December 26, 2024
Ken Niumatalolo Joins Football Staff

LOS ANGELES – UCLA head soccer coach Chip Kelly announced Friday the selecting of Ken Niumatalolo, Navy’s all-time chief in head-coaching wins, as the Bruins’ director of management. In the place, Niumatalolo will provide as an advisor to UCLA football’s employees and college student-athletes.

Niumatalolo concluded his 15th season at the helm of the Naval Academy’s plan and 25th all round on the Annapolis, Md. campus in 2022. During his head-coaching tenure, the Midshipmen went 109-83 (.568) and received six of 10 bowl video games played, the two also school information.

No head coach experienced been on the successful facet of 8 consecutive online games in the historic Army-Navy series right until Niumatalolo completed the feat to get started his job (2008-2015). His 10 wins over-all stand as the most in the background of the rivalry. Niumatalolo’s squads acquired the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy, awarded per year to the winner of the armed forces services academy staff with the best regular-year report towards the other two groups, a software-history six occasions.

Off the discipline, 11 Navy student-athletes been given Educational All-The united states recognition in the course of Niumatalolo’s tenure. That matched the school’s complete across the past 56 decades.

Niumatalolo’s 2015 staff gained a application-record 11 game titles, an accomplishment later equaled by his 2019 group. Equally teams concluded in the leading 20 of the remaining AP Leading 25. No Navy crew had formerly done a year in the top 20 given that 1963. Niumatalolo guided the Midshipmen into the American Athletic Convention (AAC) in 2015 and had instant achievements, with the 2015 and 2019 teams tying for 1st spot in the AAC West and the 2016 team profitable the division outright. The 2015 Midshipmen attained the Lambert Trophy as the best Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) group in the East, a different to start with considering that 1963.

In 2016, the Midshipmen set university documents for points (531), touchdowns (73), touchdowns per recreation (5.2), speeding touchdowns (61), whole offense (6,136 yards) and yards for every enjoy (6.8). Niumatalolo joined Wayne Hardin as the only Navy head coaches to beat Notre Dame a few moments.

Niumatalolo was named a finalist for The Dodd Trophy and the Paul “Bear” Bryant Mentor of the Year Award in 2015. He was tabbed yet again as a Dodd finalist in 2016 and for the Bryant Award in 2019. Niumatalolo was selected the American Football Coaches Association Region 1 Mentor of the Calendar year in 2016 and, in 2019, earned the Stallings Award for his initiatives as “both a humanitarian and an excellent coach.” He was named AAC Coach of the 12 months 3 situations (2015, 2016 and 2019) and the Jap College or university Athletic Convention Coach of the Year 2 times (2015 and 2019).

Niumatalolo was promoted to head football coach at the Naval Academy on Dec. 8, 2007. Every of his very first 3 teams gained eight or more game titles. In 2008, Niumatalolo turned the first head coach to direct Navy to a bowl match in his inaugural period and just the next Assistance Academy head coach to get the Commander-In-Chief’s Trophy in his original 12 months.

Just the 2nd Polynesian head mentor in FBS record and 1st Samoan collegiate head coach on any amount, Niumatalolo was picked to the inaugural class of the Polynesian Football Corridor of Fame in 2013.

Niumatalolo experienced two stints as an assistant coach at Navy, including a stretch as assistant head coach and offensive line coach from 2002-07 all through which the Midshipmen went to five bowl video games. The 2007 squad averaged a application-history 348.8 rushing yards for every game, eclipsing the mark of 327. set 1 12 months earlier. Four Navy teams set up additional than 300 rushing yards for each activity in the course of this time.

Niumatalolo coached Midshipmen running backs in 1995 and 1996 before having more than as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in 1997 and 1998. In 1997, sign caller Chris McCoy established a then-NCAA report for solitary-period hurrying touchdowns by a quarterback with 20. McCoy also turned just the 10th player in NCAA history to accumulate more than 1,000 passing yards and additional than 1,000 speeding yards in the same year (also 1997). Niumatalolo went on to tutor the restricted ends whilst guiding the unique groups unit at UNLV from 1998-2001.

A 1989 graduate of Hawai’i, Niumatalolo lettered three yrs as a quarterback and was a section of the program’s very first bowl workforce in 1989. He instantly jumped into the coaching ranks as a graduate assistant at his alma mater ahead of becoming a comprehensive-time assistant and shelling out three seasons coaching on the offensive facet of the ball.

A native of La’ie, Hawaii, Niumatalolo and his wife, Barbara, have three small children, Alexcia, Va’a and Ali’I, and four granddaughters, Aussie Keanani, Rosie Momi, Jada Keala and Barbara Lilia.