July 29, 1999

LAS VEGAS - Ken Niumatalolo has been hired as UNLV's new assistant football coach, the school announced Thursday.

Niumatalolo will be in charge of the Rebels' tight ends and H-backs as well as have a hand in coaching special teams. He replaces Jeff Kearin, who left last week to become head coach at California State Northridge.

Niumatalolo, a graduate of the University of Hawaii, spent the last two years as the offensive coordinator at the United States Naval Academy.

"I have been on the East Coast for a while and I was trying to get closer to home (Hawaii) so this was a perfect opportunity," Niumatalolo said. "I'm excited to join a staff with such a good mixture of veteran and young coaches. Plus, having played at a WAC school, I know the Mountain West Conference teams very well."

Robinson said Niumatalolo came highly recommended.

"With his background as a coordinator at the I-A level, Ken can step in and contribute a tremendous amount right away," Robinson said. "He is familiar with the West Coast as far as recruiting and will help us with our connection to the state of Hawaii, which we are looking to expand."

Niumatalolo, 34, is a 1989 graduate of UH after lettering three years as a quarterback, including leading the Rainbows to their first-ever postseason bowl appearance in 1989. He was hired as a full-time assistant by his alma mater in 1992 and spent three seasons coaching on the offensive side. In 1995, he became running backs coach at Navy and was named offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in 1997.

While with the Midshipmen, Niumatalolo coached Chris McCoy, who holds the NCAA record for most rushing touchdowns by a quarterback in a season with 20 in 1997. Under Niumatalolo, McCoy became only the 10th player in NCAA history to rush for more than 1,000 yards and pass for more than 1,000 yards in the same season. In addition, Navy finished among the nation's top five in rushing the last two years and broke 38 school offensive records during his tenure.