After spending his first season with the Rainbow Warrior football team as running backs coach in 2012, Honolulu native Keith Uperesa has spent the past two years in the role of director of player personnel.
Uperesa oversees the academic well-being of each football student-athlete from the time they enroll to the time they leave the university. As running backs coach, he also oversaw academics and under his supervision, UH posted its highest grade point average ever with a 3.03 team cumulative spring semester GPA.
Uperesa returned to his home state after serving as associate head coach and offensive line coach at Nicholls State from 2010-11.
Prior to that, he spent the previous four seasons at UNLV (2005-09) as the offensive line coach where he coached six all-conference linemen, including NFL fourth-round draft pick Joe Hawley.
In 2004, Uperesa coached at Utah as the offensive line and tight ends coach and was instrumental in the Utes’ undefeated season, capped off by a win in the Fiesta Bowl. The Mountain West Conference champion Utes were the first program from a non-BCS conference to not only play in a BCS bowl game, but to win it as well. In his only season at Utah, Uperesa coached first-team all-MW pick Chris Kemoeatu and also worked with current NFL quarterback Alex Smith and three-time national champion head coach Urban Meyer.
Prior to Utah, Uperesa spent one year at El Camino Community College, guiding the squad to the Verizon Southern California Bowl Championship.
From 2001-02, Uperesa was part of the USC staff where he was the offensive line coach in 2001, working with tackles and tight ends in 2002, and playing a role in leading the Trojans to 2001 Las Vegas Bowl and 2003 Orange Bowl victories.
Prior to USC, Uperesa served as the offensive coordinator and offensive line coach at Idaho State from 1999-2000. The 1999 squad was among some of the best offenses in school history—with a 3,000-yard passer, a 1,000-yard rusher and a team scoring average of 30 points per game. Idaho State finished both seasons in the Top 20 nationally in passing, including a No. 9 ranking in 1999.
Uperesa spent 12 years at Snow College where he started in 1987 as the offensive line coach. He worked his way up to head coach in 1995 and compiled a 35-8 record in five seasons until 1999. He guided Snow College to four consecutive Top 10 rankings and four straight bowl victories.
Uperesa’s coaching career began as a graduate assistant for his alma mater BYU from 1985-86. In his two seasons, BYU played in the Florida Citrus Bowl in 1985 and the Freedom Bowl in 1986.
Uperesa is a graduate of Punahou School where he starred in football and later was an all-Western Athletic Conference offensive tackle for BYU from 1974-77. He played in the 1977 Hula Bowl and Blue-Gray Classic.
Following his collegiate career, he played three seasons in the NFL for the Oakland Raiders (1978) and Denver Broncos (1979-80).
Keith and his wife, Kaipo, have three adult children, Ikaika, Naupaka and Kahikole. Ikaika, who played football at Idaho State, has two children, Isabella and Sophia. Naupaka played collegiate women’s basketball at Norfolk State and Cal State Dominguez Hills.
