Honoring Two Great Broncos Who Recently Passed Away

I would like to take the time to honor two Bronco greats who passed away this spring.

John Kauinana (July 16, 1946-June 5, 2011)

"Big John" Kauinana passed away June 5.  We are fortunate to have honored John as one of the Varsity B honorary captains last fall prior to the Hawai'i football game.  John played offensive tackle for Coach Lyle Smith in 1964, helping his team to an 8-2 record.  An injury forced John to miss the 1965 season, but Coach Smith took him under his wing and made him an assistant coach that season.  Coach Kauinana and the Broncos finished 9-2 that year with a fifth trip to the Potato Bowl in the postseason.

John was born in Honolulu and graduated from Kaimuki High School (an all-star his senior season) prior to coming to Boise.  He completed his degree at Boise State in 1969 after the school became a four-year college.  Following his education at Boise State, Kauinana taught at Leilehua and Nanakuli in Hawai'i before becoming the first Athletic Director at Mililani High School from 1974-2001 and coaching the football team from 1975-1985.  Coach Kauinana  helped Ma'a Tanuvasa become a future player in the National Football League, where Tanuvasa started on the defensive line for Denver on two Super Bowl championship teams.

"We lost a great person," said longtime Trojan baseball coach Glenn Nitta, who succeeded Kauinana as athletic director.  "He was a very caring individual and he just wanted the best for all the kids. I would compare him to the Eddie Hamada's and the Masa Yonamine's ... big-hearted."

Kauinana also coached running back Keith Price, who had not played football before going out for the team at Mililani. "He wanted to play fullback but didn't have any concept of how to cut, so we told him just to run straight ahead as hard and fast as he could," Kauinana would say later. "He would run 20 yards through the line and straight into the safety."  Price later became a swimming All-American at UCLA. As AD, Kauinana also oversaw the development of Erin Hoe, who won four consecutive state girls singles tennis championships and earned a scholarship to the University of Washington, and Linda Jackson, a five-sport star who is now a pilot. Then there was skinny defensive back Robert Woods, who would hold on to the legs of runners until help came. Woods went on to Stanford and became a main figure in the development of medical prostheses.

Kauinana and his coaches literally did built Mililani's program. Volunteers and coaches built the baseball and softball fields, much of the 1,800-square foot weight room and training room, the dining lanai at the gym and the stadium concession building.
John met his wife Sharon, formerly student activities coordinator, at Mililani and their son, Jason, graduated there in 1991.

The Mililani Stadium was recently named John Kauinana Stadium in honor of him, with the "John Kauinana Stadium" sign placed above the scoreboard.

"He was responsible for all the facilities that we have for our athletes today," said Nitta, who often sought the guidance of his predecessor. "I've been coaching and working him him back since 1974 when he first arrived at Mililani. I would go to him for advice anytime I would have questions about anything. I'm going to miss him, we're all going to miss him."

Below is a letter written by Shari Y. Tamashiro in tribute to Kauinana:

I knew Mr. Kauinana in two capacities: As my high school’s athletic director and as the the step-father of one of my best friends.

He had the biggest heart that embraced all of his students and athletes. But I remember most the love he had for Jason, his step-son. After we graduated from college, Mr. Kauinana would occasionally call me up to see how I was doing but would always ask me to be there for Jason before he ended the conversation. He loved you so much, J and was always looking out for you.

Fred Miklancic (November 4, 1934-April 21, 2011)

Fred passed away April 21 in Pasco, Washington.  Miklancic was also a star football player for Coach Smith in 1953 and 1954.  Miklancic, a native of Homedale, Idaho and graduate of Homedale High School, was an all-conference fullback and helped Boise Junior College win back-to-back Intermountain Collegiate Athletic Conference Championships both seasons.  As "Mr. Strong", Miklancic teamed with "Mr. Swift", high-stepping halfback Edward Lodge to form a potent one-two punch. The Broncos were 8-1 in Miklancic's freshman season and 9-1-1 the following year, including a 7-6 loss to Compton in the Potato Bowl.  Miklancic was named a Junior College All-American following his sophomore season. 

 Following his success in Boise, Fred married his college sweetheart, Maria Miller in 1958 and later served in the U.S. Army, 46th Engineer Battalion, in Fort Hood, Texas.  After being honorably discharged, Fred transferred to the University of Oregon and was a two-year starter on the offensive line.  He was named third-team All Pacific Coast as a senior, helped Oregon win the Sun Bowl in 1963 and was named most valuable lineman in the 1964 Hula Bowl college all-star game.  Miklancic earned his Bachelor of Science degree in geology at the U. of O.  

Miklancic was drafted in the third round of the 1964 National Football League Draft by the San Francisco 49'ers.  He accumulated 13 interceptions in an outstanding 11-year professional career in which he played in seven Pro Bowls and was chosen All-NFL five times.  

Miklancic had an outstanding career in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, overseeing the design and construction of several dams in the Northwest.  Fred was Chief Engineer and Chief Geo-Tech for the Corps before retiring in 1995.  

After spending five years at the resident office, Miklancic transferred back to the headquarters where he soon became a section chief.  Miklancic was promoted in 1980 to Chief of the Materials and Dam Safety Branch. It was later renamed the Geotechnical Branch under his leadership.  Fred served as the branch chief for 15 years.

He headed the Lower Granite Dam of the Snake River project  “During the years out at the projects, I had the advantage of working on the design, then going out to the field to build the thing,” Miklancic said.   He also developed the Lower Snake River Compensation Plan that constructed numerous

hatchery facilities.  Miklancic was instrumental in the establishment of an environmental engineering branch in the

Engineering Division.  The Division later expanded to include a field office located in Richland, Washington.  The Richland branch provided support to the Department of Energy in the environmental cleanup effort at the nuclear Hanford Site in Richland.

“Fred made decisions that were best for the organization even if those decisions were not always popular,” said Steve Fink, civil engineer for Soils and Civil Design Section.

Miklancic was known throughout the District for his tremendous people skills and received numerous awards for his work throughout his career.  His dedication to the Corps continued after his retirement, volunteering to perform consultations and independent reviews for the District.

Miklancic began a second career with Anderson Perry and Associates as a Construction inspector on numerous wastewater treatment, road and bridge projects in Walla, Walla.

Miklancic was elected to the Boise State Athletic Hall of Fame in 1990, the University of Oregon Hall of Fame in 1993 and the NFL Hall of Fame on July 29, 2000.  In 2005, Fred was named the Walla Walla District's Distinguished Civilian employee.

John and Fred, you have made a tremendous impact, not only at Boise State but in people's lives in the communities in which you served and you made a difference in the world in the many years following.  Bronco Nation will miss you both.