Leo Goeas is Centurions #27

HSB Note: "It will be 20 years this October since Brigham Young came to town, swaggering into Aloha Stadium with a No. 17 ranking and a 10-game winning streak against Hawaii. The Rainbow Warriors had come agonizingly close -- losing 16-14 in 1987, 24-23 the next year -- but still had been outscored 249-122 by the Cougars since 1978. Perhaps no one carried the burden of "The Streak" more than senior offensive lineman Leo Goeas. It had become very personal, very much a family thing. He was the baby, the last of three Goeas brothers to wear the Hawaii uniform, and neither Larry (1979-82) nor John (1983-85) had ever beaten the Cougars. Leo was 0-3 coming into that game Oct. 28. It was his last chance."

About how he will never forget UH's 56-14 win over BYU in 1989, Leo Goeas said:
"No question, that's the game I'll always remember. My older brothers had gotten close (to winning), but for the most part, BYU dominated. (Offensive coordinator) Paul Johnson had the perfect game plan. BYU could not stop that offense. It was such an exciting game, breaking that losing streak, and it was really special to have my father on the field." (HSB)

About how he decided between his finalist schools of UH, Washington, California, San Diego State and BYU, Leo said:
"I had grown up going to UH games, to Dick Tomey's camps. During my senior year, I was getting letters and phone calls to go abroad. My dad asked me, 'Where do you see yourself living after your career?' He knew that local people never forget you if you play for Hawaii. I knew I'd have the family support at home games, and I wanted him to be able to see me play. I called the other schools and canceled my visits." (HSB)

About Leo and his brothers, Dick Tomey said:
"Obviously, we had nobody who wanted to play and contribute more than Larry. And John was a great young man as well. The family deserves all the credit for raising great young men. But Leo ... we knew very quickly he was going to be good. He was so physically gifted and parlayed his physicality into success." (HSB)

About converting Leo from TE to the interior of the OL, Tomey said:
"We told him he could be a tight end and hardly ever eat, or he could eat. Obviously, he chose to eat. We knew he was going to get big (6-foot-4, 300 pounds) and have the athleticism to go on to the next level." (HSB)

About how he remembers being at TE for the first few days of preseason camp but being thrown in a guard (when the OL had some injuries) against the first-team D in what he called a "gut-check drill", Leo said:
"I did very well, and Coach Tomey stops practice, calls everyone in and names me the starting guard. That was the end of the tight end career. I was ticked off, but four years later, it totally paid off. Life is like that. You never know why things happen, but I believe you take advantage of every opportunity you are given." (HSB)

About what he told the players at UH's skills camp last month, Leo said:
"I told them I had such pride playing in my home state, in front of my family. It was a great time in my life and it catapulted me into the NFL." (HSB)

HSB Note: "He was drafted in the third round by the Chargers and played 111 NFL games at left tackle and guard in eight seasons with San Diego, the Los Angeles-St. Louis Rams and Baltimore Ravens. After retiring in 1998, Goeas began training and mentoring players, going on to work for Dormann & Pittman in Colorado Springs. He is one of five agents in the company and currently represents 12 clients, including former Warrior Samson Satele, now with the Oakland Raiders, and Cincinnati defensive tackle Domata Peko, who played for Michigan State after choosing the Spartans over UH."

About how most of his clients are linemen of Polynesian descent, Leo said:
"That's my niche. It's a natural fit for me. I understand the profile of that position, know what teams are looking for, bring more to the table. I am a man of faith, and if there ever was a business where you need faith, it's this one." (HSB)

HSB Note: "Goeas married his high school sweetheart Kathy Paresa (Sacred Hearts '85) while at UH. The two have five children: Matthew, 22, who plays football for Mesa State (Colo.); Alixandra, 18; Colton, 15; Rebecca, 11; and Elijah, 7."

Leo talked about how his family spent the past two months in Hawaii and:
"we're heavily considering moving back. We've been away since 1990, and the desire to come back is very strong." (HSB)

About his 6'1", 200-pound son Colton (an incoming high school freshman), Leo said:
"he wants to play defense, maybe defensive end or linebacker. He's a guy who should go on to Division I, probably be around 6-3, 6-4. But Elijah will probably be the biggest of the boys and he's just getting into sports." (HSB)

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