Warrior Beat

The Rainbow Warriors signed five receivers this past February. But one of the top additions to the passing game might be a speedy receiver who will be entering his fourth year in the program. Allen Sampson, who missed the 2012 season while recovering from a knee injury, is admittedly “100 percent healthy” and ready to compete as either a wideout or slot receiver. UH coach Norm Chow applauded Sampson’s work ethic, describing him as football’s equivalent of a “gym rat.” […]

The newly renamed Rainbow Warriors emerged energized from their first team meeting of the offseason. The offseason conditioning program begins officially this Friday. But as quarterback Taylor Graham noted: “It’s been our responsibility to stay in shape, be prepared and hit the ground running. * * * * * One of the prizes of the recruiting class — defensive tackle Kennedy Tulimasealii — has met the requirements to play for the Warriors this season. He’s 285 pounds, but is so […]

Most of the Rainbow Warriors, excluding the incoming freshmen, begin Summer Session I classes today. (The incoming freshmen are enrolled in the bridge session that begins in mid-June and runs up to the start of training camp in late July.) Only players who need both Summer Sessions I and II to retain their eligibility are enrolled in Summer Session II, which goes into the training camp. The coaches wanted to limit the number of players who are attending classes after […]

The Rainbow Warriors will be back in the school’s dance studios for the first 15 days of training camp. Last year, the Warriors lived in a dormitory for the first half of training camp. The second half was spent at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam. A move to the dance studios, where they lived for six training camps through 2011, was necessitated because of an unexpected increase in the dorm’s rental fee this year. A smaller fee could not be re-negotiated. […]

* * * * * Kudos to: • The participants of the Hawaii Special Olympics. • The many volunteers and supporters. • The “Rainbow” Warrior football team. Forty-five players and several coaches volunteered, proving sports is a common ground. * * * * * “Ferd” Lewis wrote another excellent article on the challenges the athletic department faces in trying to upgrade and maintain facilities. The athletic director deserves empathy for the difficult task of answering much-needed requests with financial resources […]

This must be a holiday weekend. Somebody forgot to turn on the spam filter. * * * * * Several months ago, Norm Chow received permission to hire a strength/conditioning coaching for the “Rainbow” Warriors. There was one stipulation: He needed to find the money to pay for the position. It only took a few days for Chow and Na Koa executive director Kim Fujiuchi to get pledges from some generous donors to pay for the position’s salary and benefits. […]

It will be a happy (fiscal) new year for many UH employees. On July 1, employees who “voluntarily” accepted 5 percent pay cuts will have their pay rates restored. What’s more, many of the HGEA employees will receive an additional 4-percent pay bump. That should ease the money forfeited, which won’t be recouped. These still are not the best of financial times for the university. But things could have been worse if not for the “volunteers.” * * * * […]

Fifteen months after signing a letter of intent, former Dominguez High (Calif.) lineman Dejon Allen arrived in Honolulu. “It’s a good feeling,” Allen said. “I’m proud to be on the island.” Allen’s arrival was postponed a year while he tried to earn an NCAA-qualifying score on the ACT. UH coach Norm Chow reserved a scholarship for Allen. “Norm Chow told me to keep fighting, don’t give up,” Allen said. “I listened, and now I’m here. It took me a while […]