In an attempt to satisfy his insatiable appetite for football knowledge, Kamehameha’s Dan Lyons goes to the top of the coaching food chain. ADVERTISING In an attempt to satisfy his insatiable appetite for football knowledge, Kamehameha’s Dan Lyons goes to
In an attempt to satisfy his insatiable appetite for football knowledge, Kamehameha’s Dan Lyons goes to the top of the coaching food chain.
Lyons is still waiting for a return call from Alabama coach Nick Saban, owner of four national championships, but he has compared notes with Georgia coach Mark Richt.
Lyons was somewhat stunned when Richt returned his call — during the busy signing period, no less — but Richt was equally as surprised by Lyons’ request.
“He said he’d have to get back to me on the information I wanted, but he said he needed to talk to me,” Lyons said. “He said, ‘To be honest, I’ve never had a phone call from a high school coach, or any coach, that wasn’t asking about X;s and O’s, but wanted to know about leadership.”
Therein lies Lyons’ master plan to make Kamehameha the “it” program, and not just on the Big Island.
“The goal is to make this the best program in the country,” Lyons said. “Not the best football team, but the best program. Where people go to find out how you plan and put things together. How you teach.
“Will we ever get there? I don’t know, but I’ll die on the field trying.”
As always, the devil is in the details.
The Warriors’ booklet on kickoff coverages, for example, looks like a small phone book.
Coming off Kamehameha’s first BIIF Division II title since 2010, Lyons increased his practice playbook to 56 pages.
“I have an old Nike shirt that says “There is no finish line,” he said. “We’re never going be satisfied. We’re always going to looking to get better.”
Lyons also reorganized his coaching staff in the offseason, giving up the offensive coordinating duties to line coach Manly Kanoa, in part to make sure he’s being accountable to his players.
And there are a lot of them this year after 125 student-athletes – about 40 more than usual – came out for football.
“I think that’s a pretty good indication that people want to be around this program,” Lyons said.
All this from a mere water polo coach, a joke that Lyons likes to tell.
Kamehameha no doubt raised a few eyebrows in 2011 when it hired Lyons, the school’s aquatics director, as its interim football coach.
“I’ve got blow back from everything that I’ve tried to do here,” Lyons said.
In reality, Lyons had more than 30 years of football coaching experience when he took the job. While others tried to argue with him that he couldn’t practice with a two-platoon system or integrate the junior varsity into varsity practices, Lyons has proven then wrong.
“Every year, the program has gotten better,” senior linebacker Lukela Chin said. “The pace of practice has gotten better. It’s a good practice.”
Lyons is not a rah-rah guy.
Before the Warriors played the their preseason opener against Kalaheo on Oahu, Mayor Billy Kenoi, who’s son Justin is on the team, tried to get Kamehameha to show more exuberance.
But that’s not how the Warriors role, and they take on the personality of their coach.
“It’s great to have passion, and I want all my players to know I love them,” Lyons said. “But when you’re emotional, you’re energy stores are only going to last so long. You get way up, but then you go way down.”
And, yes, there are some parallels to be drawn between Kamehameha’s six-time defending water polo champion and the football team that is set to go for a repeat.
“Two groups of people who are driven, have great character, work really hard and are committed to excellence,” Lyons said.
He’ll probably never call back, but those are traits that Saban could appreciate.
