In his journey to becoming an assistant coach with the University of Hawaii football team, Ricky Logo has encountered many Forts in the road.
As the son of an Army soldier, Logo has lived in Fort Lewis in Washington, Fort Ord in California, Fort Benning in Georgia and Fort Leavenworth in Kansas. In a 23-year coaching career, his stop previous to Hawaii was in Fort Collins, Colo., as Colorado State’s defensive line coach.
In December, Marty English retired as CSU’s defensive coordinator and the other defensive coaches, including Logo, were not retained. UH hired Logo in January. With a scheduling shuffle, the Rainbow Warriors will open their season on the road Saturday against CSU.
Logo said he views this as “another game,” and he holds no animosity toward the Rams or CSU coach Mike Bobo. When Bobo was hospitalized recently, Logo made a phone call expressing his concern and well wishes.
“A true coach understands when a business decision is made, it’s not personal,” Logo said of his release from CSU. “It’s all about the kids — the ones I’ve coached in the past, the ones I’m currently coaching. They’re good kids on both sides.”
Logo said the Rams he coached “know relationships go beyond the walls of our universities. Whether we leave or currently coach there, you impacted a life. You always keep that in mind.”
Logo joked that several former players still “like” his Twitter posts.
UH coach Nick Rolovich is not surprised Logo maintains friendships.
“He’s probably one of the best individuals on this planet right now as far as a person,” Rolovich said. “He really cares about people. And he’s kept his culture alive, even though he’s from the South. The Samoan culture in him was always strong.”
Logo said his father was stationed the longest in Georgia. Even in the South, Logo said, he was able to buy taro from Puerto Rican markets, as well as receive the plant from family members and friends visiting from Hawaii or American Samoa. He also said he regularly wore a lavalava as a youth and as an assistant coach.
“Whether I was in Georgia or North Carolina (Logo played nose tackle at North Carolina State), I always wore that attire,” Logo said. “My parents always embraced the (Samoan) culture at home. That was what we wore at home. Any time we were on a family outing, it was a natural attire for us.”
He also used to jokingly accuse the makers of board shorts that “they stole it from us and turned it into shorts.”
For family gatherings, the only thing he will not attempt is preparing palusami, a dish featuring taro leaves, coconut milk, and chicken or fish. “I can make it, but not for my family,” he said. “I’m probably too slow. They’ll starve if I try to make it.”
Logo said he visited family in Hawaii and American Samoa every few years. “I always had a heart for Hawaii,” he said.
His name surfaced as a UH coaching possibility after Legi Suiaunoa resigned as defensive coordinator and defensive line coach to accept a job at Oregon State.
After initially meeting with Logo at the coaches convention in January, Rolovich said, “it got better and better and better. I like who he is as a person.”
Logo said: “The first time we sat and met, I really grew to like Coach (Rolovich). He’s just a genuine person. … You research things about a coach and the guys on the staff, and that really drew me to here.”
Rolovich praised Logo for his work with the defensive linemen and “making them better young men.”
For Logo, his career has come full circle.
“My last college game was in Aloha Stadium,” said Logo, who played for the East in the 1993 Hula Bowl. “It’s odd knowing you played in the stadium and now you’re coaching in Hawaii. It’s a great feeling.”
