Remember '99: Jeff Ulbrich’s Road to Paradise

As part of Homecoming Week, we'll be looking back at the magical run of the 1999 Warrior Football Team in recognition of the 25th anniversary of their incredible turnaround from 0-12 a year before, to 9-4 WAC Champions. Each of this week's stories ran following the season as part of a special edition 1999 season in review program. Members of the 1999 team will be honored during Saturday's game vs. Nevada.

The man in the middle was a man on a mission all season long. Throughout Hawai‘i's "Fine '99, Warrior middle linebacker Jeff Ulbrich did his best impersonation of a George Ariyoshi political campaign - quiet but effective.

"I'm not a rah-rah guy," said the Warriors' defensive team captain. "I let my actions on the field do my talking."

And those actions spoke words when Ulbrich earned first-team all-WAC honors in 1999. Many believed he should have been named defensive player of the year.

Statistically speaking, Ulbrich put together the best single season in UH football history amassing 169 total tackles, 15 tackles-for-loss, eight sacks, two interceptions and two fumble recoveries. His 169 tackles topped a 30-year-old school record formerly held by Tim Buchanan (148 stops in 1968).

"Respect me, respect us," Ulbrich said. "That's what drove me this season."

According to the Warrior coaches, it was Ulbrich who drove the Warriors this season.

"Jeff is the heart and soul of our defense," defensive coordinator Greg McMackin said repeatedly all season long.

Associate head coach George Lumpkin, a 30-year veteran of the UH football program said, "Jeff may be the best defensive player to ever play here."

Ulbrich, who was named co-most valuable player at the team's annual awards banquet, credits the coaches for believing in them when no one else did.

"What those coaches did for our confidence was unbelievable," he said. "After every practice, every meeting, every game, win or lose, they were always so positive."

Ulbrich's football career began at Live Oak High School in Morgan Hill, Calif., where he graduated in 1995. After recruiters not showing much interest in his abilities, Ulbrich decided to walk-on at San Jose State, a stint that lasted only one season.

"I didn't like the coach or the system," said the 6-foot-1, 240-pound specimen. "I didn't really like the team's acceptance of losing either."

In 1998, Ulbrich transferred to Gavilan Junior College in Gilroy, Calif., where he earned first-team all-conference, team most valuable player and most outstanding defensive player accolades. 

That's when the recruiters took notice.

"Most of the WAC teams came calling," Ulbrich remembered. "I took my first trip to Hawai‘i and thought 'wow, a chance to live in Hawai‘i and play football for two years, people would kill for that chance."

Living in paradise and a chance to make an immediate impact on a struggling program lured Ulbrich to Hawai‘i. With three starts under his belt and paving his way behind all-WAC performer Stephen Gonzales, Ulbrich will always remember Oct. 17, 1998.

"It's hard to forget that date," Ulbrich said. 

It was the night he almost kissed his career goodbye. "I was in on a sack and Ben Bright (UH defensive tackle) got knocked over and rolled on my knee," Ulbrich remembered. "To this day, I still have a clear picture of that play in my head."

Most mortals would have been out of action anywhere from eight to 12 months with completely torn ligaments in his knee. But not Ulbrich. He sucked it up and was back on the field six weeks later in the season finale against Michigan.

"The doctors told me I was crazy, that I couldn't play," Ulbrich recalled. "I wanted, no, I needed to prove them wrong." During the off-season, with 18 straight losses hovering over the program, head coach Fred von Appen and his staff were fired. Some players welcomed the change and others fought it. There was both relief and regret for people losing their jobs.

"I take full responsibility for losing," Ulbrich said. "We were the ones who stepped on the field."

And then came June Jones and a fresh start. Greg McMackin's aggressive and attacking defensive scheme fit Hawai‘i's middle man perfectly.

"I watched film of ‘Mack's' defense when he was coaching for the Seattle Seahawks," Ulbrich said. "I immediately told myself, 'he's my man.'"

The 1999 season began with national power USC on Sept. 4 at Aloha Stadium.

"I was still kind of worried about my knee going into that game," Ulbrich admitted.

What knee? Ulbrich logged 17 tackles against the Trojans and that was the beginning of an eye-opening experience for many, including Ulbrich.

"USC was probably my best game because that team had the most talent," Ulbrich said. "After that game, I looked in the record book and started calculating."

His goal was to set the single season record for most tackles. Mission accomplished...and more. With opponents scheming around him and quarterbacks making pre-snap reads to avoid him, Ulbrich still managed to reach new heights. In the end, he was not only the new record holder for total tackles, but he broke the record for assisted tackles in a game and season.

Individual success does not always equate to team success, but fortunately for Ulbrich, it did in 1999. A final record of 9-4, co-WAC champions, a three-game road sweep, fans back in the stands and an O‘ahu Bowl victory all accounted for.

"It's about damn time," Ulbrich said. "There was talk for so long about losing and people not believing that we could win. Who's to say we didn't deserve that, but it feels really good to finally deliver results."

At season’s end, Ulbrich was invited to play in the Delchamp's Senior Bowl. His first college football all-star game was his stepping stone to the next level.

"I lined up against the best in the country at the Senior Bowl and at times, I dominated," Ulbrich said. "It sounds crazy, but with all the tackles and the success I had this season at Hawai‘i, I still had doubts about my ability. Now, I know I can play at the next level."

According to Ulbrich, the credit goes to the Warrior coaching staff for opening the doors for him to play at the next level. Finally his childhood dream has a chance to come true.

"I always dreamed of playing professional football,' Ulbrich said. "But I was too scared to say anything because the goal seemed so impossible to attain."

Where does he go from here?

"I've always been a 49ers fan," he laughed.

And what if pro football doesn't work out?

"I learned to surf in Waikiki," Ulbrich said. "I met my wife in Hawai‘i, she's from here, and I gotta have my meat jun and cucumber kim chee bruddah! I'm sure we'll always come back to Hawai‘i. Plus too, not many people get treated the way the Hawai‘i fans treat their Warriors. Not anywhere."