The first time Fred Salanoa left the helm as head football coach at Radford, the possibility of an eventual return was always there.
He guided Radford to the Division II state championship in 2016, then stepped away to stay close as his three daughters embarked on their prep soccer careers.
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The former Radford and Eastern Washington quarterback returned in 2019, rebuilding a winless program back to competitiveness.
Salanoa stepped down after the 2024 season, closing with a career mark of 90-77 (.539 ). Radford kept the decision in house, went through the rigors of the hiring process and selected assistant coach Mason Manuma as head coach in January.
“We have a culture that is very different because of our military population. I don’t think there’s anything comparable, ” Salanoa said, noting that the student enrollment is 68 % military in origin.
Salanoa is now in a new position as assistant athletic director under longtime AD Kelly Sur.
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This keeps the legacy of Radford athletics and football alive. Salanoa followed in the footsteps of John Velasco and Robert Stevens. Manuma will now follow the path taken by his uncle, Salanoa. He embraces the tradition of leadership as a Ram.
“Pressure is a privilege. Radford has a rich tradition athletically stemming back to Mr. Velasco and (basketball ) Coach (James ) Alegre. I’m excited for the challenge to uphold that trickled down with Coach Fred and Coach Sur, ” Manuma said. “I’m just excited to have my opportunity to add to that (trophy ) hallway in the gym.”
Salanoa’s three daughters are playing college soccer at three universities in different states this fall. He will have the freedom to visit them with his wife, Radford vice principal Malevine Salanoa.
“For me to be able to support our daughters in real time, I would have to leave the football team I’m in charge of, ” Salanoa said. “There’s a point and time we’ve got to make the best of our time with our family. We have to make sure that we keep our loved ones as close as possible, that they get love from us parents.”
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Manuma played for the Rams and still remembers his last game on the field vividly. He suffered a fractured femur in Radford’s OIA D-II title game against Nanakuli in 2013.
“I got hurt on the second play from scrimmage. It was trips right, key 3. I was the No. 3 receiver, ran a bubble screen. Take it up the sideline, got the first down, tried to spin out of a tackle and my leg got caught, ” he recalled.
Manuma played at Snow Community College (Utah ), then returned home and went to work in the entertainment industry. In 2019 his uncle called his number.
“It was at an event, he asked me to come watch a 7-on-7 scrimmage during the summer. I gave him my notes for the offense, and my uncle Thor (Salanoa ) asked me for notes on the DBs, ” Manuma recalled. “I’ve been an educational assistant here at Radford since then.”
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Now 30, Manuma is in the process of getting his degree in education and plans to become a world history teacher.
“I’ve had great tutelage from Coach Fred, as well as Coach Kelly Sur and my old coach, Lon Passos, and a lot of my former coaches still on staff here. I had great mentorship from them seeing behind the scenes the past couple of years.”
Extra points : The weekend was chock full of scrimmages across Oahu. On Friday, Aiea, Campbell and Kamehameha met in a tri-scrimmage at Kunuiakea Stadium. Both sides of the field were occupied with action. Aiea’s freshman quarterback Caizel Jesus Kapisi was impressive in his debut, playing with good instincts for second-year head coach Mika Liilii. He resembled a younger version of Damien’s 6-foot-2, 240-pound QB, AJ Tuifua.
Host Kamehameha was solid all around with left tackle Malakai Lee, the state’s most recruited offensive lineman who has committed to Michigan, setting the bar.
