Gouveia to assist Warrior football in fall
By Stephen Tsai
Advertiser Staff Writer
Kurt Gouveia, a Wai'anae High graduate who won a national championship with Brigham Young University and a Super Bowl with the Washington Redskins, has agreed to return to the University of Hawai'i football team as a graduate assistant this coming season.
Gouveia was a student assistant for the Warriors in 2002, but left after that season to resolve "family business" in San Diego and on the East Coast.
Gouveia is observing UH's spring football practice. He expects to complete work on a bachelor's degree this summer. Gouveia took classes at UH in 2002, and now is doing school work through an Internet program set up by the University of Maryland.
Earning a degree "will be a big accomplishment for me," Gouveia said.
Gouveia said his goal is to secure a full-time coaching job. UH has a coaching vacancy created when special teams coach Tyson Helton resigned to accept a job with the University of Memphis. Frank Gansz, who was one of the National Football League's top assistant coaches, is serving as guest coach this spring.
Jones said he does not expect Gouveia to replace Helton, although he left open the possibility of hiring Gouveia full-time in the future.
Starting over: A year ago, wide receiver Sean Stennis was suspended from spring practice after his arrest on burglary charges. The charges were dropped, and Stennis rejoined the team, although his scholarship was not reinstated.
This spring, Stennis is making a strong case to succeed right wideout Jeremiah Cockheran, who completed his eligibility in December.
"It was immaturity," Stennis said of the arrest, which was his second violation of team rules. "I was hanging out with the wrong crowd. I was 18. But there's a difference between being young and being immature. It came back at me. Karma, you know."
His uncle, Mike Stennis, was a former UH quarterback, successful businessman and a trustee in the California state university system. He died last year of cancer.
"I felt bad because I let my family down," Sean Stennis said. "That's another reason I'm training hard. I don't want to hurt the image of my uncle. He was a great man."
After yesterday's two-hour practice, Stennis spent another 20 minutes playing catch. Later, he was holding a football that he will carry to classes.
"The football is my friend," he said.
In his apartment on Kapi'olani Boulevard, Stennis and roommate Se'e Poumele, a UH slotback, will play catch in the living area. Stennis makes sure to catch the ball with his hands, the fingers formed in a circle — "in the noose," Jones tells the receivers — rather than using his body to help secure a pass.
"I had two major drops last year," Stennis said. "One of them hurt the team. It was the Tulsa game. It was third-and-8, and we still had the lead. Timmy (Chang) kind of threw it low. I went down, to catch it with my chest, and (the ball) hit the ground. I could have caught it with my hands. It changed the momentum of the game. I still think about it. I don't want that to happen again."
VIP list: Fresno State football coach Pat Hill and Dennis McKnight, a former UH special teams coach, attended yesterday's practice. Hill, who is friends with Jones, attended the Warriors' spring practice last year.
"I don't want to talk," Hill told reporters. "I'm on vacation with my family."
Reach Stephen Tsai at stsai@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8051.
