My favorite story leading up to the BCS national championship game wasn’t about an Alabama or Notre Dame player or coach.

It was about a leprechaun. Specifically, the Fighting Irish mascot.

The well-crafted piece by Michael Wanbaugh of the Goshen (Ind.) News was picked up by several bigger papers, and for good reason. It detailed the inspirational story of Bryce Burton, who returned from a life-threatening disease to become the first-string leprechaun (yeah, they’ve got a bunch of them).

Kind of like Rudy, except Burton is on scholarship. And he earns the tuition waiver, busy with public appearances and community service when he isn’t practicing or performing at games.

So, why not at the University of Hawaii? Not a leprechaun, of course. Our version: a menehune.

MANY FANS LAMENTED the departure of unofficial UH mascot Vili “The Warrior” Fehoko last year, and there hasn’t been an official one in more than a decade.

Sure, it’s not at the top of athletic director Ben Jay’s in-box on his first week on the job, but he said people have already asked him about it.

We agree on this: “It’s got to be a student, much like the cheerleaders,” he said. “We don’t want to get into a San Diego Chicken situation.”

I like the menehune for two main reasons: It represents Hawaii, and it represents the fact that Hawaii produces some of the best pound-for-pound athletes in the world. Chad Owens and Brian Viloria come to mind immediately.

Menehune traits include cleverness and industriousness; legend tells us they worked while everyone else slept.

The student who wins the job of menehune mascot would not be tall, but would be buff, athletic and energetic. And most important, as authentic as possible.

THE MASCOT issue might seem irrelevant in comparison to others, like conference affiliation and budget concerns. But a distinctive and appropriate mascot can impact the athletic department and the school in many positive ways.

The lack of one ties into the department’s confusing image problem that includes too many different nicknames. It’s as polarizing as any quarterback controversy. Personally, I like the compromise of Rainbow Warriors for all teams.

“I want to simplify things so there is consistency. It’s important for branding and business planning,” Jay said Tuesday afternoon.

“I just came from downtown, and someone told me, ‘I like Rainbows.’ Is that who we are?” He isn’t just asking rhetorically; remember, he’s a newcomer and he’s learning the lay of the land.

Coming in with little history here can be good. He can make common-sense decisions instead of political ones. It will get tricky, however, when the factors of tradition and cultural sensitivity come into play.

But when Jay tells me his simple guiding principle, I’m confident he has a great chance to succeed here:

“Be true to these islands.”

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Reach Dave Reardon at <@Tagline -- email1>dreardon@staradvertiser.com<@$p> or 529-4783.