[Raven Hawk]

Worshipping at the Shrine of Ronnie Tu

by Klemu Hakkinen


Soda Springs, Idaho has two claims to fame. The first claim and oldest claim is that they were an oasis along the fabled Oregon trail during the country's manifest destiny and westward expansion years. Their second claim to fame, and most notable nowadays, is that they are home to Quarterback Ronnie Tu of the Honolulu Blue Pacific.

In the mid 1800's Soda Springs was a mere watering hole for travelers heading out west. The United States had declared that it had a manifest destiny, meaning that all the land between the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean was destined to be theirs. That belief that has been firmly embedded in the population of Soda Springs, has planted itself firmly in the heart of one of the CFL's most prolific quarterbacks. Ronnie Tu believes that it is his manifest destiny to receive every award that a quarterback could possibly achieve. His first priority? A CFL title.

College was no different for Ronnie. At Fresno State, he filled trophy cases with awards and division titles. Ronnie lead the Bulldogs to WAC titles in both his Junior and Senior years and amassed 2 WAC MVP awards, 3 WAC Offensive MVP Awards, a Heisman Trophy, MVP of the Senior Bowl and a Cotton Bowl victory. He set WAC records in passing yardage and passing touchdowns. The legend of Ronnie Tu remains strong in Fresno, California, even though Tu has been gone for eight years.

Covering a game at Fresno State not too long ago, I visited the student union on campus and was surprised to see a 30 foot painted mural of Ronnie Tu in the entry hall to the building. Below it was a trophy case with all the awards that Ronnie had won for his Bulldogs. Saturdays, one hour before game time, a mass of students funneled into the student union each with a handful of grass pulled from the lawn outside. As they entered and exited in an orderly manner, they each placed a handful of the turf atop the trophy case, touched the mural, and then left for the game. This, I found, was the Shrine of Ronnie Tu. Campus legend has it that by placing a handful of turf on the trophy case below Ronnie's mural will bring the Bulldog's good luck in their upcoming game.

I came back the following day before a Honolulu Blue Pacific game and noticed the same ritual going on. I approached one of the students after they had made their offering to the Shrine and asked them why they did this.

"Ronnie has done so much for our school, even after he left," said the young lady. "He donates money to campus charities and to the school itself. We want Ronnie to continue to have a successful career in the CFL, so we place these offerings in hope that he remains healthy and continues his career for a long time."

This practice has followed him from Fresno, California, all the way to Honolulu, Hawaii. On game day, locals gather at a similar shrine painted on the side of The Ukulele Grill in Honolulu and make their offerings of grass. The owner of the restaurant, Sam Akanoule, says that he had heard about the custom in Fresno and wanted to bring luck to his favorite team, the Blue Pacific. The Ukulele Grill remains a favorite spot for local fans to watch the Sunday action on television.

How well do these offerings work? Well, since the beginning of the 2005 season, the Blue Pacific are 6-1 with their only loss coming at home against division rival, the Tucson Toros, who lead the Blue Pacific by only half a game. Ronnie Tu has thrown 13 touchdowns to only 2 interceptions. He's third in the league in passer rating, at 103.8, and passing yards, with 1912.

After sitting down with Ronnie, I was assured that the Blue Pacific would have something special saved for the Toros when they next play. Although Ronnie isn't short on words, he has a quiet grace about him, giving credit where it is due. At one point in our discussion he said: "I'm just glad I do not need to face our secondary. They are fantastic in their pass defense, especially with Johnny (Murguia) out there roaming center field for us."

He also shows professionalism in regard to past moves that the team has made. I asked him about his feelings about the club dealing their former running back, Jeromy Donahue to Charleston. Tu stated, "Donahue's a tough character and I don't like commenting on past issues. But everyone in the clubhouse has moved on and their is an air of relief on the fact that Donahue and the Waves have gone their separate ways. The media has their theories about how we barely tolerated each other, but that's just mindless speculation on their part."

Ronnie is certainly disappointed that his Waves did not make the playoffs last year. He has vowed to get them there this year: "Once the playoffs start, anything can happen. The big thing is that you have to make it to the show. That's a hard road in it's own right. I think that 11-5 would be a good goal for us this year, but we have a tough division. I felt bad that we couldn't make the playoffs last year and I plan to make ammends this year for it. The fans of Hawaii deserve it."

And finally I had to ask him about his thoughts on the CFL's most notorious player, Motormouth Vazquez: "Motormouth should keep quiet. Just play the game and when he decides to open his mouth, he better have just won it all. Not actually make it in the game. Besides, I heard rumors of pictures and a masking agent....."

This reporter cannot confirm, nor deny, the allegations of pictures or masking agents.

When all is said and done, Ronnie Tu is a stand up guy. He gives back to the community and loves the team that he plays for. Tu has lofty goals, but he is not arrogant about them. Yes, he wants to fulfill his "manifest destiny," but he has assured me he has set those goals for his team. For Ronnie Tu, his manifest destiny goes beyond the western coast of the United States. It extends all the way out to a string of islands in the Pacific, a string of islands that loves their quarterback.