HONOLULU – The Polynesian Football Hall of Fame announced its inaugural class of six players and one coach/contributor, four of whom have ties to Hawaii high school athletics.
Kurt Gouveia (Wai'anae ’82), Olin Kreutz (Saint Louis ’95), and Herman Wedemeyer (Saint Louis ’43) were inducted into the Hall of Fame for their contributions to the sport as players, while Ken Niumatalolo (Radford ’83) was inducted in the coach/contributor category.
Gouveia was an All-State quarterback and safety for Wai'anae, where he graduated in 1982. He was also an OIA West basketball all-star and baseball standout for the Seariders. Gouveia attended Brigham Young University and played on its 1984 National Championship team. He later went on to play 13 seasons in the NFL, winning two Super Bowl Championships with the Washington Redskins (1986-94, 1999). Gouveia also had stints with the Philadelphia Eagles (1995), and the San Diego Chargers (1996-98).
Kreutz was an All-State center for Saint Louis School, where he played on three O'ahu Prep Bowl championship teams. Kreutz played for the University of Washington, where he earned All-Pac-10 First Team honors and was awarded the Morris Trophy, which recognizes the best offensive and defensive lineman in the conference.
Polynesian Football Hall of Fame directors Ma`a Tanuvasa (left) and Jesse Sapolu (right) pose with selection committee member Coach Dick Tomey (center) at today’s press conference announcing the inaugural class of the Polynesian Football Hall of Fame.
He played 14 seasons in the NFL for the Chicago Bears (1998-2010) and the New Orleans Saints (2011). He played in six Pro Bowls, was named All-Pro four times (2001, 2004-06) and landed on the NFL All-Decade Team for the 2000s.
Wedemeyer was a standout in football and baseball for Saint Louis, where he graduated in 1943. Wedemeyer played halfback for Saint Mary’s College and in 1945 finished fourth in Heisman Trophy voting. Notably, in 1979 he was the first person of Polynesian ancestry to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. He went on to play two years of professional football in the All-American Football Conference for the Los Angeles Dons and the Baltimore Colts. Two decades later, he starred in the 1970s TV series Hawaii Five-O as Sergeant/Detective “Duke” Lakela, appearing in 143 episodes.
Current United States Naval Academy head coach Ken Niumatalolo is the second Polynesian head coach in Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) history and the first Samoan collegiate head coach on any level. Niumatalolo’s 40 wins are the most in Navy history by a coach in his first five seasons, and he ranks fourth all-time in wins. He is a 1983 graduate of Radford High School, where he played quarterback for the football team and was a basketball standout.
Others inducted into the Hall of Fame were Kevin Mawae, Junior Seau, and Jack Thompson.
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