Former Moanalua football head coach Arnold Martinez has been keeping busy in the sport, even though he does not have a job in the coaching ranks right now.
The Moanalua teacher last coached Na Menehune in 2013, but he’s been elsewhere sponging up football coaching knowledge, aside from broadcasting Hawaii high school games on the radio.
Over the past two years, Martinez spent time training at the following places:
>> 2014: Seattle Seahawks training camp
>> 2014: Clemson University football team
>> 2014: Army football team
>> 2015: Atlanta Falcons training camp as an assistant linebackers coach under the NFL’s Bill Walsh Coaching Fellowship.
“It’s been a refreshing two years off,” Martinez said via cellphone on Thursday. “It was an awesome experience to be able to learn from some of the best coaches out there.”
One of the highlights of Martinez’s football life came when he rode the team bus with the Clemson Tigers on the way to the national championship game. He got to know Tigers head coach Dabo Sweeney the year before while going through coaching training with the team, and Sweeney insisted that Martinez ride the bus with them. Defensive lineman Scott Pagano, a Moanalua graduate, is a Tigers starter.
“All of the coaches told me how awesome Scott is and how he always does the right things,” Martinez said. “I was proud like I would be if Scott was my child.”
In addition, Martinez — the former head coach at Solano Community College in California — was asked to make a presentation to the Clemson coaches.
Martinez also said he enjoyed working with former Hawaii standout linebacker Jeff Ulbrich, who is a linebackers coach with the Falcons.
Martinez, 45, said he would coach again if the right opportunity came around.
“I would love to share my philosophy and vision if it was the right fit,” he said. “I do miss coaching. I love the game, Most importantly, I love serving the kids and seeing them grow as people, students and athletes. I love helping them find opportunities beyond high school. Seeing the success of our past players off the field and on is one of the greatest joys for me. If God opens the door and the right opportunity to serve presents itself, then we would enjoy building another great football culture. It would be great to implement the new techniques, schemes, philosophies and fun that I have learned the past couple of seasons training with colleges and NFL teams. I know the kids here would absolutely love to practice and play in a culture that we could structure. They would have so much fun and compete at the highest level. But, we will see. I live by faith in God that he will provide and place us where he wants us. It is his plans, not mine.”
Martinez said he is not currently a candidate for the open Kamehameha job. When asked if he applied, Martinez chose not to comment.
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