Because of jobs in football coaching and broadcasting, University of Hawai'i defensive coordinator Jerry Glanville has not spent Thanksgiving alone with his family in more than 30 years.

"There's nothing like football," Glanville said.

Today, the Warriors will have a brief walk-through practice, eat at the homes of their relatives or host families, and then check into the Ilikai Hotel for a night of meetings and film sessions in preparation for tomorrow's game against Wisconsin.

"The best thing is being around the table surrounded by family on Thanksgiving Day," right tackle Dane Uperesa said. "When we're at the hotel, we'll be surrounded by our football family."

To be sure, the spirit of the holiday is not lost on several Warriors.

"To me," slotback Davone Bess said, "every day is Thanksgiving. I'm thankful for the way my life is now."

JUDGMENT DAY

Bess vividly recalls the white-knuckle moment when he approached the bench of the Contra Costa (Calif.) County Juvenile Court judge last year.

"Her name was pronounced 'hate,' " Bess said of Judge Lois Haight. "Imagine that. Going before 'Judge Hate.' "

Bess was seeking early release from a juvenile detention camp, where he had spent 15 months after being convicted as an accessory to a burglary. "My role was picking my friends up," Bess said. At the time, he was days away from leaving for Oregon State's football training camp.

The holidays, Bess said of his time in the detention camp, were the most difficult.

"I remember the Thanksgiving I was locked up," he said. "I wasn't allowed to see my family. I wasn't allowed to talk to them. It was a rough situation."

At the hearing to determine whether he would be granted an early release, Bess apologized. Judge Haight granted Bess' request.

"I'll never forget that last court date when the judge released me," Bess said. "Sept. 1, 2004. That was the day. There's not a day that doesn't go by that I don't think about that experience.

"I don't take anything for granted anymore," Bess added. "Just being on the field, being able to wake up and know you've got your freedom, that's a reason to be thankful, man."

FIGHTING SPIRIT

When nose tackle Michael Lafaele was a junior at Farrington High, his father was approved for a heart transplant on the Mainland.

"He was on the waiting list for a long time," Lafaele recalled. "He finally got his chance."

But just before the scheduled surgery, Lafaele's father suffered a fatal heart attack.

"He was a fighter," Lafaele said. "Even when he was having his heart attack, he was trying to stay alive for us."

Lafaele recalls his father's grittiness during difficult moments. As a Farrington senior, Lafaele accepted an offer to attend UH on a football scholarship.

"My parents raised us well," said Lafaele, one of four sons. "They told us education should always come first."

In his first two UH seasons, Lafaele, a third-year sophomore, struggled for playing time. "Many times I could have given up, and tried to do other things," said Lafaele, who has two daughters. "But I kept thinking of how my father would never quit. ... Even now, he drives me."

The perseverance led to Lafaele's emergence as the starting nose tackle.

"I know he's up there watching me," Lafaele said. "I always talk to him at night. I think about all of the things he taught me. He's my inspiration."

IN GOD'S HANDS

A year ago, running back Bryan Maneafaiga's life was in chaos. Soon after suffering a shoulder injury, he was suspended for violating the football team's drug policy. His father, Joey, was in prison on the Mainland.

"It's like, I had to stop," Maneafaiga recalled. "I was living so fast. I had to think about what I was doing. I said, 'Oh, man, it's not good.' "

Maneafaiga attended a church service, and last January, he became a Christian.

"I wasn't living right," he said. "I had to make a choice. I gave it all to God. That's probably my greatest memory at UH, giving my life to God. It's never been the same since. I took all of that pain and let it go."

Maneafaiga leads prayer sessions on UH's grass practice field every day. Last Friday, he delivered his testimony during a service sponsored by his church, Innovative Concepts.

During his sermon, he showed a clip on his life that aired on the "June Jones Show." The story detailed his father's struggles.

After his sermon, a man came up and "accepted Jesus," Maneafaiga said. The man, Maneafaiga said, identified himself as the police officer who arrested Maneafaiga's father.

"That was huge," Maneafaiga said. "Seeing how it all worked out for the good, that made everything complete. I'm thankful for the experience."

NOTE: Tickets for tomorrow's UH-Wisconsin game will be available today online only at etickethawaii.com. Tomorrow, they will be available at Stan Sheriff from 8 a.m., UH campus center from 8 a.m., Aloha Stadium box office from 9 a.m., RainBowTique in Ward from 10 a.m., and online at etickethawaii.com

Reach Stephen Tsai at stsai@honoluluadvertiser.com.