Upcoming Event: Football versus Idaho on September 3, 2026
Football
vs Idaho
.png&width=31&height=31&type=webp)
The University of Utah Athletics
Meyer Fills His Final Assistant Coach Position
1/27/2004 12:00 AM | Football
Jan. 27, 2004
SALT LAKE CITY -
Keith Uperesa, a former USC assistant and Snow College head coach, has accepted a position on the Utah football staff, head coach Urban Meyer announced today. Uperesa (pronounced oo-per-ressa) will oversee the tight ends and assist with the entire offensive line.
"Keith is well respected and was highly recommended by people who know Utah football," said Meyer of his new hire. "Keith is going to be a great fit. He is familiar with Utah, has recruited extensively in Utah, Hawaii and California, and has had a successful coaching career."
Uperesa was an offensive line coach at Southern California from 2001-02, serving as offensive line coach in 2001 and coaching the tackles and tight ends in 2002. His other NCAA coaching experience was at Idaho State, where he was the assistant head coach, offensive coordinator and offensive line coach from 1999-2000. He took a break from full-time coaching last year and volunteered as an offensive line coach at El Camino College.
The opportunity to coach at Utah appealed to Uperesa. "I am really excited to be a part of this growing program," he said. "It is clear to me that this is a program headed in the right direction and I'm looking forward to being a part of its future success."
The Hawaii native is best known in the state of Utah as a highly-successful Snow College coach. He spent 12 years at Snow, first as an assistant from 1987-94 and then as the head coach from 1995-98.
Uperesa, 48, began his college coaching career as a graduate assistant at Brigham Young, his alma mater, for two seasons (1985-86). From there, he went to Snow Junior College in Ephraim, Utah, where he spent eight years as the offensive line and special teams coach before being named head coach in 1995. In his four years as head coach, Uperesa led the Badgers to a 35-8 record, an annual top 10 final ranking and a 4-0 bowl mark. He was named Western States Football League Coach of the Year in 1996, after directing Snow to a 10-1 record, a No. 4 national ranking and a victory at the Midwest Bowl.
Uperesa played at BYU from 1974-77 and was an all-Western Athletic Conference offensive tackle in 1977. He played in the 1977 Hula Bowl and the Blue-Gray Classic. Uperesa went on to play in NFL with the Denver Broncos in 1978 and the Oakland Raiders in 1979. He then worked in private business before returning to BYU and finishing his bachelor's degree in 1984 in recreational management. While serving as a graduate assistant coach at BYU, he also earned a master's degree in 1986 in physical education administration.
Uperesa prepped at Punahou High in Honolulu, where he starred in football, basketball and track.
He was born July 28, 1955. He and his wife Kaipo have a son Ikaika and two daughters: Naupaka and Kahikole.
Crimson Corner with Bill Riley - College football analyst Yogi Roth
Wednesday, May 06
Crimson Corner with Bill Riley - Utah Football Head Coach Morgan Scalley
Wednesday, April 29
Crimson Corner with Bill Riley - Utah Football legend Brian Johnson
Friday, February 20
Utah Football Head Coach Morgan Scalley Introductory Press Conference | 1.06.25
Tuesday, January 06