Sports
Vili Fehoko
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In 1999, University of Hawaii football coach June Jones saw Vili Fehoko perform an unforgettable Tongan drum show at a sports banquet. That performance convinced Jones to recruit the former Polynesian Cultural Center dancer to rouse fans at stadium games. Men’s volleyball coach Mike Wilton soon followed Jones’ lead. In 2002, the UH athletic department finally caught on: Fehoko, known as “The Warrior,” was hired as its official mascot. If Fehoko, 37, has any say about it, he’ll be chest-bumping players, pounding his drums and leading crowd cheers for as long as he can.
Ronna Bolante: Who are your four backup dancers and drummers?
Vili Fehoko: My four sons—Whitley, who’s 14; Sam, 13; Vili Jr., 11; and Breiden, 6. These are my warriors, the guys I go to war with every night.
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RB: Even when it’s a schoolnight?
VF: All their homework has to be done.
RB: You and your family traveled to the UH men’s volleyball championship match against Penn State last year. Some fans credit you for the Warriors’ win.
VF: It’s all coach Wilton and his players. I don’t want to take any credit. I’m just proud that me and my ‘ohana could be part of this beautiful thing.
RB: I heard you converted some Penn State fans into UH supporters.
VF: I weaved 500 ti-leaf headbands for the UH fans. When I got there, the arena manager asked for one. Then his wife asked for one, then 20 more people, including the ushers. By the time the game started, everybody was begging for a headband. So I thought, I want love from this crowd. And I started putting bodypaint on people who wanted a headband, and I also gave away my necklace, even my spear. A man wanted to buy the spear. But after the game, I told him, It’s not about money. Take this. I want you to remember what Hawai‘i’s all about, the spirit of aloha.”
RB: Does the spear have some kind of significance for you?
VF: I made it myself. It’s green, white and black—UH’s colors. The white stands for heaven above, green is the island we live on. Black represents me, because I’m coming to war. I’m coming to your house.
RB: If you could take on any college mascot, who would it be?
VF: To be honest with you, I try to stay away from other mascots. They usually want to chest-bump me. But when I bump them, I end up knocking them flat to the ground. Fans love that, but other mascots make big complaints about me. The University of Cincinnati’s mascot said I broke the nose on his costume.
RB: What’s your best memory out of the three years you’ve been doing this?
VF: Out of all this time, the best memory is turning around and having my family right behind me.
RB: Do you ever just get tired during the games?
VF: Never. I fill up on the energy of the crowd. People are like, rrraaahh! It makes my hair stick up, my heart start pounding.
