The Centurions: #22 Dana McLemore

The Star-Bulletin's countdown of UH football's "Centurions", the 100 greatest players in the University of Hawaii's 100 years of football, continues with #22, cornerback/returner Dana McLemore.

Dave Reardon profiles McLemore.

"DANGEROUS" DANA McLemore wasn't very imposing. He was smaller than average for a college football player at 5-feet-11 and 185 pounds. He wasn't blazing fast. But he was smooth and quick, smart and tough -- and a hard worker.

It didn't take long for him to begin dominating games in two ways -- by shutting down the opponent's best receiver, and changing the momentum and the scoreboard via the roller-coaster ride called the punt return.

Double-duty was standard fare for him. "I'd always done that since Pop Warner, when I was 9 years old."

A dependable punt returner was crucial to the defense-based teams of the Tomey era. McLemore hung onto the job for three years because he hung onto everything that came his way.

"We were looking at two or three other guys," says Bob Wagner, who coached the secondary and the punt return team in those days. "We charted them, and even though Dana had an awkward catching motion, he caught everything."