Fuga heads the Class of 2004

To help you identify members of the senior class pictured here, here is a key: 1 (Justin Ayat), 2 (Ikaika Blackburn), 3 (Watson Ho'ohuli), 4 (Matt Faga), 5 (Chad Kapanui), 6 (West Keli'ikipi), 7 (Chad Kahale), 8 (Uriah Moenoa), 9 (Jonathan Ekno), 10 (Lincoln Manutai), 11 (Michael Brewster), 12 (Darrell Tautofi), 13 (Lui Fuga), 14 (Gerald Welch), 15 (Kilinahe Noa), 16 (Paul Lutu-Carroll), 17 (Abraham Elimimian), 18 (Matt Manuma), 19 (Daniel Murray) and 20 (Britton Komine). Richard Ambo • The Honolulu Advertiser

By Stephen Tsai
Advertiser Staff Writer

In a ceremony following Saturday's regular-season finale at Aloha Stadium, Hawai'i football fans will have a chance to bid aloha to defensive tackle Lui Fuga and 24 other seniors.

"He's been a special guy," Warriors coach June Jones says of senior defensive tackle Lui Fuga. Richard Ambo • The Honolulu Advertiser

Before earning a bachelor's degree and entering the master's program, and before taking a knee to propose to the mother of his child, and before working four nights a week as a youth counselor and then awakening early for football practice, Fuga was admittedly a different person.

Those were the days when "party" was a verb, and Fuga would close down clubs before "last call."

"My first two years (at UH), I got a little bit crazy," he said. "I had too much fun. I took care of school and business, but at the same time, when I partied, I partied. I had so much fun, but there's a thing about too much of a good thing."

UH coach June Jones implemented what has been referred to as the "Lui Rule."

"He used to go to clubs and get into fights," senior cornerback Abraham Elimimian said. "Because of him, Coach Jones told us not to go to certain clubs. We have to thank Lui for that."

Jones asked friends and players to help Fuga. "He talked to the owner of a bar, too," Fuga said. "I was getting out of control, and Coach Jones had to save my butt."

Jones recalled that Fuga "was one of the guys who closed down a couple of bars early in his career. I had to sit him down and straighten him out. He has just completely changed his whole life."

"I did everything and beyond," Fuga recalled, "and a freak accident happened in camp."

He suffered torn ligaments in his right shoulder. After being able to bench press more than 450 pounds, Fuga could barely lift a comb.

"That's when I realized football might not be there forever," he said. "I focused on school and getting ahead."

Despite the shoulder injury, he played 11 games, starting eight, in 2000. After the season, he underwent surgery on his right shoulder. A similar injury to his left shoulder also required surgery, and he did not play in 2001. The NCAA granted him a medical redshirt for that year.

In the 2002 season-opener against Eastern Illinois, he suffered a knee injury when he was chop-blocked. He did not play again that season, but ultimately was awarded a rare second medical hardship.

Fuga used his spare time to hit the books, taking as many as 21 semester credits.

"I took things seriously," he said. "I had a plan."

In May 2003, he had a bachelor's degree.

He was the first member of his family to attend college.

"I wanted to set an example and prove some people wrong, especially myself," he said.

He is on track to earn a master's in higher education in May.

"Lui is a really good guy," Elimimian said. "He turned his life around."

Jones said: "It's been great to see Lui's whole life change, not just on the field but off the field. He's been a special guy."

Fuga and linebacker Chris Brown were Jones' first recruits. Shortly after accepting the UH coaching job in December 1998, Jones hired George Lumpkin and Rich Miano as assistant coaches. While Jones was in San Diego completing work with the Chargers, Lumpkin and Miano began to assemble a recruiting list.

Lumpkin and Miano came across Fuga, a 1998 Waipahu High graduate who was supposed to play for Nevada-Las Vegas. But there were complications with his scholarship arrangement, and Fuga did not practice with the Rebels or enroll at UNLV. He returned to Hawai'i that fall.

"We knew Lui was going to be good," Miano said. "We looked at each other and said, 'Let's take him.' "

Six seasons, three surgeries and one college degree later, Fuga is prepared for the next phase of his life.

"It's been a bumpy road," he said, "but I've learned from all of the things that have happened to me."