‘Skippa’ keeps his handshake agreement for UH game

Edward “Skippa” Diaz, whose word is as strong as his handshake, apologized for the delay.

“I had a little problem on the mainland,” he said, with his Wolfman Jack voice. “I got that stuff squared away.”

The problem?

“I had a cardiac arrest,” Diaz said.

But neither his heart problems — he was diagnosed with congestive heart failure in 1995 — nor his two-year battle against stage 4 esophageal cancer would keep him from fulfilling his promise to serve as Hawaii’s honorary captain for today’s football game against Nevada-Las Vegas at Aloha Stadium.

“I got here on Monday night, and I should be ready to go — to flip a coin or do whatever they want me to do,” Diaz said.

His advice to the Warriors: “Play hard from the snap of the ball to the whistle.”

And another message: “Enjoy life. It’s a blessing.”

Diaz was an all-league lineman who had a successful career at Oregon State and then returned to his alma mater, Farrington High, as a teacher and football coach. He was the head coach for 17 seasons.

“Good memories,” he said, although “when you’ve had 10,000 passing through, you tend to forget a few.”

Diaz retired from teaching in 1999, then worked for the city for several years until he and his wife, Mary, both retired.

It was in 2010 when he was diagnosed with cancer.

“When I heard it was stage 4, I thought there were seven or eight stages,” Diaz recalled. “The doctor said, ‘No, that’s the last one.’”

Diaz continues to fight the good fight, from the first snap.

“The doctor said to make sure I attend the appointments,” Diaz said. “I’ve been holding up pretty good now. The Big C, that’s what I’m working on. That’s what needs to be squared away.”

Diaz and Mary split their time between Hawaii and Wisconsin, where her family lives. Their plans to return to the islands last month were delayed with his heart problems.

“I couldn’t get to fly until the doctors said it was OK,” Diaz said. “I’m glad I got out of there. That dang thing was starting to get cold.”

Diaz said he and his wife “are enjoying the life that everyone is supposed to enjoy. You have to be positive. You have to do what you can do. I’m enjoying every day. When I get up in the morning, I say, ‘Thank you, Lord,’ and I enjoy the day.

“I’m really blessed. I thank my wife, and the prayers my family provides for me. They’re helping me go on. It sure as hell is not me doing it. It’s other people doing it for me. I’m very grateful.”

As part of today’s “freedom” game, the Warriors will wear specially made jerseys. Beginning at 10 tonight, fans may begin bidding on the jerseys at hawaiiathletics.com. The bidding runs through Dec. 9. Proceeds will benefit the Wounded Warrior Project.