Hawaii coach Nick Rolovich has OMG’d the public by dressing in coat and top hat at a spring game, carrying a hunting knife on the sideline, channeling Ed McMahon to deliver season tickets to fans and concocting every which way to surprise players with scholarships.
Those are the things Rolovich does, but not what makes him. He wanted to be a civil servant, like his grandfather, a cop who was a close friend to Joe DiMaggio, or like his father, a San Francisco firefighter. Or a quarterback, as he was at UH. He is guided by his compass. These are the Rolo Rules:
FULFILL YOUR POTENTIAL
After watching a San Francisco 49ers game on a square black-and-white TV in 1984, a 5-year-old Rolovich and his grandfather went to Golden Gate Park to toss around a football. “That was the first football I remember throwing to somebody,” Rolovich recalled.
His uncles were tutors, his idol was Joe Montana, his targets were backyard chairs. “I’d break them,” Rolovich said. “My parents were mad at me. I’d line (the chairs) up in the backyard, and throw at them, and try to blow the back out of them. I remember laying in bed, and just throwing the football up and hoping it came down as a perfect spiral. I like throwing the football. That’s why I played the game. That’s what gets my juice flowing.”
FIND YOUR PATH
After his record-setting senior year in 2001, Rolovich walked down the hall to thank June Jones, who was UH’s head coach at the time. “I told him: ‘Someday, I want to do what you do,’” he recalled. “I felt I could do it and I could be successful at it.”
Rolovich paraphrased Mark Twain, saying, “The two best days are when you’re born and when you realize what you’re born for.”
BE YOURSELF
While the exact date is a blur, the message was clear.
“A great day for me was when I stopped caring what people thought of me,” Rolovich said. “It was hard to do. I was very insecure growing up, talking in front of crowds, giving speeches. I remember chickening out of the talent show, just really embarrassed.”
Then there was a light-bulb moment, and Rolovich remembered thinking, “Screw it. If I make every decision which I think is best for the team or my family, there can’t be a regret.”
BE SELF-DISCIPLINED
This year, Rolovich has tightened the team rules. He requires the players to keep the locker room tidy; be on time for meetings, practices and classes; and not waste food.
“I don’t like wasting money and I don’t like wasting food,” Rolovich said. “That’s why I have to buy smaller plates. I tell the guys: ‘There are a lot of people who donate money so you guys can have the food you’re having.’ The meals are mandatory.”
Last year, Rolovich and the graduate assistants took the training-table leftovers to an area occupied by the homeless. “Those people were appreciative of the food,” he said.
BE NICE
Rolovich and his brother Jack were taught to hold doors open for others and help struggling people. “That’s what you do,” Rolovich said. “Then I got here (in 2000) and you see the whole state thriving on that mind-set. It shows that aloha may be the only hope in this world right now.”
BE LOYAL
Rolovich received an e-mail from a man who is a fan of UH football and any team playing against Brigham Young. The man also is a diehard fan who was upset when Steve Young, a BYU graduate, was set to replace Montana. He also was upset that Young recommended the 49ers draft BYU quarterback Brandon Doman instead of Rolovich in the fifth round of the 2001 draft.
“Several months ago,” the man wrote to Rolovich, “I’m at the Hawaiian Airlines lounge in Maui. No one was in the lounge except me and Young and his family. Remember, we’re Niner fans. It would have been a perfect opportunity to take a selfie with a Super Bowl MVP and Hall of Famer. But nope, he’s from BYU, and he messed up your shot to go to the Niners. I walked out. No selfies. No regrets.”
Rolovich sent the man a UH T-shirt.
THE ROLOVICH FILE
- Hometown: Novato, Calif.
- Family: Wife, Analea, and four children (Alana, Daniel, William and Patrick)
EDUCATION
- Bachelor’s: Hawaii, 2004
- Master’s: New Mexico Highlands, 2007
COACHING EXPERIENCE
- 2016-Present: Hawaii, Head Coach
- 2012-15: Nevada: Offensive Coordinator/QBs
- 2010-11: Hawaii: Offensive Coordinator
- 2008-09: Hawaii: Quarterbacks
- 2006-07: City College of San Francisco: QBs
- 2003-04: Hawaii: Student Assistant
- 2002: San Marin (Calif.) High School: Assistant Coach
PLAYING EXPERIENCE (ALL AT QUARTERBACK)
- City College of San Francisco: 1998-99
- Hawaii: 2000-01
- Rhein Fire (NFL Europe): 2002-03
- San Jose SaberCats (Arena): 2004-05
- Arizona Rattlers (AFL): 2006
- Chicago Rush (AFL): 2006
- Las Vegas Gladiators (AFL): 2007
Source: University of Hawaii
ROLOVICH’S FIRST YEAR
(7-7 overall, 4-4 in Mountain West)
CALIFORNIA
Aug. 26 • Sydney
L, 51-31
MICHIGAN
Sept. 3 • Ann Arbor, Mich.
L, 63-3
TENNESSEE MARTIN
Sept. 10 • Aloha Stadium
W, 41-36
ARIZONA
Sept. 17 • Tucson, Ariz.
L, 47-28
NEVADA
Oct. 1 • Aloha Stadium
W, 38-17
SAN JOSE STATE
Oct. 8 • San Jose, Calif.
W, 34-17
NEVADA-LAS VEGAS
Oct. 15 • Aloha Stadium
L, 41-38
AIR FORCE
Oct. 22 • Colorado Springs, Colo.
W, 34-27 (OT)
NEW MEXICO
Oct. 29 • Aloha Stadium
L, 28-21
SAN DIEGO STATE
Nov. 5 • San Diego
L, 55-0
BOISE STATE
Nov. 12 • Aloha Stadium
L, 52-16
FRESNO STATE
Nov. 19 • Fresno, Calif.
W, 14-13
MASSACHUSETTS
Nov. 26 • Aloha Stadium
W, 46-40
HAWAII BOWL
MIDDLE TENNESSEE
Dec. 24 • Aloha Stadium
W, 52-35
