HAVE A BLAST WITH OUR PAST
Father and son took part in USC's glory years

By Wes Nakama
Advertiser Staff Writer

Q: This player (pictured above) and his father were high school football standouts in Hawai'i and went on to play football for USC. Both father and son were on Trojan teams that were nationally ranked in the top five. Who are they? A: John "Squeeze" Kamana III played for USC from 1980-'83, starting for three years as a 'V-back' and fullback. His dad was a center for the Trojans in 1953-'54 and played in the 1955 Rose Bowl against Ohio State.

We'll ask a question Wednesday and present the answer in an in-depth profile on Thursday.

Like many O'ahu residents, John "Squeeze" Kamana Jr. of Kaimuki will be making the journey to Los Angeles this weekend to watch in person as the University of Hawai'i football team takes on No. 4 Southern California.

But unlike most others in the group, Kamana won't be cheering for his hometown Warriors on Saturday.

"When I tell people I'm going, they ask me, 'What — green and white?' " said Kamana, 69. "I tell them, 'No, cardinal and gold.' "

You can't blame Kamana, since he wore those colors as a center for the Trojans in 1953 and 1954 and then watched his son John III star for USC from 1980-83. Both Kamanas played there during some of the most glorious times in the school's rich gridiron history.

"When we played UCLA my senior year, we were ranked No. 5 and they were No. 2," said Squeeze. "There were 100,000 people at the Coliseum that day."

About six weeks later, Kamana and the Trojans played No. 1 Ohio State in the 1955 Rose Bowl.

As for John III, you can get an idea of how powerful USC was during his years there by glancing at a list of former teammates: Ronnie Lott, Keith Van Horne, Roy Foster, Marcus Allen, Chip Banks, Don Mosebar, Bruce Matthews, George Achica.

In 1981, when Allen won the Heisman Trophy after rushing for a then-record 2,342 yards, Kamana was a sophomore starting at "V-back" — a combination flanker/tight end.

In September of that season, the Trojans were ranked No. 1 and played No. 2 Oklahoma in front of a sold-out Coliseum crowd and national television audience on ABC, with Keith Jackson and Frank Broyles on the mike.

Oklahoma jumped out to a 21-7 lead, but Kamana caught a 2-yard touchdown pass from quarterback John Mazur just before halftime to close it to 21-14, and USC went on to win, 28-24.

"Before the huddle, I looked to our sideline and knew they were going to throw to me," said Kamana, 42. "(The Sooners) were packing the middle and gearing up for Marcus."

Both Kamanas say they still get chicken skin when remembering that game and others. But their football glory days actually began before they became Trojans.

Squeeze played his high school football at Roosevelt and then spent two years at Compton Junior College, a few miles away from the USC campus. Kamana had 11 teammates from Hawai'i at Compton, including Iolani graduates Merv Lopes, Charlie Ka'aihue, Joe Kahahawai and David Yamashiro.

Another Iolani and Compton alum, Sol Naumu, had earlier gone on to play for USC as had his brother Johnny (McKinley), Charley Ane (Punahou) and Harold Han (Iolani).

Kamana followed in their footsteps, but when he arrived at fall camp, he found out he would be competing with 29 other centers.

"I made it up to fifth string," Kamana said. "But I was the only guy who could long-snap, so I became the long-snapper."

After his playing days, Kamana returned to Hawai'i and joined the Honolulu Police Department and later Navy Intelligence, then worked in the city clerk's office until his retirement.

John "Squeeze" Kamana Jr., left, played at Roosevelt High School and Compton (Calif.) Junior College. John Kamana III was a multi-sport star at Punahou. Deborah Booker • The Honolulu Advertiser

"My college teammate, Marv Goux, was an assistant at USC and came to Punahou (in 1976) to recruit Mark Tuinei," Squeeze said. "He came to the Christmas basketball tournament, and after the game, he asked the coach, 'Who is No. 25?' The coach said, 'That's John Kamana. But he's only a freshman.' "

John III became one of the best all-around high school athletes of his generation, starting at Punahou for four years in varsity basketball and track, and three years in football. At 6 foot 2, 205 pounds, he had a combination of size, speed and athleticism that major colleges coveted.

But of course, one school had a big head start over the others.

"I remember watching the USC-Notre Dame game in 1974, when (the Trojans') Anthony Davis scored four touchdowns and they came from behind to win," Kamana said. "Then I saw that horse running around the track. I said, 'That's my team.' "

Kamana played special teams as a USC freshman, then started at V-back as a sophomore and fullback his junior and senior years. He hooked on with the Los Angeles Rams in 1984 and saw action in four games as a V-back/special teams player.

"But my proudest moment was when I got my degree," said Kamana, who now works in sales/service for Midland Research Laboratories, a water treatment company in 'Aiea. "To me, that was better than anything in football."

Kamana said he follows Hawai'i's resurgent program, and like Squeeze, his eyes lit up when he first saw Saturday's game on the 2003 schedule.

"I usually root for UH, but this time I gotta cheer for USC," Kamana said, as his father nodded. "Once a Trojan, always a Trojan."

Reach Wes Nakama at wnakama@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-2456