One walked with a cane.
A few others showed the impact of gravity and time on their postures.
Eleven members of the 1970 University of Hawaii football team toured the Manoa campus Friday with gratitude for the past and a unified message for this season’s Rainbow Warriors.
“Continue to fight,” implored Mike Biscotti, the Warriors’ starting quarterback for three seasons through 1972. “They’re doing that.”
As part of homecoming weekend, the 1970 team was toasted at Friday’s Green and White Celebration in the Stan Sheriff Center. They will be introduced during today’s game between UH and New Mexico at the Clarence T.C. Ching Complex.
Competing as an independent, the 1970 squad pummeled Fresno State 49-0 at Honolulu Stadium. It was the first in a four-year run punctuated with the 50-point-underdog Warriors’ 10-7 upset of Washington in 1973.
“I loved the fact I had an opportunity to play for the University of Hawaii and represent the state,” Biscotti said. “Happy to be back.”
Biscotti recalled a different time, when the Warriors tried to create a “we” atmosphere at the start of the Me Decade.
“We didn’t have a whole lot,” Biscotti said. “Our weight room was under the swimming pool’s grandstands. Our training camp was out at Pearl Harbor. We stayed in the barracks. It was all one big room with bunk beds. You know what? It worked. Football is football. The camaraderie we had helped us have great success. We were proud to represent the University of Hawaii.”
As part of Friday’s campus tour, the former players spoke to the current Warriors, who are 1-5 overall and 0-3 in the Mountain West.
Offensive lineman Tom Freuchtel, who was the MVP of the 1971 team, encouraged the Warriors to continue fighting the good fight. During a break, Freuchtel offered pointers to offensive guard Tu‘i Muti.
“It’s great to be back,” Freuchtel said. “I used to live in the Quonset huts when I was a freshman. They’re gone now. But this is still a great program, and these guys are going to whip New Mexico.”
David “Mad Dog” Mutter was a feisty freshman in 1970 and the starting center on the 1973 team that pulled off the stunner in Seattle. He continues to follow the Warriors, driving from his Illinois home to at least one road game a year. As honorary captain in 2021, Mutter gave the pep talk ahead of the road game against Nevada. On Friday, he delivered another pep talk.
“It meant everything to be a Warrior,” Mutter said. “I was a poor kid from the South Side of Chicago. I got a chance, and I’m very thankful. I’ve donated money through the years to try to pay back in an appreciative fashion. I’ll always be a Warrior.”
Head coach Timmy Chang said it’s “honoring and humbling” to celebrate past teams.
“It’s a bunch of men who had a love and connection that was built on these grounds,” Chang said. “This school gave them that opportunity. They’re forever indebted to it. This school is giving our team that opportunity. We appreciate being in their shoes.”
Associate head coach Chris Brown said: “Homecoming is huge. You know what else is huge? Their spirit. How proud they are to be Warriors. That’s the biggest thing they gave to the boys, how proud they were to be Warriors. That went a long way. Timmy and I always try to emphasize that part. It’s about pride. It’s about that name across your chest that matters the most. That’s what you get to take the rest of your life when you join the brotherhood.”
Brown said the Warriors of the early 1970s showed their resilience. Those teams were not members of a conference. They played home games in a deteriorating stadium that deservedly earned the nickname “Termite Palace.”
“It didn’t matter,” Brown said. “They still won. It was their heart and soul and toughness and the pride to be a Warrior. It didn’t matter what they had. It’s what they did on the field.”
Biscotti indicated this year’s Warriors share the same DNA.
“They’ll turn it around,” Biscotti said. “I think Coach Chang is doing a great job. I’m looking forward to a big win on Saturday night.”
—