A Football Carol

"I am confident that the spirit and unity the Warriors and all the people of Hawai'i gained as a result of Coach Jones' accomplishments will continue as the University of Hawai'i moves into a new chapter in its athletic history." - Governor Linda Lingle

At the time the Governor delivered her public farewell to outgoing University of Hawaii head football coach June Jones, the words sounded more like a eulogy then a goodbye. A mournful admission of defeat to a downtrodden people. Now, less then a week later, the words carry a renewed sense of hope as the University positions itself to rebound in the wake of Jones’ stunning rebuke. The feelings of despair have been replaced by a guarded optimism and a renewed sense of hope. The discussions about the demise of the football program have turned into debate over how UH can not only salvage the remnants of disaster, but regain their pre-Sugar Bowl momentum and continue to take their football program to the next level.

How did we arrive at this point? How did the administration stage the kind of turnaround we’ve become accustomed to seeing from the football team? Finally, and most importantly, what recent developments revived the spirits of Warrior Nation and positioned the University of Hawaii to recapture the magic of 2007?

[Author’s note: I have been so busy and the events of the past week have transpired so quickly that from the moment I started writing this article (Tuesday, 1/8) to now (Tuesday 1/15), the subject of this article has changed three times. In order to make sense of the rapidly evolving landscape of the June Jones aftermath, I’m going to channel my inner-Dickens and summon three ghosts to help provide clarity:

• The Ghost of UH Football Past
• The Ghost of UH Football Present
• The Ghost of UH Football Future

Don’t worry, I promise the last ghost won’t try to push you into your grave. I make no promises about the first ghost…]

The Ghost of UH Football Past: Monday, January 7

Enter skeletal figure, carrying ominous scythe, wearing a long black hooded cloak and bearing an uncanny resemblance to Herman Frasier.

(Herman): Come with me, brave souls, and learn from my misdeeds. It is too late to save me, but perhaps you can save yourselves. What I show you may chill you to the bone, but it is the only way to save you…the only way…

On the morning of Monday, January 7, less then a week after the Warriors stunning Sugar Bowl defeat, Stephen Tsai of the Honolulu Advertiser announced the unthinkable: June Jones had accepted an offer to become the head football coach for Southern Methodist University. Making matters worse, June suggested he left because of frustration over the UH’s poor athletic facilities and the lack of commitment from the UH Administration to improve them. Not only was our savior/hero coach leaving, but he essentially announced that no one else would want to replace him because the University lacked the necessary infrastructure to succeed.

At the time, it seemed like the death knell for the football program at the University of Hawaii. Twelve years after June rescued the program from an 0-12 season and a likely move to Division II, it appeared that the program would once again slip into obscurity. In the blink of an eye, the groundswell of support generated by the Warriors miraculous run to the Sugar Bowl, turned into a tidal wave of sadness, frustration and anger.

As I watched a horde of screaming fans demand for the immediate termination of athletic director Herman Frasier on the evening news, I hung my head, took a deep breath and prepared to write a eulogy to the University of Hawaii football program…

(Herman): I’d show you more of Black Monday’s harrowing events, but I didn’t anticipate the demand for reviewing them and I sold the remainder of the tickets. As I said, it’s too late for me…for me…for me…

The Ghost of UH Football Present: Tuesday, January 8

Enter kindly subdued Asian man, holding two Heisman trophy’s, wearing an NCAA Championship ring and a Tennessee Titans jersey.

(Norm Chow): Hello, fellow sons of Hawaii. I know that all hope seems lost, but the sky is always blackest just before the dawn. Take my hand, I can show you the way.

[Author’s note: I’m not entirely sure why my Norm Chow speaks like Cain from Kung Fu, but I wouldn’t it be REALLY funny if he did. Seriously, can’t you imagine him getting all Zen-Master on Vince Young?

“Vince, Confucius say, Quarterback who runs first, pays later”

Ok, maybe it’s just me.]

No one can pinpoint exactly what happened between Monday and Tuesday, but no one denies that something took place. Maybe it was the long night sleep. Maybe it was the abrupt firing of Herman Frasier. Maybe it was Lee Cataluna’s article unabashedly disparaging June Jones that cathartically ripped off the band-aid. Whatever it was, the tenor of the general public on Tuesday had a markedly different tone then it did on Monday. All of a sudden, June Jones dissenters came out of the wood work. Government officials and UH Administration members began discussing ways to improve the UH facilities. Fans began suggesting ways the University could not only salvage the situation, but continue to improve the football program.

On my way home from work that day, I had an epiphany: Norm Chow.

Norm Chow is an offensive mastermind who could continue the tradition of high scoring offensive innovation at the University. He tutored two Heisman winners (Ty Detmer, Matt Leinart) and aided in the development of two other NFL stars (Phillip Rivers, Vince Young). Furthermore, since he most recently worked as the offensive coordinator for the Tennessee Titans, he would bring an NFL pedigree to the University to help attract further recruits.

But that’s just half of it. The real beauty of hiring Norm Chow is how much both sides need and would appreciate each other. It is no secret that Norm has wanted to become a head coach for a long time now. He waited patiently at BYU for over 15 years only to see the head coach job eventually go to someone else. He’s continued to work as an offensive coordinator, molding Phillip Rivers into a Top #5 NFL draft pick at NC State and helping USC win a national championship, but each time he applied for a job – first at Stanford, later at Washington – the Universities decided to hire someone else. Now, with UH desperately in need of a head coach, they can finally offer a native son an opportunity to claim his rightful spot as the head of a football program.

The final piece positive aspect of hiring Norm Chow is the large outpouring of support he would receive from the local community. While June Jones ostracized many of the long time football fans when he changed the team colors, uniforms, logo and the name of the team from the Rainbows to the Warriors. Most fans eventually came around when he began to turn around the program, but many old timers retained their bitterness to a coach whom they viewed as an outsider. Norm, on the other hand, is the ultimate insider. He is born on the islands, has openly discussed longing to return and has the respectful, deferential mindset that islanders love and respect – think the Dan Akaka of football. In short, Norm Chow offers an opportunity to retain the new fans and win back the old ones.

Truly, a match made in heaven.

(Norm Chow): I am humbled by your praise, but sadly, our destinies do not align. Fear not my sons, I have more offense to orchestrate while your fate lies in the hands of another…another…another…

The Ghost of UH Football Future: Wednesday, January 9 – Tuesday, January 15

Enter portly, jovial man wearing a Sugar Bowl hat, national championship ring and a beaming smile.

(Greg McMackin): Hi, I’m Greg McMackin. It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m honored to meet such a loyal fan of the Warrior football program.

(You): Really? Wow, thanks.

(Greg McMackin): You’re very welcome. If you’d be so kind as to come with me, I have some exciting things to show you.

When June Jones left, it was a foregone conclusion that current Warriors defensive coordinator, Greg McMackin, would follow him to SMU. Greg was a loyal June supporter and had previously said that he’d never work for another head coach again. However, on Wednesday afternoon, Bobby Curran announced a way that Greg McMackin could remain at the University without working for a new head coach: He wanted to be head coach.

Fireworks exploded in my head. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. It was too perfect.

Greg McMackin is a FABULOUS football coach. He’s not an offensive guru like June Jones, but he has equal talents on the defensive side of the ball. He was the defensive coordinator of the fearsome Miami teams in the late 80’s that won a national title, worked as the defensive coordinator of the Seattle Seahawks for four years and was the associate head coach for the San Francisco 49ers. He was also the head coach at Oregon Tech for four years, during which time he won the NAIA national championship as well as the coach of the year award twice. He was the defensive coordinator for the University of Hawaii for two years under coach June Jones and the Warriors won the WAC championship both years; Interestingly enough, the only two years in which June led the Warriors to a WAC title.

Hiring McMackin gave us a chance to retain the majority of our coaching staff and our recruits and completely eliminate any setbacks from trying to install a new offensive or defensive system. Even though June Jones served as the offensive coordinator through his tenure at UH, assistant coach Ron Lee has run the run-and-shoot for over 20 years, nine of them under the tutelage of Jones, and worked as the offensive coordinator for Coach McMackin at Oregon Tech where they won two NAIA titles in four years. If Coach McMackin took over the program, he could turn the offense over to Ron’s capable hands and keep the high octane offense in place at Aloha Stadium.

While I worked myself into a frenzy and proceeded to call every sports fan I knew, I could not shake the feeling that something would get in the way of this perfect situation.

The interim athletic directors wouldn’t get the deal done.
The legislature wouldn’t make the necessary commitments to the facilities.
McMackin would have second thoughts and decide to join June at SMU.

(You): Does it work out ok? Does Coach McMackin get the job? Can they afford to get the operation for Tiny Tim?

(Coach McMackin): (laughs) You’ll see.

On Tuesday, January 14, UH did the impossible. They salvaged the wreckage of their program, made the perfect hire and restored faith in their football program. At eight in the morning, UH Chancellor Virginia Hinshaw announced that the University was hiring Greg McMackin to become the next football coach of the Warriors. She also announced that the University had committed to upgrade the athletic facilities. Lastly, she stunned the crowd when by letting them know that Tiny Tim had a successful operation and that he was committing to the UH football team to play quarterback.

(Ok, she might not have announced that last part, but it sure felt like it.)

In the span of eight days, the University managed to save their football program and, more importantly, save a fan base that had completely lost hope. They still have a lot of work to do to convince their recruits not to follow Coach Jones, face an uphill battle in acquiring long term financial commitments from the legislature and will need to continue their recent success in order to keep their fans energized, but for the moment, all is well in Warrior Nation.

What once sounded like a desperate plea by the Governor, now stands out as a beacon of hope. A reminder that the spirit and the unity of the State of Hawaii will prevail.

God bless the Governor.

God bless the Administration.

God bless Coach McMackin.

(Tiny Tim): God bless us, every one!

(You): Amen, Tim. Amen.