In the weeks since he was let go as the head football coach at the Naval Academy, Ken Niumatalolo has been both overwhelmed with gratitude for the more than two decades he spent in Annapolis and taken aback by the amount of former players, coaches and opponents who have reached out to him.
Niumatalolo was fired after Navy’s 20-17 double-overtime loss to Army on Dec. 10, the final game of a three-season run in which the Mids struggled to a 11-23 mark. However, Navy had been hit hard by the circumstances stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Mids showed signs late in the 2022 season that they were starting to break out of their funk.
No matter, the Academy moved on from Niumatalolo, who had become synonymous with Navy football. He had coached at Navy in some capacity since 1995 (save for a three-year stint at UNLV) and took over as head coach ahead of the 2007 Poinsettia Bowl when Paul Johnson left for Georgia Tech.
Niumatalolo, 57, walked out of the Academy with his head held high.
“I don’t leave here bitter at all. I’m grateful. I love the Naval Academy. I love the young men that I’ve coached. I love Annapolis. I’ve raised my family there, been here 25 years,” Niumatalolo said on Glenn Clark Radio Dec. 29. “So I have nothing but gratitude and fond memories of a great place that … has blessed me and my family. I’m grateful for [athletic director Chet Gladchuk] giving me an opportunity in 2007 to be the head coach. [I told Gladchuk], ‘Hey, things didn’t end the way we wanted, but hopefully my body of work was more than you expected in 2007.'”
Niumatalolo’s body of work across 15 full seasons is nothing short of remarkable. He went 109-83 overall. He qualified for 10 bowl games, winning six. He beat Army 10 times. He won the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy six times. He was named the American Athletic Association Coach of the Year three times.
But for all of his on-field success, Niumatalolo is best known for the type of human being he is. Former Navy football standouts Ricky Dobbs, Keenan Reynolds and Diego Fagot recently explained the impact Niumatalolo made on their lives. Scores of former players, coaches and opponents took to social media earlier this month to share their disappointment that Niumatalolo had been let go.
Recently, Niumatalolo has heard directly from many of the people he has impacted throughout the years.
“More than anything, I feel the great love from talking and communicating with former players and former coaches or opposing coaches,” Niumatalolo said. “I leave here with my head up because we did things the right way. I know I didn’t do anything to put us in a bad light. We were never on NCAA probation. Our kids graduated. We did things the right way on and off the field, so I have nothing but admiration and gratitude and love for having been at the Naval Academy for the last 25 years and the last 15 as the head coach.”
The COVID-19 pandemic was difficult on all college football programs, but Navy was arguably the program hit the hardest. The Mids played a 10-game schedule in the fall of 2020 despite not being able to practice in a way that would prepare players for close to a full slate of games. The Naval Academy didn’t budge on its no-redshirt policy, thus the Mids didn’t benefit from fifth-year players like Army and Air Force did.
Still, Navy showed signs of life late in the 2022 season. The Mids nearly completed a remarkable comeback against Notre Dame. They beat UCF in Orlando. And with Niumatalolo set to return 18 starters in 2023, it was easy to see the light at the end of the tunnel after a difficult three-year stretch for the Mids.
Niumatalolo says the players who have fought through the past three years will be better off in the long run.
“I’ve always thought that football is a laboratory of life, especially at the Naval Academy,” Niumatalolo said. “Going through hard things like our guys have gone through the last three years, I’m like, ‘You know what? This’ll make them stronger. This’ll make them a stronger father, a stronger husband, a better leader, to be equipped for adversity.’ And so some of my discussions talking to our superintendent [are] like, ‘Hey, this is an opportunity to show that we stand for something different,’ because I’ve seen the type of young men that have come from the school.”
Now, those returning starters will be led by Brian Newberry, who had been the Mids’ defensive coordinator for the past four years prior to being promoted to the head coaching position. Navy had the fourth-best scoring defense (24.2 points per game) and second-best total defense (339.1 yards per game) in the AAC in 2022. The Mids finished among the FBS leaders in rushing defense (88.9 yards per game) as well.
Niumatalolo hired Newberry away from FCS Kennesaw State after the 2018 season. Newberry paid immediate dividends, helping turn around a Mids defense that struggled during a 3-10 season in 2018 but bounced back during an 11-2 campaign in 2019. Niumatalolo joked that he knows how good Newberry is because he found him.
“He has a great defensive mind, super creative. He’s a really good person. He’s got a good heart. He’s going to do awesome. Brian is going to do awesome,” Niumatalolo said. “He’s been there four years now. He understands the Naval Academy and the rigors and some of the demands and some of the challenges. Brian will do a great job. I’ve had many conversations with Brian over the years. It’s very easy to find Coach Newberry sitting at his desk watching film. If you’re ever looking, you know exactly where he’s at.”
Niumatalolo doesn’t know what’s next at this point. Some opportunities have come his way, but he has opted to spend time with his family in Hawaii. He does not plan to retire and wants to coach again.
“I believe I still will coach, but I’m not going to just jump to jump,” Niumatalolo said. “I’m going to do what’s right for my family. I’ve always been driven that way. I’m a spiritual person. … Whatever the Lord has for me and my family, we’ll go from there.”
For more from Niumatalolo, listen to the full interview here:
Photo Credit: Kenya Allen/PressBox