Kalani Sitake’s journey to be the first Tongan head coach in college football defies the odds, statistician and BYU President Shane Reese said Tuesday at a campus devotional.
Reese told a story recently shared by Sitake’s sister, Pamrose, about the childhood challenges the family faced when their parents split.
Their father, Tom Sitake, moved the family from Tonga to Provo, Utah, when Kalani was 7 years old
“They couldn’t afford tickets to BYU football games,” Reese said. “So Coach Sitake’s dad, ‘Pops,’ would often park near the stadium and just listen to the broadcast and the roar of the crowd.”
Tom taught his sons to be men and football players, and both Kalani (1994, 1997-2000) and TJ (1999-2000, 2004-05) realized their dreams to play for the Cougars.
Kalani Sitake then began a coaching journey that included assistant coaching jobs at Eastern Arizona, BYU, Southern Utah, Utah and Oregon State.
In December 2015, BYU named him its head coach.
“In a single generation,” Reese said, “this family of faith went from listening outside the stadium to having one of their own coach the team inside of it. Through faith in Christ, we can defy the odds.”
Reese’s devotional talk was about how God wins improbable victories in the lives of his followers.
He talked Tuesday about the excitement this year’s BYU team generated with astounding come-from-behind wins in the final seconds. In one of the victories, win probability models gave the Cougars a 99.9% chance of losing late in the game.
Reese quoted what Sitake has taught his BYU players about working through adversity: “It’s Jesus and the Atonement that will give us strength. Those difficult times will make our rushing-the-field moments even better.”
Sitake has won 62% (71-43) of his games as BYU’s coach, including one season with 10 wins (2021) and two years with 11 wins (2020 and 2024). His teams are 4-2 in bowl games.