At the end of Tuesday’s football practice on the grass field, Hawaii head coach Timmy Chang and linebackers coach Chris Brown gave emotional farewells.
“I’m sad it’s coming to an end,” Chang said of the Rainbow Warriors’ final practice on the Lower Campus field. On Wednesday, work began on transforming the area into a soccer and track facility. The Warriors, who left that morning in advance of Saturday’s road game against New Mexico, will cram all their remaining home practices at the Ching Complex.
“Timmy and I were emotional about it,” said Brown, who was a UH middle linebacker in the early 2000s. “We figured that field is where warriors were made. That’s where the training happened.”
It was in the spring of 1999, a few months after June Jones was named head coach, when plans were in place to turn an area used for a golf class into the Warriors’ primary practice field. The so-called “Sodfather” — George Toma, Jones’ good friend — was commissioned to oversee the project.
The unveiling was delayed when a disgruntled player from the previous regime drove circles on the new turf. But the Sodfather, who often worked shirtless while riding a plus-sized lawn mower, was quick to patch the field.
After that, according to Chang, a former record-setting quarterback, it became a field of dream-making.
“There were a lot of great memories on that thing,” Chang said. “There were a lot of great battles. There was a lot of great development of men on that field. That’s where we made our bones, man. That’s where we earned our respect.”
It was where future NFL players and 500-pound bench pressers — guard Vince Manuwai and defensive tackle Isa‘ako Sopaga — engaged in no-fracture, no-foul drills.
It was where a SoCal-reared quarterback brought a bagful of footballs to a summer workout and then asked his new teammates if they wanted to play catch. The receivers marveled at the accuracy of the quarterback’s low-armed delivery. Three years later, an estimated 10,000 fans were in a line that snaked from the Stan Sheriff Center for Heisman Trophy finalist Colt Brennan’s autograph.
It was where during a player-run practice in the summer of 2017 when Cole McDonald lofted a pass to a receiver on what was known as a “China” route. The receiver soared for the catch, and then was knocked out by a heat-seeking safety. After that, McDonald was nicknamed “China.”
After practices, assistant coach Jeff Reinebold would do yoga, earning the handle, “Sun God.”
Boxing legend Marvelous Marvin Hagler and Super Bowl-winning coach Bill Walsh were among the many guests who attended practices.
On the field’s sidelines, actor Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa used Miyagi-like accu-pressure to heal defensive end Travis LaBoy’s aching back.
“I remember we used to have trees right in the middle,” said Brown, evoking a comparison to the monuments that occupied center field at the original Yankee Stadium. “People would run into the trees. I remember the trees. My family used to come and sit under the trees and watch practice.”
The field offered a ground-level view to many fights. One practice was interrupted when a fight broke out between soccer players on the neighboring field.
“Legends were made on that field,” Brown said. “That’s where we broke bones, vomited, and some cried, some cheered. Some rolled (as punishment). There were some great fights out there, legendary fights that we still talk about to this day.”
Next to the field there is a “pond” created from runoff Manoa rain. Long snapper Jake Ingram used to fish there.
“My favorite spot to eat is near the pond,” Chang said. “I liked grabbing food, and just sitting there, and eating, and looking at the field being right there.”
Back in his playing days and through Tuesday, Chang enjoyed the walk, often in the Manoa mist, from his office to the field.
“That’s why we’re the Rainbows,” he said. “Beautiful mornings. Dew on the nice grass field. Nothing like football on that field.”
Brown said: “Every single day, the walk from the locker room to the field, that’s where you get your mind right. That’s where you say your prayers, when you get focused on your plays, where you start getting jacked. That walk is going to be really, really missed.”
Safety Peter Manuma said he was moved hearing stories of the field’s history. “I felt every word they were saying,” Manuma said. “There were a lot of legends who practiced on that field. It was an honor to be part of the last practice there.”
Chang said: “It’s a new era for these guys. It’s time for them to make their own memories.”
