It might seem obvious that Iolani School's Wendell Look is the Coach of the Year for The Advertiser's 2005 All-State Football Team. In his 15th season, the 1978 Iolani alumnus guided the Raiders to their first state Division II championship.

But his selection goes beyond a trophy that comes with the title.

"First and foremost, he's just a wonderful person, comes with wholesome values, a good work ethic and integrity," Iolani headmaster Val Iwashita said. "He demands much of his players, but demands much of himself and his coaching staff. He's a good all-around tactician. More than that, he represents what is good about Iolani School and the values we hold dear."

Those outside Iolani see a coach that gets the most out of his players. Look usually works with players smaller than most of Iolani's Interscholastic League of Honolulu opponents.

But the reason he got into coaching was to give back to his alma mater. To pass on the "one team" concept of the school's first football coach, Father Kenneth Bray. Look's coach at Iolani was Eddie Hamada, who played for Bray. After graduating from Boise State, Look returned to Iolani and served as an assistant to Hamada and later Glenn Young. When Young stepped down after the 1990 season, then-headmaster David Coon offered Look the job.

"It was my dream and goal to come back and coach at my alma mater," said Look, 45. "Definitely, I said, 'yes.' "

With the likes of Cal Lee and Don Botelho in the league, Look was once the junior member among his peers. With Lee coaching at the University of Hawai'i and Botelho with the ILH office, Look's 15th season makes him the dean in the ILH. Fittingly, Iolani's 34-20 win against Radford for the Division II state title was the 100th career coaching victory for Look. Only 21 others have achieved the milestone. Among them is Hamada.

A number of Look's former players have followed his footsteps and joined the coaching ranks. Some of them are his assistants today. One of his former assistants and former players is Kaiser coach Patrick Samsonas. Samsonas said he has taken things he learned under Look.

"I like his organization skills." Samsonas said. "I use a lot of that at Kaiser. Everything from offseason training to practice schedules."

While there was never a doubt about his coaching abilities, Look has gone beyond teaching Xs and Os.

Earlier in the season, the Raiders played at the Tacoma Dome against Capital (Olympia, Wash.), losing 30-27. Despite the loss, the players were praised for their behavior. Iwashita said he received letters and e-mails about the players' conduct during the trip. Even the flight back home left an impression on a parent of a student from another private school here, Iwashita said.

"He said our players acted so adult-like and were sensitive to those around them (in the plane)," Iwashita said. "When we were off-loading, all of the players waited until everyone was on the Wiki-Wiki bus. Hearing that touched my heart."

The players' acts were a reflection of the coach.

"It's our coaching staff bringing values to the forefront," Iwashita said. "That's what I consider success. Those kinds of things, in many respects, are hidden and don't make the news that are much more important."

Reach Stacy Kaneshiro at skaneshiro@honoluluadvertiser.com.