Kodi Look was born into football. Her father, Wendell, was the head football coach for ‘Iolani since 1991, a position he held until retiring over the summer.
"I've been going to games since I was a baby," Kodi Look recalled to Aloha State Daily. "Been around practice since I was little. ... I wanted to be an NFL player when I grew up, but obviously I knew as I got older that wasn't a reality. But I knew I loved the game and loved being a part of it. It was kind of always a dream of mine [to work in football]."
A pair of former Oregon State assistant coaches in Mike Cavanaugh and Mark Banker used to frequently visit ‘Iolani on the Island recruiting trail and built a rapport with Wendell Look in the early 2000s. When Wendell introduced the two to Kodi, they told her she could have a job in the football office if she chose to attend the school. After graduating from ‘Iolani in 2008, Kodi Look went on to attend Oregon State in pursuit of her goal of a career in football.
In 2016, Look joined the University of Oregon's football operations staff. Though she initially joked that getting a gig for the Ducks was "joining the dark side" of the Oregon State-Oregon rivalry, she's been a mainstay at Oregon in her 10 years with the school, which has involved four different head coaches during her time there.
Look's title as Oregon's director of football operations is as all-encompassing as the gig sounds. Different days and different times of the year each come with their own set of demands. Spring ball and fall camp includes days full of physical and mental training for players and coaches. During Look's time with Oregon, the Ducks have routinely put together recruiting classes that are ranked in the top 10 nationally. Part of Look's duties include assisting with the coordination of recruiting visits and camps. Travel is another part of the job, even beyond the team's national Big Ten Conference schedule. Over the summer, Look was part of a Ducks contingent that went to Japan and held local camps and activation events in hopes of growing the program's fanbase in other parts of the world.
"I work closely with the administration side as well, the business office, compliance office, and then all the different departments in the building too," Look said. "I work with our dietitian, strength staff, video, so it's really everybody. You have to have communication with everybody every day because it's a big production, especially when we have practice."
Look also works closely with Oregon's coaches, ready to deliver in a moment's notice if a task is needed. She'll also communicate with players on a daily basis to assist with day-to-day needs. The vast majority of Oregon's freshmen are living away from home for the first time, a shock to the system for the 18 and 19-year-old boys who are learning to be independent. Some players may want to write letters home to their families but don't know how to properly address and mail letters. Others may want to buy a suit but aren't sure where to begin.
Relationships are paramount in collegiate athletics, and Look points to Detroit Lions three-time All-Pro offensive lineman Penei Sewell as an example of how rewarding the job can be. She beams with pride when recalling how much Sewell matured in his years as a Duck and how he's now married and a father of three.
Beyond the people inside Oregon's building, Look also communicates with NFL personnel. She was even named the 2025 NFL Liaison of the Year. Since 2017, 52 Oregon players have been selected in the NFL Draft, many of those calls made after scouts came to practices and games to see the players in person.
College football has evolved into a 24/7, 365-day sport over the years, and the rigors of the job keep her busy. Personal time has been one of the tougher sacrifices to make over the years.
"I missed a lot of birthdays, weddings, and I've never been to an [‘Iolani] reunion because it's always in December, and so I miss a lot of opportunities like that to reconnect with people, and so it is a big sacrifice," she said. "But I look back and just see all the different opportunities and experiences that I get to have with football, and I wouldn't trade it."
Look's desire to work in football was affirmed early on in her career, back when she was with the San Jose SaberCats of the Arena Football League in 2014.
"I had to wear a lot of hats when I worked there because we had a small office," Look recalled. "I was an operations person, I was an executive assistant to the head coach. I helped with ticketing. Our media guy quit right before our season, and I had to help do the media guide. I'd never done it before, but it was worth it."
Back in high school, Look actually played for her father and was the starting kicker for ‘Iolani's HHSAA Division II state championship team in 2007. She remembers during one of her made extra points in the 2007 state title game, she made the kick despite a Lahainaluna defender bumping into her. When she got back to the sideline, she remembers her father yelling at her, telling her she should have embellished the contact in order to draw a penalty.
"Growing up, he was very strict and critiqued me on every little thing, and I didn't really understand it at first. But when I grew up and went to college and kind of had to be on my own, I started to realize those were life lessons that he was trying to teach me," Kodi Look says of Wendell Look. "I would say he always instilled the One Team [‘Iolani's motto] spirit in me and just working as a team and it's not about you, it's never about an individual, it's about everybody. Just putting in the hard work and not expecting things."
In a male-dominated sport, Kodi Look also wants to show that there's a place for women in it.
"It was tough at first to kind of get my foot in door and show my worth, but a lot of women are in football now and in director roles, too. It's a great feeling to be able to represent and show that we're supposed to be here," she says.
For the 2026 season, Oregon is currently 2-1 and ranked No. 20 in the country. The Ducks entered the season with national championship aspirations and still possess them heading into a pivotal game at No. 12 USC at 1:30 p.m. HST on Saturday.
Following its Big Ten opener this weekend, the Ducks will be idle on the field next week. But for Look, the grind never stops.
"Anyone who's interested in getting into sports, my advice to them is to make sure that this is really what you want to do, because it's a big commitment and it's a big sacrifice in your life," Look said when asked what she tells those who inquire about getting into her line of work. "You give up a lot of personal time with family and friends. If it's something that they really want to do, once they get their foot in the door, just work hard."
Christian Shimabuku can be reached at christian@alohastatedaily.com.
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