New Football Coach Is A Familiar Face At Campbell

Wednesday - February 20, 2008
By Jack Danilewicz
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Campbell High School’s new head football coach Amosa Amosa always has been a quick study in football - especially when it comes to the offensive side of the ball. He hopes his players will be cut from much the same cloth. To be sure, one of Amosa’s priorities in spring practice will be to help the Sabers make the transition from the ground-oriented wing-T offense they have run the past six years to the run-and-shoot.

“I thought they did a wonderful job of running it,“said Amosa, who spent the last eight seasons at Aiea as offensive coordinator under Wendell Say. “I’m hoping it won’t cause much of a distraction. Being that we’re a community and a school growing in population, I’m hoping with that amount of people we’ll be able to find enough talented ones who can execute the offense and have fun with it. Being that June Jones ran it at UH, I’m hoping that a lot of kids watched their games and saw the excitement it brings.”

For Amosa, accepting the Campbell job is a homecoming of sorts.A standout in football and basketball at the school in the early 1980s, he also coached football during the Darren Hernandez era (1993-98) and was employed there. He and wife Akenese live in Ewa Beach and have five children, four of whom attend Pohakea Elementary. “I’m blessed to have been chosen by (athletic director) Sam Delos Reyes and (principal) Gail Awakuni and the committee. It’s a wonderful opportunity, and I want to do my best for them.”


In his eight seasons as an assistant at Aiea, Amosa and Na Ali’i experienced a lot of success, including a Division II state title in 2003, making it tough to decide about leaving.

Amosa currently teaches special education at Aiea, although he may switch to Campbell in the fall to better tend to his duties running the Sabers’ football program. “I’ve grown to love the place (Aiea). Wendell is a great man and a great head coach to coach for. I’ve learned a lot from him. I hope to bring some of those same traits with me to Campbell.”

As a player and offensive lineman during his days at the University of Hawaii, Amosa played under two coaching staffs, ultimately expanding his knowledge of the game by having to learn two systems in college.“Dick Tomey recruited me, and he ran the pro-set, a very conservative offense,“said Amosa, who was a WAC all-league selection at UH. “In my last two years, (current Georgie Tech coach) Paul Johnson and (former Hawaii coach) Bob Wagner brought in the spread-triple-option. Dan Morrison then hired me to coach with him at Iolani, where I learned the run-and-shoot. I also met (current UH assistant coach) Ron Lee about this time and, through both of them, I became really interested in the runand-shoot. I learned three different offenses in a span of about four or five years.”


While well-schooled in the game, Amosa always has taken a holistic approach to coaching, emphasizing the relationships he has with players and fellow coaches.

“The x’s and o’s are fun, but it is the life skills that come from playing the game that are important. My own coaches instilled a character in me that I’m still using in life. We want them to be productive in everything that they do.

“The greatest thing about coaching is being able to give back to youths. I truly believe in treating every player as one of my own.And I hope those who coach my own kids do the same.”

Amosa expects to finalize his coaching staff this month. Campbell went 5-5 last fall under Tumoana Kenessey, whose contract was not renewed.

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