The Centurions: #6 Jesse Sapolu

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 #6, offensive lineman Jesse Sapolu.

Paul Honda has an extensive profile of Sapolu.

"He was very willing to play both ways," Tomey said. "We'd complete a series, I'd wave my hand. Stay in there and play. He was willing to do whatever it took to help."

On the sideline, Tomey chatted in the final minutes with an exhausted Sapolu. They looked across the field at the stunned Sun Devils.

"The game was winding down and I said, 'You could've been over there,'" Tomey recalled. "He said, 'I'm so glad I'm over here.'"

Just months earlier, Sapolu was set to become a Sun Devil before Tomey talked him into staying home. That gave UH an O-line that also featured future pros Kani Kauahi, Jim Mills and Bernard Carvalho, clearing the way for super back Gary Allen.

The season-ending win gave UH a 6-5 winning mark in its first campaign as a Western Athletic Conference member. It was especially sweet because ASU had dumped the WAC the year before to join the Pac-10.

"The first time I met Jesse, we were talking about him going to Arizona State," said Kauahi, who had been at ASU but transferred to UH. "Jesse was a tiger, man. He was an animal."

Hawaii went 8-3 and 9-2 in the next two seasons and earned the respect of pollsters nationwide. Jim Donovan, now UH's athletic director, was a backup on the O-line during that ride.

"Jesse was one helluva offensive lineman, maybe the best ever from Hawaii," Donovan said. "Certainly the best guard-center combination."