University of Hawaii running back Dayton Furuta has rushed 90 times for a team-high 450 yards this season.
But his most meaningful carries are at home.
“I love holding Sky,” said Furuta, whose daughter is 3 weeks old today. “It’s good being a father. It’s fun. When I get home, I look forward to seeing my baby and helping out my fiancee.”
Furuta divides his time as a student, football player and father.
“This is my favorite semester at UH,” said Furuta, a fourth-year junior. “I’m playing football and now I have a daughter. Next year will be just as fun. I’ll have a daughter come to games.”
Because of Sky’s birth, Furuta was excused from traveling with the Rainbow Warriors to their regular-season finale against San Diego State on Thanksgiving weekend. While holding Sky, Furuta watched the telecast of the Warriors holding on to defeat the Aztecs in overtime.
Furuta is splitting this week taking final exams, preparing for the Dec. 22 SoFi Hawaii Bowl at Aloha Stadium, and spending time with his daughter.
It was a role in which Furuta gained experience as babysitter to his nephew.
“My sister had him when I was in high school,” Furuta said. “Just being there for him, and having the prior experience of holding him and changing him and learning how to swaddle and bathe him, it really helped for now because I was already in the groove when (Sky) came.”
Long-snapper Noah Borden, who is married with two children, has offered helpful tips.
“He’s doing good right now,” Borden said of Furuta. “What helped me was having an awesome wife. He has an awesome fiancee who’s helping him big time. Pre-planning, making sure you know what’s going on, and communication are the biggest things. You gotta love the family. They always come first.”
Borden said Furuta already has an advantage.
“He’s better at swaddling,” Borden said of the practice of wrapping infants in blankets. “Even after two babies, I’m still not good at swaddling. I cannot even wrap a (burrito) correctly.”
Furuta said: “I should double major in swaddling. As soon as you get the technique down, as soon as you understand, it’s fun. You get lots of repetition because babies have to get changed every hour or so.”
Furuta noted every day is father’s day.
“I look forward to it every day,” he said. “The new experiences I get, just being able to grow as parents, it’s just another level.”