Thomas Kaauwai Kaulukukui (January 22, 1913 – March 9, 2007) was an
American football
American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...
player and coach.
He served as the
head coach
A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches. In some sports, the head coach is instead called the "manager", as in assoc ...
at the
University of Hawaii
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, th ...
in 1941, as co-head coach with
Eugene Gill, and from 1946 to 1950.
From 1956–1959 he served as head coach of
ʻIolani preparatory school in
Honolulu
Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the island ...
.
Kaulukukui was a standout college athlete who earned 17 letters in five sports and was the University of Hawaii's first
All-American football player. He was nicknamed "Grass Shack" by legendary sportswriter
Grantland Rice
Henry Grantland "Granny" Rice (November 1, 1880July 13, 1954) was an early 20th-century American sportswriter known for his elegant prose. His writing was published in newspapers around the country and broadcast on the radio.
Early years
Rice wa ...
.
His number, #32, is only one of two numbers to have ever been retired by the
Hawaii football program.
Head coaching record
Football
References
External links
Hawaii Sports Hall of Fame profile*
1913 births
2007 deaths
American football halfbacks
Hawaii Rainbow Warriors and Rainbow Wahine athletic directors
Hawaii Rainbow Warriors baseball coaches
Hawaii Rainbow Warriors football coaches
Hawaii Rainbow Warriors football players
People from Hilo, Hawaii
Sportspeople from Honolulu
Coaches of American football from Hawaii
Players of American football from Honolulu
Native Hawaiian sportspeople
Baseball coaches from Hawaii
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