He was a ‘legendary player.’ Now he’s taking a major career step to coach at Boise State
Boise State co-defensive coordinator Kane Ioane’s father, Kas, tried to convince his sons not to become coaches, but neither could tear themselves from the sports they grew up playing.
Before joining Boise State football coach Andy Avalos’ staff in January, Ioane spent 15 years coaching at his alma mater, Montana State. He was also a safety for the Bobcats from 2000 to 2003 and still ranks No. 2 in program history with 491 career tackles.
Kip Ioane is in his 13th season as the men’s basketball coach at his alma mater, Willamette University in Salem, Oregon, where he was a two-time captain and a finalist for the Josten’s Trophy as a senior in 2001. The Josten’s Trophy is given to the Division III men’s basketball player of the year.
Kas coached boys and girls basketball, track and golf at Skyview High in Montana and was an assistant women’s basketball coach at his alma mater, Montana State-Billings, which was called Eastern Montana College when he was an NAIA All-American as a point guard.
“They saw what it took to be a coach, the time commitment, screaming fans and all that,” Kas said, “but they both, eat, drink and sleep sports.”
From the time they were in first grade, Kas’ sons followed him to practice, and his players were regulars at the Ioane family dinner table.
“High school players are like gods to you when you grow up immersed in it,” Kip said. “You see the guys in the newspaper and in the highlight packages on the news at 10 and all of a sudden they’re eating a spaghetti dinner at your house.”
It was during those moments away from the court that Kas, perhaps unknowingly, showed his sons the impact a coach can have on a young person.
“We got our philosophy from him in that the scheme is not as important as the kids,” Kip said. “If kids feel connected and that you give a damn about them, they’re going to make your scheme look really good anyway.”
Kane said he considered taking advantage of his business degree after his playing career ended, but whenever he did, he thought back to his childhood when his family couldn’t go out to dinner around Billings, Montana, without one of his father’s former players stopping by the table to say thank you.
“I want to have that type of influence on people,” he said. “You want that type of bond and you want that ability to be around people on an everyday basis that you love and respect.”
When it comes to coaching philosophy, Kas said Kip tends to be more like his mother, Rhonda, a former Montana Rodeo Queen, who made sure her voice was heard in whatever arena or stadium her boys were competing in.
“He’s always standing up, hollering and letting the kids know what they’re supposed to do,” Kas said.
Kane is more like his father — quiet but intense.
“Kane was never a screamer. He just quietly does his job,” Rhonda Ioane said. “Even as a player, he knew you could be fearless and fierce without pounding your chest and being stupid about your talent.”
‘The Griz were beaten’
Kane had plenty to pound his chest about as a safety at Montana State.
He is the only four-time All-American in program history, he was the Big Sky Conference Defensive Player of the Year as a senior in 2003 and he ranks No. 5 in program history in tackles in a season (142) and a game (21).
“One thing I prided myself on at the end of the day was when coaches were watching film, I wanted my (jersey) number in the frame every single play,” he said.
In 2014, he was inducted into the Montana State Hall of Fame.
“You’ve got to understand his history with the program. He’s a legendary player at Montana State, not just a great player,” said former Boise State assistant and Montana State head coach Jeff Choate, who recently left the Bobcats to join Steve Sarkisian’s staff at Texas. “There’s the legendary Sonny Holland, and a close second is either Travis Lulay or Kane Ioane, depending on who you talk to.”
The highlight of Kane’s playing career was a win over Montana in 2002, which snapped the Bobcats’ 16-game losing streak in the series.
It was a late November game in Missoula, which meant snow. The Bobcats led 10-7 late in the fourth quarter, but the Grizzlies got the ball late and put together a drive, which hinged on a third-down play near midfield.
Montana’s quarterback found his target on a quick pass over the middle that would have moved the chains and kept the Grizzlies’ hopes alive, but Kane dislodged the ball with a well-timed hit. With that, the streak was broken.
“Kane hit that guy so hard, and with the snow falling and the frozen tundra and all, the players went crazy,” said Rhonda, who, along with several family members, braved the elements that day in Washington-Grizzly Stadium. “They knew they were done. The Griz were beaten.”
Memories like that are why Montana State will always have a special place in his heart.
“That’s my alma mater. It will always be special,” Kane said. “I will always have an eye on Montana State as it continues to progress and grow and do big things.”
‘He is not a screamer’
Kane began developing into a tackling machine long before he ever stepped onto a football field.
Kas didn’t let his sons play tackle football until they were in high school, but he shared an office with Skyview’s football coach, who supplied the boys with helmets and shoulder pads.
Growing up, they played a game called goal line, which normally pit a ball carrier against a single tackler charged with protecting the end zone. But Kip said the only way to make it fair in their backyard was for him and his best friend to line up against Kane, two on one.
“We had to do it that way or it would be a blow out,” Kip said. “He was the best tackler and the hardest to tackle.”
Kip is three years older than his brother, and Kane went everywhere he went when they were young — every workout or pickup game. That left Kane competing against kids two and three years older than him from a very young age, which helped mold the competitive mindset that made him such a great player, Kas said.
“Kane was a little guy, but he always wanted to be challenged,” Kas said. “He has heart. That’s part of being Samoan. I always taught my boys about our culture, and they know they come from Warriors.”
Kane continues to challenge himself in his coaching career.
He first joined the staff at Montana State as a student assistant in 2004 on the advice of former Boise State player and assistant coach Pete Kwiatkowski, who recently left Washington to become the defensive coordinator at Texas. Kwiatkowski was the defensive coordinator at Montana State from 2000 to 2005, and he joined Chris Petersen’s Boise State staff in 2006.
After a brief stint in the NFL with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Kane returned to his alma mater to finish his degree, and it was then that Kwiatkowski pushed him to give coaching a try.
They were reunited in 2017 when Kane left Montana State to join the staff at Washington as an analyst. Kwiatkowski was the Huskies’ defensive coordinator.
“He sees the game so differently than everybody else,” Kane said. “Breaking down film with him at Washington, it was like a master’s program in football.”
Kane is making the leap from the FCS to one of a handful of Group of Five teams that are knocking on the door of the Power Five. That career move may seem like a stretch to some, but this isn’t his first opportunity at a full-time role on an FBS staff.
Choate said Kane had a chance to join the staff at Wisconsin in 2016 and work under former Boise State assistant Justin Wilcox, who was then the Badgers’ defensive coordinator and has been the head coach at California since 2017.
Kane also had a chance to work at Boise State when Avalos was the Broncos’ defensive coordinator, but Avalos said the timing didn’t work out. When he got the chance to hire him this time around, Avalos didn’t hesitate.
“A coach first of all is a mentor and a teacher, and that’s what we’re looking for,” Avalos told the Idaho Statesman on Feb. 4. “On and off the field, what’s his ability to connect and engage?”
Kane may never be the loudest coach on the sideline. He still isn’t very likely to pound his chest, but his former boss said his skill as a teacher may be the one thing that rivals his form as a tackler.
“He’s a really good teacher, and he just knows how to reach his players,” Choate said. “He is not a screamer, but he brings a lot of passion and good energy to meetings, and he’s very composed on the field.”
