The Centurions: Top 5 Revealed

Today, the Star-Bulletin reveals the top five players on the UH football Centurions list. Paul Arnett has a note to the readers of what went into the creation and execution of this humongous project.

Dave Reardon discusses each of the five players.

The final five come from different places and different eras and play different positions. They reflect the diversity of the program and Hawaii culture. And, obviously, they are the greatest players in the first century of UH football.

And here they are, with links to their sports cards:

#5 Gary Allen, running back
#4 Tommy Kaulukukui, back
#3 Al Noga, defensive lineman
#2 Jason Elam, kicker
#1 Colt Brennan, quarterback

And here are their stories:

Gary Allen was Magic with the ball.

Allen was small but handled a heavy workload and absorbed punishment from defenses primed to stop him. Tomey and his staff also took advantage of his great hands and open-field elusiveness, throwing to him often and at times deploying him as a punt returner.

IT SEEMED Allen could break a long run every time he touched the ball. Hawaii fans scooted to the edge of their seats in anticipation as he took another toss sweep and niftily cut back and burst into the secondary.

Tommy Kaulukukui was Little Big Man.

N A 1937 game at Honolulu Stadium against Denver, as Tommy remembered, UH had fourth down and forever on its 10-yard line. Tommy was to punt when he thought he spotted an opening, and decided to run instead. "But the opening closed, so I reversed field, circled back through the end zone and ran up the left sideline for a first down at about midfield. We ran out the clock from there and preserved a one- or two-point victory." (Actually one, the score was 7-6.)

All Denver players reputedly had a shot at tackling Tommy on that run. Some had two.

His gridiron exploits caught the attention of famed sportswriter Grantland Rice, who named Tommy to the Board of Football All-America team. He was the first Hawaii player ever honored with an All-America accolade.

The Sack Man Scareth Neil Everett.

Al Noga sacked quarterbacks with his stare. He was a pitbull in pads. His bark was spine-chilling, his bite was bone-crunching.

His swim technique would make Michael Phelps blush. He stunted on the field, grunted off of it. I'm scared to even write about this guy. Hopefully, he doesn't read the paper. If he does, he needs to know that it was the Star-Bulletin, not me, who didn't pick him No. 1.

Jason Elam is still Kicking up a storm.

He finished with 395 points -- 79 field goals and 158 PATs. It's still No. 1 in Hawaii all-time after all these years and No. 5 in NCAA history. That Aloha Stadium night against Pitt, Elam finished a field goal shy of breaking the mark set by the University of Miami's Carlos Huerta.

"You know, I saw him years later and he told me he thought I was going to break his record," Elam said. "I told him it wasn't meant to be."

And Colt Brennan is The Greatest Warrior.

After learning the intricacies of the run-and-shoot during a 5-7 sophomore season, Brennan directed the offense with uncanny accuracy and efficiency.

Along the way, he completed better than 70 percent of his passes and broke or tied 31 NCAA records while helping shape a new paradigm for the program.

Prior to 2007, the BCS was a goal for other people. And surely, having a Hawaii player among the elite at the Heisman Trophy ceremony in New York was fantasy at best.

Yet there they were that December. Hawaii, the last undefeated team in the land accepting a berth to the Sugar Bowl. And Brennan, a lei draped over his dark suit, sitting in the front row of the Nokia Theatre in Times Square as the Heisman was awarded to Florida's Tim Tebow.