San Jose State’s Polynesian coaches push to grow their impact on college football

Ken Niumatalolo understands that he faces different pressures than most head coaches.

There is, of course, the pressure to win; Niumatalolo is not unique in that aspect. But for Niumatalolo, the first Samoan head coach in college football history and one of the few Polynesian head coaches in college football history, there is an additional layer to the wins and losses.

“If I’m successful, I can help open doors for other Polynesian coaches. That was always my mindset,” Niumatalolo said. “I have to find a way to be successful so that others will have opportunities, whether it’s a head coach, an assistant coach or other positions in college football.’”

Nimuatalolo, who will coach his first game at San Jose State on Thursday night against Sacramento State, is one of just three active Polynesian head coaches at the FBS level along with BYU’s Kalani Sitake, the first Tongan head coach, and Hawaii’s Timmy Chang. He’s the winningest Polynesian head coach in FBS history, and his 109 victories at Navy are a program record.

His coaching staff features five fellow Polynesians: offensive coordinator Craig Stutzmann; senior offensive analyst Billy Ray Stutzmann; defensive line coach Al Lapuaho; inside linebackers coach/run game coordinator Bojay Filimoeatu; offensive line coach John Estes. Additionally, Nu’u Tafisi is the head strength coach.

The Spartans are likely one of the few coaching staffs in college football history with at least six Polynesian coaches, one being the head coach. Despite their contributions as players, Polynesians have historically been relegated to helmets and shoulder pads. At San Jose State, Niumatalolo and his staff are showing how Polynesians are establishing their presence with clipboards and whistles.

“It’s kind of wild how we’ve multiplied,” Lapuaho said. “When I played (at Utah State), I was fortunate to have a Polynesian defensive line coach who was from the same city that I’m from. … I have kids who I’ve coached that are wanting to get into coaching now, which is kind of crazy.”

While Polynesians account for less than one percent of the United States population, they’ve had an extensive and comprehensive history in collegiate and professional football.

Offensive lineman Al Lolotai became the first Polynesian NFL player in 1945. Troy Polamalu and Junior Seau are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. According to the Polynesian Football Hall of Fame, a record 5.1 percent of all players selected in the 2024 NFL Draft were of Polynesian ancestry. Yet, the history of Polynesian head coaches is sparse.

Larry Price became the first collegiate head coach of Polynesian descent in 1974, coaching at the University of Hawaii for three seasons. Norm Chow (2012-2015) served as the head coach at Hawaii as well for several years. Chris Naeole (Hawaii, 2015) Brian Cabral (Colorado, 2010) and Frank Maile (Utah State, 2018 and 2020) were interim coaches. There has never been a Polynesian head coach in the NFL.

“When you talk about head coaches or coordinators, there’s not many of us out there,” said Craig Stutzmann.

Why have there only been a small handful of Polynesian head coaches despite the prevalence of Polynesian players? To Lisa Uperesa, the author of “Gridiron Capital: How American Football Became a Samoan Game” and a senior lecturer in Pacific Studies at the University of Auckland, there are several factors beyond pure demographics.

One is perception. There’s no shortage of Polynesians who play skill positions — the Dolphins’ Tua Tagovailoa led the NFL in passing yards last year — but many Polynesians have historically played as linemen, a position associated with brute force. Of San Jose State’s 21 Polynesian players, 15 are linemen. For Niumatalolo, who played quarterback at Hawaii, part of his desire to call the shots was to “show that Samoans could do more than hit, that we actually had a brain.”

Added Uperesa: “Right now, the default is not really in the intellectual, the game strategist, but really, someone who can perform on the field to carry out what somebody else plans.”

There is also the matter of the power structure. To Uperesa, if few Polynesians have administrative positions, that will be reflected in who gets selected as a head coach, which cascades to assistant coaches and graduate assistants. Even if Polynesians can break in as a graduate assistant, they may be typecast as a recruiter with few avenues for development.

As Keali’i Troy Kukahiko writes in his work, “Racial Diversity Deficit in College Football: Fixing the Pipeline”:

The organizational outcome of physical diversity without psychological, social, cultural and financial validation is tokenism.

Said Niumatalolo: “Maybe you do get a job because you’re Polynesian and they want a Polynesian coach to recruit more Polynesian kids. You use that as your way to get in the door, but then you bust the door down. Show them, ‘Hey, yes, I can recruit Polynesian kids, but I can recruit anybody. … And I can also strategize with the best of them. I can do X’s and O’s, too. I’m not just a recruiter.’”

Still, Niumatalolo and his staff are optimistic that more Polynesians will be head coaches in the not-so-distant future. Niumatalolo recalls attending coaching conventions early in his career and only seeing a handful of fellow Polynesian coaches. In recent years, by contrast, there have been enough Polynesians present to fill an entire ballroom.

Washington State’s Mark Atuaia and Miami’s Joe Salave’a are currently associate head coaches, while Nevada’s Vai Taua is an assistant head coach. In the NFL, Anthony Weaver was recently hired as the Miami Dolphins’ defensive coordinator. Maile, currently Washington State’s edge-rushing coach, was an assistant head coach at Boise State. Last year, the NFL Foundation gave the Polynesian Football Hall of Fame a $75,000 grant for “player and coach development, general operations, coaching clinics and officiating expansion.”

And as for a Polynesian head coach in the NFL? The Spartans’ coaches believe that day is coming.

“It’s going to be hard just because there’s only 32 spots in the world,” Niumatalolo said. “It’s a hard deal, but when it happens, it will be a super exciting day.”