Northern Colorado rolls out red carpet for UH football team’s arrival

GREELEY, COLO. >> There is no place like home for the University of Hawaii football team … except on a gorgeously sunny afternoon on the University of Northern Colorado campus.

In advance of Saturday’s opener against Colorado State, the Rainbow Warriors practiced at UNC, where the aloha spirit resonated. A UNC soccer player with a shaka tattoo on her left triceps watched the workout. UNC baseball coach Carl Iwasaki, former general manager of the Honolulu Sharks of the Hawaii Winter Baseball League, greeted the UH coaches. And local songs blared from the speakers.

“I appreciate Northern Colorado,” UH coach Nick Rolovich said. “It’s good when J Boog is on Pandora Radio ready for us when we got off the bus.”

Brandon Charles, UNC’s director of football operations, provided the local atmosphere for the Warriors. Charles said he often listens to contemporary island music. Two of Charles’ close friends grew up in Hawaii. During a visit to Hawaii, Charles’ cell phone broke. He bought a replacement phone in Hawaii.

“I kept the 808 number,” said Charles, who was reared in Pagosa Springs, Colo.

The Warriors took Wednesday night’s red-eye flight from Honolulu to Denver. After a 65-minute bus ride to Fort Collins, the Warriors rested before departing for Thursday’s practice. The Warriors did not wear pads during the two-hour workout.

“They were focused,” Rolovich said. “It was a good workout. When you travel, it’s good to take it easy and let them acclimate a little bit.”

Rolovich said the intensity will increase for today’s practice. The Warriors usually have a regular practice on Thursdays and walk-through sessions on Fridays. But Rolovich said he does not mind switching the order for this trip.

“I like it that way,” Rolovich said. “Well, we’ll see, if we win.”

Rolovich said Northern Colorado’s campus brought back pleasant memories. In 2002, Rolovich was a rookie quarterback for the Denver Broncos, who held training camp at UNC. The school has five fields with goal posts, and a dormitory that can comfortably accommodate an entire NFL preseason team.

Rolovich recalled when Gary Kubiak, who was the Broncos’ offensive coordinator at the time, told him that head coach Mike Shanahan was going to fine him for not spatting (taping his cleats).

“I wasn’t making any money, anyway,” said Rolovich, who was admittedly concerned about a fine. “(Kubiak) said hurry up and spat your shoes by the goal post. I got one and a half done, and I look over and I see him and Shanahan and everyone laughing at me because I’m a rookie spatting my shoes on the field of an NFL training camp.”

Rolovich also recalled when he heard the veterans were going to spray rookies with fire extinguishers.

“They got all the rookies,” Rolovich said. “They tried to come into my room late at night. But I booby-trapped it with a bucket on the door. So when they opened the door, a bucket of water fell on them. Then all of a sudden my room became white with fire extinguisher.”

During that training camp, Rolovich wore No. 2.

“That was a bad sign for a quarterback, Jason Elam told me that,” Rolovich said of the Broncos’ kicker and former Rainbow. “You don’t see too many single-digit quarterbacks in the NFL.”

Overall, Rolovich said, “it was a pretty cool experience.”