Abraham Elimimian, the longest-tenured member of the Hawaii football coaching staff, is leaving the program, a UH spokesperson confirmed to Spectrum News on Monday.
Elimimian, the Rainbow Warriors’ cornerbacks coach and ex-UH defensive back who was entering his ninth season in 2023, was a staple and constant through one of the most turbulent periods in program history. He served under five head or interim head coaches – Norm Chow, Chris Naeole, Nick Rolovich, Todd Graham and Timmy Chang.
In 2015, Chow hired the 2004 All-WAC first-teamer back to his alma mater from Simon Fraser University, where he was defensive coordinator. Each successive UH coach decided to retain him, most recently Chang, his former Warriors teammate. He's spent more than half of his coaching career at UH, including a stint as running backs coach under Graham in 2021.
The reason for the move was not disclosed. Elimimian did not respond to a message seeking comment.
Many of Elimimian’s most recent tweets gave thanks to various UH football support staffers in academics and strength training, most recently last week.
[UPDATE: Elimimian tweeted about his love for the university on Tuesday morning.]
Brian McInnis covers the state's sports scene for Spectrum News Hawaii. He can be reached at brian.mcinnis@charter.com.