For Doug Pederson, it was Jordan Mailata, a football beginner out of Australia who had all the tools to thrive and eventually did.
For Mike Singletary, it was watching Troy Polamalu and his free-flowing hair from afar.
The 2026 Polynesian Bowl, which kicks off at 4 p.m. on Friday at the Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex, will feature a pair of former NFL coaches in Pederson and Singletary. Pederson will lead Team Makai, while Singletary helms Team Mauka. Although neither are of Polynesian descent, both shared a deep reverence for the Pacific Islanders they encountered in their football paths.
Pederson remembers coaching the Philadelphia Eagles to the Super Bowl title in 2018, then seeing the franchise take a flyer on Mailata a few months later. Mailata blossomed into an All-Pro tackle and is still in the league.
"We worked out a bunch of kids, especially college kids, and Jordan never quit," Pederson recalled at Monday's Polynesian Bowl opening press conference. "We got him into Philadelphia. The smile on his face, first of all, his love for life, his love for the game, his passion to want to excel, really exposed me to Polynesian culture, such a family type thing."
Singletary, who won NFL Defensive Player of the Year awards as a Chicago Bears linebacker in 1985 and 1988, went on to coach for the Baltimore Ravens, Minnesota Vikings, Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers as an assistant coach. He was the head coach for the 49ers from 2009 to 2010, and although he never coached Polamalu, seeing the way he played resonated deeply with him.
"There's a young man who played for the Pittsburgh Steelers: Troy Polamalu. I looked at a special on him the other night, and I was inspired by what I saw," Singletary said. His ability to be able to dictate a particular game. There were games that I saw him take over simply because of his ability to be in tune with the game. ... When I think of the Polynesian people, I think there's a lot to be shared with African Americans. It's being able to have the opportunity and then being able to take advantage of the opportunity that you have."
At practices held at multiple O‘ahu high schools during the week, Pederson and Singletary were seen sharing their wisdom with the next generation of football stars. The 2026 Polynesian Bowl roster is perhaps its most talented yet, with 19 five-star recruits in both the classes of 2026 and 2027.
"It is an honor and a privilege to be here pouring into these young men. It gives me a lot of energy, a lot of excitement to be here, period," Singletary said. "Anytime I come back to Hawai‘i, it's always a tremendous blessing. The people here, the energy here, is always fantastic, inexpressible to me to be coaching these kids today, this week, along with Coach Pederson. It gives me great joy and very excited to do that. And for me, it's all about the kids. It's all about the young men and helping them to get to their next step, their next plateau, or their next mountain."
Added Pederson: "It's an honor to be out on the football field with such tremendous athletes. Guys are gonna go on and have futures in college, and hopefully one day, step onto the NFL field. It's an honor to be able to coach them and kind of pour into them a little bit, not only about football, but about life and what it means to be a to be a pro, to represent your families, your schools, your cultures. And it's just a great honor. So, I'm just thrilled to death to be here this week and look forward to working with these men, and obviously the game on Friday."
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Christian Shimabuku can be reached at christian@alohastatedaily.com.
