Warrior went to great lengths
By Stephen Tsai
Advertiser Staff Writer
As a football wideout, the University of Hawai'i's Michael Miyashiro is used to running deep routes.
But his longest might have been the 11-year path that led to his berth near the top of the Warriors' depth chart.
"I've waited for this opportunity for a long time," the 29-year-old Miyashiro said. "I'm not out here to fill space. I'm out here to fulfill a dream."
Ron Lee, who coaches the UH receivers, said the 5-foot-6, 147-pound Miyashiro is considered to be the top backup to right wideout Jeremiah Cockheran. Cockheran, who aggravated a sprained right ankle Sunday, returned to practice yesterday.
With two other candidates ailing — Daniel Inferrera has a sore right hip and Mike Akiu will miss six weeks because of a stress fracture in his left ankle — "Mike is going to get a lot of reps," Lee said. "He's coming along nicely. He's making mistakes, but so is everyone else. We have the rest of this week and next week to work on things. By the first game, he'll be ready."
That would complete a remarkable journey for Miyashiro, who was born in Saigon and graduated from Pearl City High in 1992.
After spending the next several years touring with a Polynesian dancing group, Miyashiro decided to try out for an arena football team on the Mainland in 1999. Miyashiro, who was cut, became friends with Eddie Klaneski, a former UH player who suggested that Miyashiro contact the Warrior coaching staff.
"I didn't have enough units to qualify" as an NCAA freshman, Miyashiro said.
Instead, he enrolled at Mount San Antonio College in Walnut, Calif., where he played two seasons for the Mission Conference champions.
Last summer, a decade after his Pearl City High graduation, he joined the Warriors as a non-scholarship player.
He said he relies on several sources to pay for tuition and school expenses. "I take out loans," he said, "and I've got a Pell Grant. My parents still help me — they're helping fuel the dream. And I've got a girlfriend who loves me. She's helping to take care of a lot of that."
Miyashiro, like the other right wideouts, is not immune to misfortune. In training camp, he has endured a pulled right hamstring and a strained groin muscle. During a punt-blocking drill, 250-pound linebacker Lincoln Manutai stepped on Miyashiro's foot.
"My toe feels messed up," Miyashiro said, "but I'm working through it. I'm stretching and getting therapy — anything to get through all of the injuries. After all I've been through, I can't let any opportunity pass. I have to be out there."
