Mariota keeps buzz going for Polynesian Football Hall of Fame

Any winning athlete or coach will tell you. Successfully defending a championship is a lot harder than winning the first one.

It’s the same with big new organizations and their big, annual events.

There should, however, be no sophomore slump for the Polynesian Football Hall of Fame this weekend — though it would be understandable after such a strong debut in 2014.

And that’s just what happens sometimes, after the initial buzz of a great idea coming to fruition wears off. No matter how diligent, connected and selfless the organizers might be, it’s hard for Year Two to match a great Year One.

But the PFHOF promises to be much more than a one-hit wonder. Friday’s banquet and Saturday’s induction ceremony at the actual Hall of Fame at the Polynesian Cultural Center have drawn huge interest thanks to another star-studded lineup.

As of Tuesday noon, more than 620 tickets had been sold for the Friday dinner at the Sheraton Waikiki that drew 520 last year. And 340 seats were already accounted for at the 400-seat theater where Saturday’s event will be held.

Yes, a lot of the interest stems from a strong second class of inductees. Celebrating the careers of Luther Elliss, Russ Francis, Jesse Sapolu, Ray Schoenke, Mosi Tatupu and Mark Tuinei brings enough star power to fill almost any room in Hawaii.

THEN THERE’S the icing on the cake — or maybe the star of the show, especially for the younger demographic.

Unlike the other five honorees, who have eight Super Bowl rings and 10 Pro Bowl selections among them, Marcus Mariota has yet to play a down in the NFL. But he possesses a piece of hardware even more rare; and he’s the first Polynesian to win the Heisman Trophy.

Mariota, who was announced as the PFHOF’s first Polynesian College Player of the Year last month, will make his first public appearance in Hawaii since winning the Heisman. He’ll be honored at Friday’s banquet. And his availability at Saturday’s press conference in Laie is drawing international interest.

Mariota’s ascent to the top of college football was steady and sustained. While a win in the national championship game would have been a nice way to cap off one of the greatest college football careers, ever, the loss to Ohio State only sullies the Oregon quarterback’s body of work for true cynics and NFL decision-makers.

His draft stock went down a bit (but he has time for it to recover). Mariota’s Q rating, however, remains high, especially in the islands.

SOME PEOPLE OBJECT to the existence of a Polynesian Football Hall of Fame, viewing it as an entity promoting racism. That would be funny if it weren’t so sad.

Questions like this are asked, usually by anonymous internet cowards, "Why is there not a white football hall of fame?" Or, "Why is there not a Chinese football hall of fame?"

My answer is "Go ahead and start one."

I wonder what it takes for people to become so bitter that they resent celebration along ethnic lines so much that they consider it racist. Do they feel the same way about, say, the Black Music Awards? Or events like the Greek and Okinawan festivals each year at Kapiolani Park?

Thankfully, that kind of ignorance is in the minority, especially here in Hawaii. That’s part of why there will be big crowds for the Polynesian Football Hall of Fame events this weekend. And a lot of the attendees won’t even be Polynesian.

Reach Dave Reardon at dreardon@staradvertiser.com or 529-4783. His blog is at hawaiiwarriorworld.com/quick-reads.