Vili to remain teams' mascot
By Stephen Tsai
Advertiser Staff Writer
Vili "The Warrior" Fehoko will remain as the team mascot for the coming University of Hawai'i football and men's volleyball seasons.
Advertiser library photo
The UH athletic department had placed Fehoko on "probation" after receiving complaints of his on-field behavior toward opposing mascots during two football games last season.
Vili "The Warrior" Fehoko returns for football and volleyball events.
But Linda Fehoko said her husband has been told he will be permitted to return for the final year of a three-year agreement with the football and men's volleyball programs. "We're excited," she said. "We can't wait for the (football) season to start."
The family's company, "Big Vil Productions," is paid $400 per sporting event under terms of an agreement that expires in June 2005.
UH football coach June Jones said Na Koa, his program's booster club, pays for Fehoko's performances during football games. UH men's volleyball coach Mike Wilton said he pays Fehoko with money from his program's account with the UH Foundation.
As part of the festivities for the 1999 O'ahu Bowl, the UH football team visited the Polynesian Cultural Center, where Fehoko was a featured performer. "The first time I saw him, I knew he had the ability to entertain people," Jones said.
Jones asked Fehoko to serve as the Warriors' mascot for the 2000 football season.
"Vili is the best mascot in the country," Jones said. "We're lucky to have him."
In the early 1970s, Wilton worked as a "cuer" — the backstage worker who notifies the dancers when to enter the stage — at the Polynesian Cultural Center.
"When the Tongan section would perform, with the giant drums, I would get chills," he said. "When I saw Vili perform for football, I thought, 'Oh, my gosh, I'm getting those chills again.' I knew I had to get him to perform at our matches."
• Change of heart: Cornerback Terry Wilson of Junipero Serra High in San Mateo, Calif., has reneged on a promise to join the UH football team and instead will enroll at the University of Colorado in August.
Wilson visited UH and Colorado in January, but neither school had an available scholarship for the 2004 season. On Feb. 10, Wilson accepted the Warriors' offer to "gray shirt," meaning he would delay enrolling at UH until January 2005, at which time he would receive a football scholarship.
Wilson signed a scholarship agreement with UH. Unlike a national letter of intent, which is binding commitment for both parties, a scholarship agreement does not bind the player to the school.
When a cornerback transferred two weeks ago, Colorado offered Wilson a scholarship.
"Basically, I wanted to go to school now," Wilson said. "I didn't want to have to start late."
As of yesterday afternoon, Wilson said, he had not contacted the UH coaches.
Reach Stephen Tsai at stsai@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8051.
