It was an interesting summer for Navy football coach Ken Niumatalolo, who slightly altered his normal routine for family and professional reasons.

With all three children now out of the home, Niumatalolo agreed to perform more speaking engagements than past years. Niumatalolo estimates he spoke at 10 different events around the country, including the University of Alabama Football Clinic, the California Athletic Directors Association and the Hawaii High School Association Hall of Honor.

“I made a bunch of appearances in May and June… a lot more than I usually do,” he said.

Niumatalolo then traveled to Provo, Utah for the birth of his first grandchild. Eldest son Va’a and wife Kenzie welcomed a daughter in late June. Becoming a grandfather at the age of 52 was an eye-opening experience for the career football coach.

“I was able to spend some time with my son and our new baby granddaughter in Utah, and that was a very special time for me,” he said. “It is hard to believe that I’m a grandfather. It’s kind of a life-changing event and has changed my outlook a little bit.”

Niumatalolo headed off to Hawaii in July, although his visit to Honolulu was a bit shorter than previous summers — squeezed between the Utah visit and the American Athletic Conference kickoff event on July 16-17 in Newport, Rhode Island.

“It’s more psychological for me to go back home and visit with my family,” said Niumatalolo, who appreciates spending time with his 84-year-old father Simi more than ever. “It’s a chance to get away, take some time, reflect on things and get some perspective on life.”

Niumatalolo actually went back-and-forth between Utah and Hawaii during late June and July. He was honored to speak at the Provo Fourth of July Patriot Service, held at the Brigham Young University Marriott Center. That is one of the largest Independence Day celebrations in the country.

“I was kind of a world traveler this summer,” Niumatalolo said. “Although I did take some time off, it was the busiest summer of my career.”

That marks a major concession on the part of Niumatalolo, who firmly believes vacation time should be used in its entirety. Since taking over as Navy head coach, Niumatalolo has insisted that assistants and other football staff members relax during the summer months because he wants them refreshed when August preseason camp rolls around.

“During the season, everything is football and you think the whole world revolves around it. I need that time to get away and remember there is more to life than football. It just helps me find that balance and the proper perspective,” he said.

“That is the formula that has always worked for me — to get away and recharge the batteries. I tell my assistants and support staff to do the same thing. Because when July 31 comes around, we can’t be tired. That is when we need to be energized and ready to ramp it up.”

Niumatalolo returned to the East Coast to participate in AAC media days and to oversee Navy’s annual football camp. Barbara Niumatalolo did not come back to Maryland with her husband, another change in the couple’s usual summer routine. Alexcia Niumatalolo lives in Hawaii and works as a flight attendant while Va’a Niumatalolo is a member of the BYU football team and Ali’I Niumatalolo will be a freshman walk-on with the Utah football program.

“Normally, my wife would come back to Annapolis with me, but she stayed in Hawaii to visit with my daughter then is going to head to Utah to visit our sons,” Ken Niumatalolo said.

Niumatalolo is beginning his 10th season as head coach at Navy and diehard fans will be happy to know he is just as excited now as the day he was promoted in December, 2007.

“I feel as strong going into the season as I ever have. My motivation, competitive spirit and desire to win haven’t changed one iota,” he said. “I’m not burned out one bit after 27 years of coaching. I still feel vibrant, still excited for the season to start, still anxious to work with our players.”

This will be Navy’s third season in the American Athletic Conference, which consists of 12 schools for football. The Midshipmen have already made a major impact on the league, capturing the West Division championship last season after finishing as runner-up in 2016.

Remarkably, Niumatalolo is already the elder stateseman among head coaches in the conference, which has seen unprecedented turnover the last two years. Niumatalolo recalls attending an AAC meeting of football coaches that included the likes of George O’Leary (Central Florida), Tommy Tuberville (Cincinanati), June Jones (SMU) and Ruffin McNeill (East Carolina) among others.

“All the coaches from that original meeting that I attended are gone,” Niumatalolo marveled.

“It’s interesting, some schools have changed coaches twice since then.”

Chad Morris and Philip Montgomery are the second-longest tenured head coaches in the AAC, having been at SMU and Tulsa, respectively, for three years each.

“It’s weird for Ken, Phil and I to be the senior coaches in the conference, and yet this is just our third media day,” Morris said. “It certainly is unique to feel like an old-timer in the league when you haven’t even been at your own school that long.”

This past offseason saw three of the top head coaches in the American move on to Power Five conference schools with Tom Herman leaving Houston for Texas, Matt Rhule departing Temple for Baylor and Willie Taggart being lured away from South Florida by Oregon.

“It says a lot about this conference that Power Five schools are picking off our head coaches,” Niumatalolo said. “There’s no doubt the quality of football is recognized at the highest levels of college football.”

Several other coaches were fired for not being competitive enough in the conference, testament to the bar set by the likes of Houston, Temple, South Florida and Navy. Connecticut canned Bob Diaco while Tuberville resigned at Cincinnati this past offseason. Central Florida, East Carolina and Tulane all made coaching changes following the 2015 campaign.

Randy Edsall has returned for a second stint as head coach at Connecticut while Houston promoted offensive coordinator Major Applewhite to the top post. Cincinnati and Temple both lured coordinators away from Power Five schools in Luke Fickell (Ohio State) and Geoff Collins (Florida).

South Florida made a major splash by hiring Charlie Strong just one month after he was fired at Texas. Strong previously had tremendous success at Louisville when it was a member of the American.

“Everybody knows Charlie Strong — a great football coach and an even better person. Just tremendous integrity and a track record of success. We know he’s going to bring a lot to the table football-wise and keep South Florida as a strong program,” Niumatalolo said.

“For a league that’s trying to gain some traction and respectability, you need coaches like that. When people saw that South Florida hired Charlie Strong, they were like ‘Wow!’ Coach Strong’s reputation precedes him.”

Niumatalolo is becoming a real rarity in college football, a coach who has spent 20 years at the same school. He served a total of 10 years as an assistant in Annapolis under Charlie Weatherbie and Paul Johnson before being promoted to head coach.

“It’s a real blessing that this will be my 20th season at the Naval Academy. That is definitely very rare in this profession,” Niumatalolo acknowledged. “I feel very fortunate to coach at a great institution. I coach great young men and have a great staff. I love going to work every day.”

Morris, for one, is amazed by Niumatalolo’s longevity at Navy. Of course, the fact Niumatalolo boasts a stellar 77-42 career record and is the winningest coach in school history has a lot to do with it.

“In this profession, those are rare guys. With the volatility of this business in terms of guys getting fired or changing jobs, to see someone at the same school for 19 years is truly amazing,” Morris said. “It’s a real tribute to Ken as a person and the program he has built.”

Niumatalolo is blessed to have eight assistants that have been at Navy for 10 years or more, highest of any school in the Football Bowl Subdivision. Defensive coordinator Dale Pehrson is going into his 22nd season in Annapolis while offensive coordinator Ivin Jasper is starting his 18th.

“I’ve said all along that’s been the key to our successs — continuity of staff. I feel very fortunate that our staff has stayed together so long,” Niumatalolo said. “That continuity is what has helped maintain the culture of our program. Our coaches know what we’re looking for when they go out on the road recruiting — tough kids that have the mentality to succeed at the academy.”

Slotbacks coach Danny O’Rourke has been at Navy for 16 seasons while outside linebackers coach Justin Davis is next with 11. Fullbacks coach Mike Judge, offensive line coach Ashley Ingram and inside linebackers coach Steve Johns are all beginning their 10th season.

Navy has lost just six assistants during the Niumatalolo era, with Chris Culton becoming the most recent departure. Culton did not have his contract renewed in June after spending 14 years on staff.

“I think it says so much about Ken and his leadership style. He has created an atmosphere that assistants want to be part of,” Morris said. “Obviously, it’s a great working environment and you’re dealing with outstanding kids. However, the head coach is the individual that sets the tone for the program and Navy is a reflection of Ken and his beliefs.”