When Mark Atuaia was going through the college recruiting process, he felt bad that he would have to disappoint one of two men he greatly respected.

As a youngster in Laie, Hawaii, Atuaia looked up to Robert Anae and Ken Niumatalolo — two of the finest athletes to come out of the tiny town on the north shore of Oahu.

Anae was working as a graduate assistant with the Brigham Young football program while Niumatalolo held the same position at Hawaii when Atuaia was a senior at Kahuku High. Both young coaches really wanted Atuaia, a dynamic running back who was the all-time leading rusher in Hawaii high school history.

“Kenny and Robert both cut their teeth as recruiters with me,” Atuaia said in a telephone interview last week. “It was tough because I have known both of them my whole life and always looked up to them. Our families have been together a long time and are very close.”

Laie had a population of just over 6,000 in the latest census, so it is rather remarkable that three men from there would wind up coaching at the highest level of Division I football. Niumatalolo is the head coach at Navy while Anae and Atuaia are assistants at Virginia, meaning they will come together Thursday when their schools meet in the Military Bowl.

“It’s actually pretty cool because Laie is a very small town. I think of playing pickup football and basketball in the park with those guys,” Niumatalolo said of Anae and Atuaia. “I’m really happy that Robert and Mark have achieved great success in their careers.”

Niumatalolo was the second person of Polynesian descent to become a head coach at the Football Bowl Subdivision level, making him a hero to all those from the same fraternity. Anae and Atuaia, who like Niumatalolo are of Samoan heritage, are extremely proud of the man they consider a brother.

Niumatalolo was a member of the inaugural class of the Polynesian Football Hall of Fame, and Atuaia made sure to attend the induction ceremony Jan. 23, 2014, in Honolulu.

“It was monumental when Navy named Ken as head coach and we are all so proud of what he has accomplished in that role,” Atuaia said. “Ken is a winner, on the field and in life. Just a great family man, a man of tremendous character and integrity. I have nothing but respect for the way Ken carries himself and goes about his work.”

Niumatalolo, Anae and Atuaia are at the heart of the wide, deep connections between the Navy and Virginia staffs. Navy defensive line coach Shaun Nua and Virginia counterpart Vic So’oto also trace their lineage back to American Samoa.

“There are going to be six Samoans involved with this game,” said Atuaia, noting that Famika Anae — Robert’s son — is a graduate assistant for Virginia. “I think that is incredible. Football is the common thread that helped all of us get an education and find careers. We have been blessed, and now we are trying to pass something on to the next generation.”

Niumatalolo, Nua and Navy defensive coordinator Dale Pehrson share something else with Virginia head coach Bronco Mendenhall and many of his assistants. They are all members of the Mormon church.

Nua played for Mendenhall at BYU and later returned as a graduate assistant. In those early years after a brief career in the NFL, Nua worked directly under Anae.

“Bronco is the man who opened up the doors of this profession to me. He is a mentor of mine and a friend,” Nua said. “I learned so much about coaching from Bronco, who is a very competitive and very organized individual. He’s a good person, a good leader and a good football coach.”

Anae adopted Nua like a little brother and often invited him home for meals and fellowship. “Robert taught me a lot of good stuff, not just about the coaching profession, but about life as a whole. I will always value his friendship,” Nua said.

Mendenhall was the defensive coordinator at BYU under head coach Gary Crowton when Nua first joined the program in 2002. The Utah native and Oregon State graduate succeeded Crowton in 2005 and compiled a record of 99-43 during 11 seasons at the helm.

Many BYU alumni and fans were stunned when Mendenhall voluntarily left to become head coach at Virginia in December 2015. Niumatalolo quickly became the leading candidate to succeed Mendenhall and traveled to Provo, Utah, to tour the campus while meeting with university officials.

Niumatalolo ultimately decided to remain at Navy and BYU went on to hire Kalani Sitake as head coach. Sitake, the first Football Bowl Subdivision head coach from Tonga, led the Cougars to a 9-4 record in his first season, but just suffered through a 4-9 campaign that was among the worst in program history.

“After seeing the whole situation, it was not really surprising that Bronco left,” Niumatalolo said. “Bronco was there for a long time and won a ton of games. Quite frankly, I think people took it for granted. Some of the fans were complaining about certain things. I think people are beginning to realize now that he is a phenomenal football coach.”

Niumatalolo developed an appreciation for Mendenhall as a parent whose son played for the veteran coach. Va’a Niumatalolo was a walk-on linebacker at BYU and his parents got to know the coaching staff well over several years.

“I had a chance to visit with Kenny and his wife when Va’a was going through the recruiting process,” Mendenhall said. “Kenny then came out to watch practices and sit in on team meetings, sort of getting an up-close look at how our BYU program was run.”

Those initial interactions led to mutual cooperation as the entire Navy staff visited Provo and the BYU staff responded by visiting Annapolis.

“I love the way they coach effort and discipline. We’ve tried to steal some of their ideas,” Niumatalolo said of the relationship between the two programs.

Niumatalolo’s takeaway was that Mendenhall preached integrity and would never consider skirting NCAA rules, a trait that has become a rarity at the FBS level.

“I have a tremendous amount of respect for Bronco. He’s as good a football coach as there is in the country, and an even better person,” Niumatalolo said. “Bronco is one of those guys that does things the right way. He’s just a good man and a really smart football coach.”

Mendenhall and Niumatalolo both serve on the board of directors for the American Football Coaches Association. Listening to them talk about each other, it is clearly a mutual admiration society.

“I’ve always been impressed with Kenny. I think he does an exceptional job of running the Navy program,” Mendenhall said. “We share the same faith and I’ve learned a lot about who he is as a coach and a person, the principles he believes in.”

During an exit interview with BYU officials, Mendenhall was asked to provide an opinion on possible candidates to become the next head coach. He showed loyalty by pushing the promotion of Anae while also mentioning Niumatalolo as a possibility.

“My first recommendation in terms of making a seamless transition was for BYU to hire from within, meaning Robert. My suggestion if they went outside the program was Kenny,” Mendenhall said.

Navy was in limbo when it appeared likely that Niumatalolo would accept the BYU job. Nua was concerned enough about his future that he accepted the position of defensive line coach at Virginia under Mendenhall. He never got a chance to move to Charlottesville. After announcing that he was staying at Navy, Niumatalolo moved immediately to retain Nua as an assistant.

Nua still expresses regret at reneging on his agreement to go to Virginia.

“It was very, very tough. I am blessed and fortunate to have two great mentors in Coach Niumat and Coach Mendenhall. It was a win-win situation for me, but it wasn’t for Coach Mendenhall,” Nua said. “There was a little upset there and rightfully so, but I had to do what was right for my family and my career. I really couldn’t go wrong because Bronco and Kenny are both such great men.”

Last week, Mendenhall talked about why he hired Nua as a graduate assistant in 2009 after Nua retired from professional football, having earned a Super Bowl ring as a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

“As a player, Shaun went from someone who was not working hard and developing into someone who displayed great work ethic, toughness, resiliency and leadership,” Mendenhall said. “I was intrigued with the growth he made and thought he could pass what he learned on to the players.

“Shaun did an exceptional job as a graduate assistant and it was not surprising that he would be hired away by another school. Obviously, I think a lot of Shaun and I am happy he’s developed into a fine coach.”

Mendenhall said there are no hard feelings about Nua’s not following through on accepting the job offer at Virginia.

“It was just a unique situation, one that Shaun managed as best he could,” Mendenhall said. “I don’t hold any ill will. It was just an odd set of circumstances.”

Nua, who has been at Navy since 2012, jokingly referred to Thursday’s game as the “All-Poly Bowl” because of the six Samoan participants. The Pago Pago native expressed excitement about matching X’s and O’s against his former boss and numerous colleagues.

“This game is such a great honor to be part of. My competitive juices are really flowing. I don’t want those guys to beat us,” Nua said. “At the same time, I am honored to face my mentor and all my friends on that staff. It’s going to be fun. I’m looking forward to it.”

bwagner@capgaznews.com

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