Recruiting news and information on our MIL student-athletes

Blast from the Past: The Maui News Football All-Stars

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The Maui News 1991 MIL All-Star Team

~Special Issue in honor of Maui High's Kraig Vickers~

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EDITOR'S NOTE: I wrote the story above for The Maui News in the fall of 1985 while sports editor of Kaleo, the University of Hawaii newspaper that published Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. That year I covered UH football for The Maui News.

Danny Crowell was a junior at the time. Hawaii finished 4-6-2 that year under Dick Tomey. In 1986, Crowell rushed for 724 yards and six touchdowns on 164 carries. He averaged 4.4 yards per carry. Crowell was also a receiving threat as he caught 35 passes for 336 yards and two touchdowns. At the time, Crowell's receiving numbers were school records for a running back. Crowell led Hawaii in rushing and scoring, and was fourth in receiving. He gained a team best total offense of 1,060 yards in 199 plays. UH finished fourth in the WAC at 4-4 and 7-4 overall. San Diego State won the conference title (7-1, 8-4) before losing to Iowa in the Holiday Bowl, 39-38. Bob Wagner took over the Rainbow program in 1987.

The rushing chart below is based on the MIL's traditional six-game season.

At Maui High, Crowell was literally the Sabers entire offense his junior and senior seasons. In 1981, Crowell averaged 127 yards per game and finished with a record 760 yards. That total was an all-time best for 11 seasons before Aaron Bascon's historic 1,043 yards in 1992. Only Robert Kemfort's 1995 season, when he rushed for 804 yards has surpassed Crowell since that time — during the six-game era. Ironically, Kemfort received a scholarship to attend UH in 1996 from then head coach Fred Vonappen. By Kemfort's senior season the former Saber was playing outside linebacker for rookie coach June Jones and Hawaii finished the season 9-4 and winner's of the Oahu Classic Bowl Game over Oregon State, 23-17.

Crowell later signed a free-agent contact to play for the St. Louis Cardinals in the NFL. He eventually returned to Maui where he help start the Hawaii Football League in 1994, while running the Maui Stars football team, perennial Tsunami Bowl Champions. Since 1999, Crowell has organized the Hawaii Flag Football League. It is currently sponsored by CrossFit Maui, the gym Crowell owns and operates. As the new flag football season gets ready to begin, Crowell is expanding his business to South Maui where he will soon be opening CrossFit Kihei.

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