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June Jones will be SMU's football coach

11:49 AM CST on Monday, January 7, 2008
By KATE HAIROPOULOS / The Dallas Morning News
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After a night of uncertainty, June Jones and SMU have reached an agreement to make him the school's new football coach, agent Leigh Steinberg said Monday.

As of the wee hours of this morning, Jones was torn between staying at Hawaii and taking on the SMU reclamation project.

But Jones and SMU have agreed to a five-year deal worth just short of $2 million a year. The deal is funded by boosters and will easily make Jones the highest-paid coach in Conference USA.

"When he woke up this morning, he was at peace and felt great about the decision to come to SMU," Steinberg said.

Jones, who arrived in Dallas early Sunday morning, met with SMU officials Sunday even while Hawaii made a late surge to sway him to stay. Hawaii came back with an enhanced offer, and passionate fans and even the governor called to intervene.

But after 70 days of searching for a new coach and plenty of drama, SMU got its splash hire. Jones, an offensive specialist, led Hawaii to a 12-1 record and a BCS bowl this season.

One of the most downtrodden programs in the Bowl Subdivision, SMU lured Jones, 54, away from an island where he could probably be elected governor.

Steinberg said Jones was on the phone back to the islands late into the night. But Jones was impressed with SMU's on-campus facilities, his meeting with SMU president R. Gerald Turner, the support of boosters "and the singular vision and commitment from the top to the bottom," Steinberg said.

Jones reportedly sent a letter to friends announcing his intention to resign from Hawaii on Saturday before he left for Dallas. The letter reportedly listed several reasons why Jones wouldn’t return to the school, centering on issues the athletic department had failed to deal with.

But Hawaii's late-hour push addressed the school's commitment to facilities and the program's infrastructure for the first time, causing Jones pause. As of late Sunday, Steinberg’s thought was "someone was going to be horrendously disappointed," Steinberg said.

"In 33 years of working in this field, I've never seen anything like that torrent of emotion. At the end of the day, he’s left the program in tremendous shape and left a legacy that can be passed on."

Jones went 76-41 in nine seasons at Hawaii, where he played quarterback and started his coaching career as a graduate assistant.

Since returning as head coach in 1999, he immediately resurrected the program, which went 0-12 in 1998. Hawaii went 9-4 in Jones' first season, the best turnaround in NCAA history.

But facilities and resources at Hawaii never improved with the team. Hawaii inexplicably waited until Thursday to make its initial offer to extend Jones’ contract, which expires June 30.

Jones will face another rebuilding job, one that some critics have labeled hopeless. SMU has had two non-losing seasons since 1989, when the program came back from the "Death Penalty." SMU is the only C-USA program that hasn't been to a bowl since 2002. Its last bowl appearance was in 1984.

The Mustangs were 1-11 this season after going 6-6 in 2006. The athletic department has run in the red for years and attendance has ranked near the bottom of C-USA.

Second-year athletic director Steve Orsini took his time replacing Phil Bennett, who was fired after almost six seasons on Oct. 28. Orsini repeatedly stated that it took time to pursue quality candidates, and that he was aiming high. He raised some $10 million from boosters toward the new coach. Bennett made about $500,000 a year.

Jones and Steinberg received permission from Hawaii to explore other options shortly before Christmas. Discussions with SMU intensified after Hawaii ended its season with a 41-10 loss to Georgia in last Tuesday's Sugar Bowl.

Jones is leaving his beloved, laid-back island culture for the stately homes of University Park and landlocked Dallas. Jones has coached in Texas before – for the USFL's Houston Gamblers and the Houston Oilers in the 1980s.

Jones spent 12 years in the NFL, including stints as head coach of the Atlanta Falcons and the San Diego Chargers. He turned down an opportunity to remain with the Chargers to take the Hawaii job for considerably less money in December 1998.

Jones is known for his prolific run-and-shoot offense that helped quarterback Colt Brennan become a Heisman finalist this season and former quarterback Timmy Chang to claim the all-time NCAA passing record. Hawaii's offense ranked third in the Bowl Subdivision this season, averaging 512.1 yards per game.

Jones survived a serious car accident in 2001, in which he suffered a torn aorta, and has said that he is lucky to be alive.

Other known candidates during SMU's lengthy search included former Miami coach Larry Coker, former Texas A&M coach Dennis Franchione and former Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Mike Martz. Rick Neuheisel acknowledged at least indirect contact before accepting the UCLA job. Former Navy coach Paul Johnson visited SMU in early December before taking the Georgia Tech job days later. Louisville coach Steve Kragthorpe had to hold a press conference in November to dismiss rumors he would leave for SMU.

SMU was the first Bowl Subdivision school to make a coaching change and the last remaining school to make a hire, before Jones' move opened the Hawaii position.


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