Associate head coach Chris Brown can lift the equivalent of a baby grand piano or a grizzly bear.

As a middle linebacker, Brown wore a helmet to bed and inhaled smelling salts as a pregame ritual.

When he worked as a security officer in Waikiki, Brown used his polar-freezing stare and clenched fists to disarm knife-wielding troublemakers.

But after Friday’s practice — the final one of the University of Hawaii football team’s 2024 season — Brown became emotional when he listened to linebacker Logan Taylor deliver a pep talk to the Rainbow Warriors and then watched teammates carry the co-captain off Ching field.

“These are tears of joy, not tears of sadness,” Brown said. “They’re tears of being proud of these guys, and seeing what they’ve accomplished.”

The Rainbows are 4-7 overall and 2-4 in the Mountain West entering tonight’s regular-season finale against New Mexico. While the 5-6 Lobos can become bowl eligible with a victory, 23 UH seniors are preparing for the rest of their lives.

Several Warriors appear to have next-level opportunities. Quarterback Brayden Schager, who has piqued interest from several NFL teams, has accepted an invitation to play in the Tropical Bowl in Daytona, Fla., next month.

Cornerbacks Cam Stone and Caleb Brown, offensive tackle Luke Felix-Fualalo, defensive end Elijah Robinson, defensive tackle Daniel “Sauce” Williams, and wideout Jonah Panoke are among the seniors with pro aspirations.

Defensive line coach Jeff Reinebold marveled as the players walked off the field with their position groups after Friday’s practice.

“The best way to honor (the seniors) is how you play on Saturday night,” Reinebold said. “They’ll make that same walk (after the game), but with lei around their neck, feeling good about who they are.”

The last week of a season, Reinebold said, “is a sad, sad moment in their life. They don’t even know how impactful this time has been and how much they’ll want it back one day. This is not tennis or surfing or pickup basketball. You’ll never do this again (with the same teammates). That’s the preciousness of it. … You try to teach that to the young ones. You can’t take a minute for granted. It’s over before you blink your eyes.”

When Brown returned to his alma mater as linebackers coach in 2022, he created a position room known as the “Lion’s Den.” Two years earlier, Taylor transferred from El Camino College. But that 2020 season, Taylor did not appear to be same defensive back as he was on highlight videos. He was nicknamed “Slow-gan Taylor.” It turned out he was playing with a broken toe.

After playing in four games in 2021, Taylor underwent surgery to alleviate the pain in his foot. Although he was a force on special teams, he played sparingly at linebacker.

During the 2022 spring training, Brown recalled, “I could see something in him. He was different. The effort he brought to practice, the energy he brought, it was something we needed. It doesn’t matter if you’re a third-string walk-on or a scholarship guy or a starter, you need one guy to light the fire for a football team in practices and games. That’s Logan.”

Brown worked with Taylor on footwork. “Turn his toes in, push off his feet like a linebacker, and use his speed from Point A to Point B,” Brown said. “He listened to every single thing, and he turned into the linebacker he is now.”

When weak-side linebacker Isaiah Tufaga suffered a season-ending injury in 2022, Taylor stepped in and led the Warriors with 85 tackles despite starting only the second half of the season.

“It wasn’t the physical part,” Brown said of Taylor. “It was his heart and leadership and intensity. He reminded me of a throwback guy.”