For decades, Frank Pahia believed in his players.
The longtime Saint Louis assistant coach passed away over the weekend, and the outpouring of shock and love from his friends and former players was massive.
“Frank was very close to Saint Louis. He was really dedicated to the kids at Saint Louis,” Saint Louis coach Ron Lee said. “Oh my God, it goes way back. We were in the old field house, at least to the late ‘80s, (early) ‘90s. We’ve known Frank for a long time. He worked with me at (the Outrigger Hotel) showroom, then he started hanging out with me coaching. He was working for Hawaii 5-0 and Magnum P.I., so we didn’t see him quite as much. The last couple of years, he stepped away from coaching. Mitch Quinn’s (senior) year, that was his last year. He was always texting.”
Quinn, now playing for Washington State, was one of many former players who posted on social media.
“RIL Coach Frank, man, one of the few that believed I could be where I’m at today and more,” Quinn wrote on Twitter.
Current Hawaii assistant coach Jacob Yoro was a player when Pahia coached at Saint Louis. Yoro later became the Crusaders defensive coordinator.’
“Coach Frank Pahia, the man with the biggest heart and the biggest calves. When I played for him, I felt he cared about me. When I became an adult and would see him, I knew he loved me,” Yoro tweeted. “You will be missed, Coach.”
Yoro and many of Coach Pahia’s friends and former players did not hesitate to allow their posts on social media to be shared.
“That’s awesome you’re writing about him,” Yoro said. “He’s impacted so many people’s lives throughout the years. Love that guy.”
Former Crusader receiver Anthony Arceneaux, now coaching at Southern Utah, reflected on Pahia’s death.
“I knew Coach Frank since high school. It’s very sad to hear of his passing,” Arceneaux wrote.
There was a time when Pahia inquired about the possibility of moving Arceneaux to defense. It didn’t work, but the effort was there.
“Actually, that came up a few times,” Arceneaux recalled.
Pahia played at Waipahu, Lee said, and later coached linebackers with then-head coach Cal Lee.
“He was a jack of all trades,” Ron Lee said. “He was a good friend and I’m shocked. He kept everything to himself, but I found out he was fighting a lot of medical issues in the last year and a half or so. He didn’t tell anybody. That’s why it was kind of shocking. He was working, but nobody knew what he was going through, I guess.”
Former Pearl City football coach David “Kawika” Hallums credited Pahia with changing his mindset. Hallums went on to play basketball at BYU-Hawaii and Hawaii, and is now a Warriors analyst with OC-16.
“He was the reason I got into coaching. He coached me up from seventh grade, Leeward Chargers days,” Hallums wrote on Facebook.
After a sit-down with his high school coach after a loss, Hallums walked away.
“That’s the only time I quit on any team I was a part of. Coach Frank drove to my house daily and talked to me about being selfish, and they allowed me back,” Hallums said. "He's the reason I still refer to all my former coaches as 'Coach' first."
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