VIDEO: Fab 50: Colt Brennan

He did everything but eat.

That has been the familiar formula for Colt Brennan: Feed the fans' fever, starve Colt.

"He's always thinking of other people, and sometimes he doesn't have enough time for himself," said Chandra Kinilau, who was assigned to coordinate Brennan's off-field activities in 2007.

It was in January 2007 when the man became The Man.

In an emotional news conference broadcast live across the state, Brennan announced he would relinquish an opportunity to apply for the 2007 National Football League draft and return to UH for his senior season.

That roar of approval never ebbed the rest of that Disneyesque year.

From that chicken-skin moment, Brennan became the image of state pride. Hawai'i became a state 50 years ago today, but on that January afternoon, it was placed on the map.

"The second I made that decision," Brennan said, "my time became Hawai'i's time. Everything I did, I did for Hawai'i."

Brennan became the central character in the storybook year in which he finished third in the Heisman Trophy voting, and the Warriors won all 12 of their regular season games to earn their first unshared Western Athletic Conference football title and a berth in a BCS bowl.

At his graduation ceremony in December 2007, he received an enthusiastic introduction from UH president David McClain and a rousing ovation from the capacity crowd in the Stan Sheriff Center.

Natural Vibrations played at his graduation party.

Two couples named their newborn sons "Brennan."

"He generated so much attention for the school," said Derek Inouchi, UH's sports media relations director.

The price was Brennan's privacy.

His car was burglarized several times, with thieves taking anything that identified him.

His autograph became the holiday season's most popular gift — the large C descending into a scribble signature.

He signed dozens of autographs after each practice, and several more outside of his classes, where some fans camped.

Kinilau said Brennan received autograph requests from all points of the Mainland.

Brennan signed posters, cards, paper scraps, replica helmets, money and body parts.

One day, Kinilau noticed there were 150 items in her office for Brennan to sign.

"He signed them all," Kinilau said. "I would feel sorry for him. Sometimes he would sign items in the car on the way to an autograph session."

Several times, Brennan signed post-practice autographs for about an hour. By the time he made it to the training table, the eggs, meats and fruits were gone, leaving him with dry cereal.

Athletic department officials tried to quell the demands. The head of UH security was assigned to drive Brennan from the grass practice field to the locker room. When Brennan entered the SUV, there was a bagful of mini helmets and posters to sign.

UH staged a one-hour autograph session at the grass practice field. Each fan was limited to one Brennan autograph. He was told not to chat with fans or pose for pictures. The line snaked around the football and soccer fields, leading to the training room entrance, a distance of about 400 yards.

"He knew this is what came with the fame," Kinilau said. "He loved doing it. It just took a lot of his time."

Brennan said: "It was crazy how much demand there was. At the same time, it's what I asked for."

IT ALL STARTED IN 2006

The crazy thing was the craziness came a season late.

To an athlete, seasons are like offspring, and Brennan's middle child — 2006, the second of his three UH years — was his best, and largely ignored until the end.

It was, in fact, the best statistical year by a quarterback in NCAA history. He set the single-season record for touchdown passes (58) and points responsible for (384).

The NCAA has a formula for measuring a quarterback's success. The pass-efficiency rating factors accuracy and productivity. Brennan's score of 185.96 in 2006 was the highest in the history of the NCAA.

Dan Morrison, UH's quarterback coach at the time, noted that Brennan's accuracy was phenomenal in the context of Warriors' pass-prolific offense. Brennan was successful even though every defense knew he would throw. It was the equivalent of a 3-point shooter in basketball leading the country in field-goal accuracy.

Brennan was particularly sharp in throwing bubble-screen passes. The route requires a receiver to run into the flats. It challenges touch and depth; the quarterback needs to arc it over the out-stretched arms of a pass-rusher to a target moving in the opposite direction. That year, Brennan completed 21 of 21 bubble-screen passes. In three seasons at UH, he threw only two incompletions on bubble screens.

Heisman campaigns build a year in advance. Brennan's record-setting year in 2006 coupled with the Warriors' strong finish — they won 10 of their final 11 games in 2006 — set up the what-if question.

Would he stay or would he go?

THE GIVING CONTINUES

Brennan received a strong draft rating from a panel of NFL analysts.

He consulted with friends, family and coaches.

Then he looked at his ticker.

"I was having a lot of fun," Brennan said.

He then decided to return to UH.

"I always felt the NFL would always be there," Brennan said. "I wanted to come back so I could do something great with my teammates, do something awesome. I wanted to do it for my teammates, and my school, and the state. If you do it for someone else, it's always more rewarding."

Under the microscope, Brennan did not shrink.

In training camp, he grew out dreadlocks to match the hairstyle of receivers Davone Bess, Ryan Grice-Mullins, Jason Rivers and C.J. Hawthorne.

Later, he buzzed his hair, bleached it, then dyed in the Hawaiian-island chain.

The Monday after each game, he gave a box of pizza to each offensive lineman and running back.

Near the end of the WAC season, he lobbied for his receivers. In a one-time-only arrangement, the WAC created an award for best unit; it went to Brennan and his receivers.

Brennan also was the first to speak out on the poor conditions of the athletic department, famously pointing out the lack of soap in the locker-room showers.

"I didn't do it to blame anyone," Brennan said. "I wanted to say that Hawai'i has done so much with so little, imagine what it could do if it had the same resources as other schools."

June Jones, the head coach at the time, said: "Colt did a lot for the school. He has good intentions."

Since then, the school addressed Brennan's list of concerns.

Brennan, now with the Washington Redskins, continues to give back.

He has donated thousands of dollars to the athletic department.

Two months ago, he helped donate uniforms to the Koolauloa Red Raiders, a Pop Warner program with four teams. He made the monetary donation in conjunction with the NFL.

Brennan, a frequent visitor to O'ahu's North Shore, said: "This is something I'm really proud of. It's a good program, and the kids really appreciate the support. It's always good to try to help others. The people of Hawai'i are so open and understanding. I'm happy to give back in any way I can."

Visit Tsai's blog at http://warriorbeat.honadvblogs.com.