As the Utes took the field Thursday night to roaring applause, a flag could be seen at the front of the pack bearing the number 95. The flag was in remembrance of freshman defensive tackle Gaius “Keio” Vaenuku, who was killed in a car accident on July 30 in Cuba, N.M. Thursday night’s game would have been Vaenuku’s first as a college player.
The rollover accident, which occurred early on a Tuesday morning about 85 miles outside of Albuquerque, injured another incoming Utah freshman — offensive tackle Salesi Uhatafe. His father, Salesi Uhatafe Sr. also survived with minor injuries. Uhatafe’s stepbrother Polo Manukainiu, a redshirt defensive lineman at Texas A&M, and brother Andrew “Lolo” Uhatafe, were killed.
Vaenuku, Manukainiu and the younger Uhatafe were teammates at Trinity High School in Euless, Texas. Vaenuku and Uhatafe were preparing to once again be teammates at Utah. The group was traveling to Texas for a few days before Vaenuku and Uhatafe were set to begin fall camp.
In the wake of this tragedy, Utah football also lost another member of their team family when former cornerback coach Aaron Alford died of a heart attack on Monday, Aug. 12. Alford coached at Utah for four years before becoming the assistant coach at Park City High School two years ago.
The entire team and coaching staff felt the weight of these losses and wanted to honor the memory of Gaius and Coach Alford with last night’s season opener.
Before kickoff, Vaenuku’s family took the field as the stadium took part in a moment of silence to honor his memory. The family was given a special framed 95 jersey.
But for the Utes, honoring the memory of both Vaenuku and Alford didn’t stop there. “Coach Whitt gave us a great speech at half time that really put things in perspective. He reminded us that Gauis’ whole family was here and that Coach Alford’s family was watching,” said Trevor Reilly, senior defensive captain.
“We didn’t do a good job of honoring their legacy, but I think we really showed heart and determination in that second half, and I would like to think that they would be really proud of us,” Reilly said.
Head coach Kyle Whittingham declined to share the details of what he shared with his team at the half but did say, “I wanted to make sure they understood, that we want to remember and honor guys, all of those that have passed.”