Former Aiea Na Alii football coach steps away after four decades

HONOLULU (KHON2) — The Aiea Na Alii football team took the field without being led by Wendall Say for the first time in four decades. Though Say decided to walk away from coaching, being around kids helps keep him young.

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With 138 wins and 44 years on the sidelines with Aiea (31 of those as head coach), Wendell Say loves his new role at Kamehameha-Kapalama but old habits die hard.

“With the program for 44 years, it’s hard not to follow them so I’ll keep tabs on Na Alii and how they’re doing and they call every once in a while with questions on what they should do,” Say explained.

Wendall Say was one of the greats in Hawaii high school football as a steady presence for Na Alii. Not just on the field, but in the lives of the kids he coached. His Boys 2 Men seminars educated players on domestic violence.

“The biggest thing I loved about it was the relationships filled with not just the coaches but the players, the families, the community. Those were by far the biggest things, the relationships we built,” Say added.

Now, he’s an athletic director at Kamehameha-Kapalama, which is his third career.

Say was a former federal investigator in the 1980s who dug into white-collar crime in the military. But he wanted to help kids, so he got into coaching.

“I don’t think kids change much, they all want someone to mentor them and look after them, and teach them structure, teach them how to do certain things. That’s what I love about athletics we teach them the life skills that carry over to their life outside of athletics, in their job.”

Now that coaching is finished, he’s not retiring because he wants to do what he’s always loved.

“At my age, I guess I should be retired but the kids keep me young. Being able to work with kids, it’s a different bunch of kids and I’m learning and getting to meet a lot of them.”