Inoke Funaki

February 24, 2010—After spending a few minutes talking with Inoke Funaki, it was clear that the former University of Hawaii quarterback, running back, and special teams player has a genuine appreciation for life and the blessings which it contains. Football has been, and most likely will continue to be, a big part of who he is, but he is in no way defined by that role alone. He has big plans for his immediate future and hopes to be a blessing to the lives of others as the years go by. Above: Funaki (11) uses his quickness to avoid two San Jose State Spartan defenders. This photo and cover photo: University of Hawaii Sports Information.

LatterDaySports: What have you been up to lately?

Inoke Funaki: I’m planning to get married in March, next month, to Lilika Fonua.

LatterDaySports: How did you meet her?

Funaki: Here at UH (University of Hawaii). We went to the same ward in Hauula, but it wasn’t until I came back from my mission that we started going to school together at UH and institute classes. That’s where it all went down.

LatterDaySports: Congratulations.

Funaki: Thank you.

LatterDaySports: Anything else going on?

Funaki: I just started working as a graduate assistant (GA) on the football team at the University of Hawaii. I started this semester, so I’m a couple of weeks into it, trying to get a feel for things.

LatterDaySports: What is your assignment?

Funaki: Basically, all of the work the coaches don’t want to do. (laughter) That entails breaking down film, doing a lot of the playbooks, cutups, and the play cards for the scout team. I basically help them do a lot of the smaller things, so that (the full-time coaches) can focus more on the coaching aspect of it. I’m paying my dues.

LatterDaySports: How many GA’s are there?

Funaki: There’s two of us. There’s one on offense and there’s a defensive GA as well.

LatterDaySports: So that means you’re working towards a masters’s degree?

Funaki: Yes.

Funaki with fiancée Lilika Fonua. Photos courtesy of Inoke Funaki.

LatterDaySports: What are you studying?

Funaki: I just started this semester in public administration. In my last year of eligibility I was taking some grad courses towards Psychology, but I just changed.

LatterDaySports: What was your bachelor’s degree in?

Funaki: It was in Psychology, like my dad.

LatterDaySports: So what do you think you’ll be doing with that degree once you’re done?

Funaki: We’ll see if the coaching thing works out but if not, I’d like to help those public, nonprofit organizations that help the youth of Hawaii, like volunteering with the Liahona Youth Empowerment program. They help with special needs and at risk kids and also general education kids—helping them develop their talents.

I enjoy interacting with (the kids) and sharing knowledge that I’ve gained, as well as things that have helped me get where I am, and also things that I maybe didn’t do. Things that the younger generation could do to get further than where I am and excel and be successful. It’s something that I’d like to get into down the road.

LatterDaySports: The next few questions relate to your University of Hawaii playing career. What was a humorous experience that you had while playing at UH?

Funaki: I’ve been good buddies with Greg Salas (current Hawaii receiver) ever since he’s come in and we always played jokes on each other on the sidelines as we watched Colt (Brennan), Davone (Bess), Nate (Ilaoa), Samson (Satele), all those guys. Greg and I would be on the sidelines talking story and just having a good time causing trouble to one another.

We would always try to set each other up by yelling each others names (as if) the coaches wanted us or something. We’d get up and get nervous thinking, “Coach is calling me to go in for something.” Then we’d all start laughing. We had done it so many times.

At Reno, Nevada (in a game against the University of Nevada), Jason Rivers (a former UH receiver) went down. He went up for a catch and came down and hit his head against the turf. He was unconscious for a little bit so they had to bring him out for a couple of plays.

They (the coaches) wanted Greg. They were calling for Greg who was Jason Rivers’ back-up. We were all like, “Greg! Greg! Greg! You gotta go in! You gotta go in!” He just started laughing saying “Whatever, I’m not falling for that.” And we were like, “No seriously! You gotta go! They’re calling for you!” and he was still like, “Whatever.”

The coaches ended up burning a timeout because they couldn’t get a hold of Greg. He thought we were joking around. He ended up running around scrambling for his helmet. He finally went in for a couple of plays until they got Jason back in there.

That game ended up going down to the wire. During our last drive we were out of timeouts and I was laughing and joking saying, “Aw Greg, if we lose this game it’s going to be all your fault.” I was laughing my head off, but he was so upset at me telling me, “Stop laughing! This is serious man! We’re going to lose this game because of me!”

We ended up winning the game as we kicked a field goal in the final seconds, but it’s something that we laugh about all the time. It was the classic story of The Boy Who Cried Wolf.

LatterDaySports: That is so funny because it was such an intense game, yet you guys were really loose on the sideline.

Funaki: I was cracking up. After we ended up making the field goal Greg was like, “Okay! now we can laugh!”

LatterDaySports: What was your most memorable “chicken skin” moment?

Funaki: It would probably have to be my first (college) touchdown pass. It was my sophomore year. It was to Greg Salas. His first touchdown catch came from me and my first touchdown pass was to him. We had some good moments. I was super excited because I hadn’t played in a while. After high school I worked and left for my mission. I came back and red shirted my freshman year, so it was a while since I played or threw a ball so when I finally got my first college touchdown pass, I was stoked. It was at home in front of the local Hawaii crowd. It was a lot of fun.

LatterDaySports: What game will you remember most and why?

Funaki: Actually there were two that will always stick out in my mind. One is the 2008 Fresno State game and the other one is Boise State in 2008—Boise because it was the roughest game. When I thought it just couldn’t get any worse, it just kept going down. It was just one of those nights that I will never forget because it was very frustrating. It was unbelievable.

The other one that I will remember is the Fresno game because when we went into that game it was in California at Fresno and we were the underdog. They were ranked No. 22 and we were underdogs by twenty something points. Since the 90’s UH and Fresno had some good rivalry games. (Fresno) is a really hostile place when UH goes and plays there—the most hostile that (I’ve experienced) being at UH. They don’t really like UH for some reason. As soon as we get in, they boo us. As we are coming down the ramp, the whole stadium is booing. Also, we were struggling and lost a couple of games before that. Nobody thought we were going to win, but we pulled it off, so that was a good one.

LatterDaySports: What were some of the challenges you faced being LDS on the UH football team?

Funaki: The same challenges LDS people face anywhere—being true to the standards of the church and the principles that you learn. It’s even more so in a football environment. There’s always influences from guys who are friends who want you to go after a game and celebrate with them or do things that are not in accordance with church standards and gospel teachings. But I think you get that wherever you are whether you’re on a football team or not.

LatterDaySports: Were there any opportunities to be a positive influence or share the gospel with others?

Funaki: Yeah, definitely. There have been a number of guys on the team who have done great missionary work, whether their friends got baptized or not. We’d always try to get friends and teammates to come with us to family home evenings. Tuika Tufaga (former Hawaii defensive tackle) did a good job this year and last year always inviting the boys to family home evening. They’d come and sometimes keep coming. Some would maybe kind of hide afterward, but he never stopped inviting them.

I have two close friends and I was able to share the gospel with them. One of them being Jason Rivers and the other Richard Torres (current Hawaii Defensive Back). We were just talking about things, you know, about life and they had questions. Next thing you know I’m talking about the gospel and what I believe. Next thing you know they’re meeting with the missionaries and they’re getting baptized.

There were a lot of opportunities. We learned even if you’re not the most vocal person, you speak through the way you live your life and by sticking to the standards of the church. You’re noticed and you stick out. I noticed that big time especially coming from Laie. I grew in Laie where the majority are members of the church so if you’re not living the word of wisdom or if you’re not living according to the standards of the church you stick out. When I came to UH in town, I went from being the norm of how you should be living your life to all of a sudden sticking out. Everyone was like, “You don’t drink? You don’t smoke? You don’t like to party?” They would invite me and want me to come and I’d politely decline. They would always not understand. Of course from there, questions would arise and opportunities were there for missionary moments to share about the gospel. It’s been good.

LatterDaySports: Awesome. Do you have a favorite church hymn?

Funaki: I have a number of them. I think one that sticks out in my mind is I Stand All Amazed. I can’t really say I have one favorite, but it is one that I enjoy singing. It really brings the spirit when I hear it. So that, for me, is one of them. When I was on my mission, every time I’d hear that song—and we’d sing it with investigators more times than any other song—it really helped bring the spirit. Not only the melody, but the words are very powerful (as well). I remember several times, me and my companion would sing it with a couple of investigators on different occasions and they’d start crying because of the message that it (contained). I Stand All Amazed.

LatterDaySports: Do you have a hidden talent?

Funaki: Ummm … there are things I really enjoy doing. I wouldn’t say it’s really that good of a talent. I’m okay … I like to play the piano. I’m not the best. I took piano lessons when I was a kid. All my sisters play the piano. I was one of those kids that didn’t want to take (piano lessons) and I was always trying to get out of it, and now, I look back and wish I had put more effort into it you know? So now in between classes, I’ll go to the institute building across from campus and try to practice. I’m okay and I can play a few songs here and there, but I’m still working on it. It’s something that I really enjoy and like to do on my free time.

LatterDaySports: So can you play Easy by the Commodores?

Funaki: Yes, I can.

(Laughter)

Funaki: That’s one of the few songs that I know. I learned that one as a kid. You asked about the right song.

LatterDaySports: I met a lot of Polynesians while serving my mission in New Zealand and they could all play that song.

Funaki: Yeah, that’s a classic one right there.

LatterDaySports: Thanks for talking with us.

Funaki: No problem. Thank you.

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, February 24th, 2010 at 1:47 pm. It is filed under Football and tagged with Greg Salas, Hawaii Warriors, Liahona Youth Empowerment, University of Hawaii. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.