Warriors' Fuga has staying power
By Stephen Tsai
Advertiser Staff Writer
| • | UH football
Who: Hawai'i (2-2, 1-0 WAC) vs. Tulsa (2-2, 0-0) When: Saturday, 1:05 p.m. Hawai'i time Where: Skelly Stadium, Tulsa, Okla. TV: Live on Fox SportsWest Radio: Live on 1420-AM |
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- Four body piercings, including one on his chest and another through his left eyebrow;
- Two tattoos;
- Two shoulder surgeries;
- One leg surgery;
- And a bachelor's degree.
"It makes me feel old to think about how long I've been here," said Fuga, a defensive tackle who first enrolled in the UH system in September 1998.
Although he is listed as a senior, Fuga is "95-percent certain" he will be granted a medical hardship for previous injuries at the end of this season, extending his UH football career through 2004.
"Lui's my eighth-year senior," UH coach June Jones said, smiling.
Fuga, a 1998 Waipahu High graduate, is an asterisk on Jones' head coaching career at UH. After participating in parts of Nevada-Las Vegas' football training camp in 1998, Fuga left before officially enrolling at the school.
He then contacted Fred vonAppen, UH's head coach at the time, and asked to join the Warriors as a nonscholarship player. With vonAppen's approval, Fuga enrolled at Leeward Community College in September — three months before Jones was named as the successor to the fired vonAppen. As long as Fuga is an active Warrior, Jones cannot claim to have recruited every player on his roster.
"Yeah, I was here before Coach Jones," said Fuga, who was awarded a football scholarship in 1999. "Sometimes it's kind of depressing because I was supposed to have finished with Pisa (Tinoisamoa) and Vince (Manuwai) and Chris Brown. It feels weird to be here after all of these years."
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Despite those setbacks, he says he has grown from the experience. "I wake up every morning and I think, 'Things happen for a reason,' " Fuga said. "It's up to me to find out why. It makes me stronger personally and spiritually."
When not hitting the weights, Fuga hit the books. Last May, he became the first member of his family to earn a college degree. He is pursuing a master's in education administration.
"Earning a degree is a given," Fuga said. "You're supposed to get your degree while you're here. Football is very unpredictable. I've proven that. You need an education to help you the rest of your life."
Jones said Fuga has matured in recent years. "He's way more focused than when he first came (to UH)," Jones said. "He's grown in every area. He used to not really pay attention to the details. Now he pays attention."
After playing one game during the previous two seasons, the 6-foot-1, 285-pound Fuga is set to replace injured defensive tackle Isaac Sopoaga in Saturday's game at Tulsa.
During yesterday's practice, Fuga wore Sopoaga's No. 97 jersey.
"I miss Isaac out there," Fuga said. "We need him. He's a leader. I feel it's a shame he's not with us. He makes a big difference with our team. Isaac can do a lot of great things. I'm wearing his jersey to let us know he's still with us."
Indeed, Fuga knows about leaving a lasting impression.
Road Warriors: The Warriors were scheduled to arrive by commercial flight in Houston this morning. They will practice at an undisclosed location this afternoon and tomorrow morning in Houston before departing by charter tomorrow afternoon. They are scheduled to arrive in Tulsa at 5:30 p.m.
The Warriors' return flight to Houston is scheduled to depart at 11:30 p.m. Saturday. They will spend the night there and arrive in Honolulu Sunday afternoon.
In the past, the Warriors stopped briefly in Houston before traveling to Tulsa. But in deciding to practice in Houston, Jones said, "It took too long to get to Tulsa."
Reach Stephen Tsai at stsai@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8051.
