The Dreadhead Trio of Greatness
If you went around and asked football enthusiasts like myself, what offensive system or philosophy influenced you, the answers may differ. Some might say the Pro style offense or the spread offense. Maybe you might have some old heads with the wishbone or wing-t. If you ask me, it’s the Run N Shoot. What? That old offense that fizzled out in the nineties? Yes, while it died in the NFL and evolved into the spread option/ rpo offense in college, the Run N Shoot was very much alive in the Hawaiian islands.
The Run N Shoot is predicated on a Quarterback and his Wide Receivers possessing a tremendous about of trust and intelligence. A single route can turn into at least 5-7 combinations, dependent on defensive reads and with no tight end/ only five blockers, a receiver must get open quick. Come 2005 and the dawn of swagger, speed and skill hit Aloha Stadium.
Dawning the iconic Nike Black Hawaii Jersey, with the green numbers and white trim was three men. Their last names in white, partially covered by their dreads read out Bess, Rivers and Grice-Mullen. Their looks, iconic. Their play, incredible. They combined for a career 822 receptions, 10,899 receiving yards and 112 touchdowns. During their time in Manoa, the trio captured a WAC title, the 06 Hawaii Bowl, a BCS birth, national attention and award nomination. All three players are in the top 5 for receptions, yards and touchdowns in UH history and all three will be in my Top 100 Hawaii Warriors of All-Time list as Top 25 selections.
In 2007, a fourth dreadhead receiver was added when C.J. Hawthorne converted from defensive back. I got four words to describe Hawthorne. Vertical and Horizontal Speed. Hawthorne was a dawg who could fly, especially with the ball in his hands. The dreadheads made football fun for me, in fact my passion for the game came from watching them run all over defenses. I’ll never forget their play in the victories over Boise State and Washington. They had so many iconic moments. Bess summersaulting into the endzone. Grice-Mullen making defenders look stupid in open space, the man snatched ankles on a weekly basis, Rivers’ one leg sideline catch against Washington, the tribute to Sean Taylor. This list goes on.
Every boy in Hawaii wanted to wear Ryan Grice-Mullen’s #1, Davone Bess’ #7 and Jason Rivers #84 as kids. I know I did. To have all three in black and green at the same time was incredible to watch. They influenced a whole generation of Warriors fans and I am not alone when I say all three men should be inducted into the UH Hall of Fame.
