HONOLULU – While more than a dozen former University of Hawai'i football players are battling for spots on National Football League rosters, several more are currently competing in the Arena Football League (AFL) and Canadian Football League (CFL).
 
Three former Warriors are on active AFL rosters - quarterback Bryant Moniz (Georgia Force), wide receiver Mike Washington (Pittsburgh Power), and offensive lineman Ray Hisatake (San Antonio Talons) while fullback Reagan Maui'a (San Jose SaberCats) and defensive back Jameel Dowling (San Jose SaberCats) are on the injured list. Two former Warriors are in the CFL, including veteran wide receiver and special teams standout Chad Owens, whose Toronto Argonauts opened the regular season last Friday.
 
Owens is making a name for himself as one of the league's top returners. Following the 2010 season, his second with Toronto, he received the John Argo Special Teams Award as the league's most outstanding special teams player after becoming just the fifth player in league history to record more than 1,000 punt and kickoff return yards in a season. Last season, he became the first player in professional football to record at least 3,000 combined yards in back-to-back seasons in earning CFL all-star honors.
 
The four-year Warrior letterman had a prolific UH career finishing as the school's all-time career yardage leader, in addition to being awarded the Mosi Tatupu Award as the nation's top special teams player in 2004. Nicknamed the “Flyin' Hawaiian”, Owens was picked by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the sixth round of the 2005 NFL Draft. He also spent time with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before landing with the Colorado Crush of the AFL. In 2009, Owens signed with the Montreal Alouettes of the CFL before being traded to Toronto the following season.

Also on a CFL roster is defensive lineman David Veikune, who is on the practice squad of the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Veikune, a three-year Warrior letterman from 2006-08, played parts of two seasons in the NFL with the Cleveland Browns and Denver Broncos before signing with the Roughriders in 2011.
 
Two weeks ago, Moniz made his professional football debut with the Force. After Georgia's starting quarterback signed with an NFL squad, Moniz received the starting nod against the Utah Blaze. Despite the loss, Moniz performed well, completing 27-of-47 for 243 yards and three touchdowns. On Sunday, Moniz led the Force to a 56-53 victory over Orlando. He finished 21-of-29 for 273 yards and seven touchdowns, including the go-ahead score with just over a minute left in the game.
 
Less than eight months ago, Moniz was carted off the field in UH's game at Nevada in November with a season-ending leg injury that ended his senior year. In three years with the Warriors, Moniz threw for over 10,000 yards and 75 touchdowns in addition to over 500 rushing yards and 13 scores on the ground.

Washington, a four-year UH letterman and member of the Warriors' Western Athletic Conference championship team in 2007, is currently the Pittsburgh Power's leading receiver. He joined them as a wide out during the team's inaugural season in 2011, a year in which he led the team in receptions, yards, and touchdowns. Through 14 games this season, the Aliquippa, Pa., native has 77 receptions for 1,036 yards and 24 touchdowns. His 13.45 yards per catch are good for 10th in the league.
 
Maui'a and Dowling are both on the SaberCats injured list. Maui'a, a 2007 sixth-round NFL draft pick by the Miami Dolphins and two-year letterman for UH from 2005-06, has played parts of four seasons in the NFL. He was released by the Cardinals in the middle of the 2011 season, but was signed by the SaberCats on May 30, 2012, close to his hometown of Lodi, Calif. Dowling played one season for UH (2008) after transferring from Oregon. Following the 2008 season, Dowling signed a free agent contract with the Arizona Cardinals.

Hisatake, a two-year letterman for the Warriors from 2008-09, is presently a starter on the Talons' offensive line. Last season, the San Francisco, Calif., native played for the SaberCats.