saturday at Aloha Stadium. McKnight was the Warriors’ special teams coordinator from 1999 to 2001. He was the offensive line coach in 2006 and 2007.

Lamar arrives in town on Thursday, McKnight’s 53rd birthday.

"Hawaii is a special place," McKnight said. "It’s not the sand or the ocean or the beautiful scenery that makes it special. It’s the people. That’s what separates it from any place in the world. There are a lot of beautiful places in the world. There aren’t a lot of beautiful people."

McKnight was instrumental in the Warriors’ unbeaten regular season in 2007. After UH’s loss in the 2008 Sugar Bowl, June Jones took over at SMU, and McKnight eventually followed him, staying there for three years.

With Jones’ help, McKnight landed a coaching job with the Edmonton Eskimos of the CFL in 2011. After the season, he resigned with the intent of pursuing opportunities outside of football.

"I was tired of the politics," McKnight said.

Lamar head coach Ray Woodard then called McKnight. Lamar had revived its football program in 2010 following a 20-year hiatus, and Woodard invited McKnight to visit. McKnight said "no," then "maybe" and, eventually, "why not?"

"Like anything else, when you get around the players, well, that’s why you coach," McKnight said. "I met the players. They were good guys and they were hungry for some coaching. I said, ‘What the hell, I’ll do it one more year and see what happens, and try to give them some information they can use.’ That’s how I wound up here."

Beaumont’s population is about 120,000.

"The oil business is king in this part of the country," McKnight said. "There are a lot of hard-working people here who like to have fun. It’s very similar to Hawaii in that families are very important. People are friendly and giving and caring."

McKnight said he enjoys being part of a developing offense. He also is adjusting to being back in the state where he was born.

"They say you come full circle before you die," McKnight said. "I hope it’s not over yet. I want to make sure when I die it’s in Hawaii so my crusty old bones can be laid to rest there somewhere."

He added: "I’m going to find my way back to Hawaii someday. It’s a matter of when or if the guy at Side Street (Inn) gives me a job."