Former Maui High star gives Wyoming a lift

Associated Press

LARAMIE, Wyo. — Wyoming veteran linebacker Leo Caires has a vision. A vision of his Cowboys coming together and making amends for last season's 1-10 season. Maybe even winning a conference championship and/or going to a bowl game.

That may all be well and good, but the former Maui High standout (Class of '96) had every reason in the world not to come back for his last season of eligibility.

First and foremost, he graduated following the fall semester with a bachelor's degree in animal science.

Second, he is returning after a broken leg that forced him to miss almost the entire 2000 season.

Third, the Cowboys were 1-10 with a young team, and will still be young next fall.

And last but not least, Caires could get back to the beach and surf for good following four long winters in the High Country.

"I feel there is something there and I want to be a part of it," Caires said as he and his Cowboy teammates began four weeks of spring training over the weekend.

"If our team does things right, we can turn this thing around," he said. "If I didn't believe in the coaches and the team, I wouldn't be back. There's a vision there, and I want to help make it a reality."

Caires was one of 13 Cowboys who suffered season-ending injuries last season. His injury came in the second game of the season, a 51-3 loss at Texas A&M.

"It happened on the punt team," Caires said. "I was pretty much mad at the whole game by that time. I was so frustrated at the score that I said I'm going to go down and take this guy (the A&M punt returner) out.

"I went to tackle the guy and he cut back on me, so I tried to leg whip him. I just sold out. It was a kamikaze-type tackle, and I knew right away that it was a bad idea."

The leg whip resulted in a cracked fibula, the smaller bone on the outside of the right leg.

"It was pretty frustrating because you can't do anything with your legs," Caires added. "I rehabbed on my own for a while and spent a lot of time making it stronger. Right now I feel like I'm in the best shape of my life."

Caires is planning to continue in graduate school next fall, but still has no idea what he will do next year.

"Maybe I'll sell mangos," Caires said with a laugh. "All I know right now is I'm going to grad school. ... I'll eventually return to the Islands someday, but for right now I think I'm going to explore a bit over here on the Mainland."