Accomplished coach gives SMU turnaround shot

[HB Pony Dad]

June Jones may have saved two programs when he left Hawaii in favor of Southern Methodist University.

Jones led Hawaii to seven winning seasons during a nine-year tenure as head coach. The Rainbows went 12-1 and were ranked in the Top 10 most of the season, becoming only the second school from a non-affiliated conference to earn a berth in the Bowl Championship Series.

Jones took over a program that lost 18 straight games and finished 0-12 in 1998. He led Hawaii to a 9-4 record and share of the Western Athletic Conference championship in 1999, marking the greatest single-season turnaround in NCAA football history.

Jones installed his patented run-and-shoot system at Hawaii, which proceeded to set a slew of NCAA passing records. Quarterback Timmy Chang became the all-time passing leader at the Division I-A level with 17,072 career passing yards while replacement Colt Brennan broke 29 NCAA marks, including passing touchdowns in a season (58) and a career (131).

Hawaii produced five All-Americans, 52 all-conference performers and eight NFL draft picks during Jones' tenure. Meanwhile, the head coach - with a media-friendly personality and natural rapport with the fans - became a celebrity throughout the islands.

Despite the dizzying success, there was trouble in paradise. Changes, improvements and upgrades that Jones thought were imperative to keep the program moving forward were never implemented. According to Jones, Hawaii had a pathetic $50,000 recruiting budget, which basically precluded his staff from recruiting the mainland.

"There were just some lingering issues that needed to be addressed. Nothing had changed in nine years," Jones said. "It took me leaving for the Hawaii administration to wake up and realize that something needed to be done. Some of the problems that I spoke about are finally being fixed."

SMU lured Jones to Dallas by offering a salary of $2 million per year, more than double what he made at Hawaii. Athletic director Steve Orsini was determined to make a splash by hiring an established winner and hit a home run with Jones after failing to land former Navy head coach Paul Johnson, now at Georgia Tech.

"I have watched SMU from afar and was always intrigued as to why such a great school in a major media market could not get it done," Jones said. "I knew SMU had all the resources necessary to be successful in football."

Jones was also motivated by the challenge, wondering whether he could author the type of turnaround at SMU that he did at Hawaii. The Mustangs have not enjoyed a winning season since 1997 and finished 1-11 in 2007.

"I've been in these situations before and feel I know what it takes to get a program headed in the right direction," said Jones, who led the Atlanta Falcons to the playoffs a year after the team finished 4-11.

Jones once called the Run-and-Shoot offense "the great equalizer" and believes the pass-happy attack can accelerate the rebuilding process. He has already predicted that SMU will "rewrite the record books" while winning games it would not have in years past by simply confounding opposing defenses.

"I have been involved with this offense my entire career and I know it can be the catalyst for success. Just go back and look at the records of teams that have run it. The proof is on paper," he said.

Jones has already energized a program that had become irrelevant in Dallas, drawing an average of just 17,000 fans. Attendance at Gerald F. Ford Stadium is up, albeit slightly, as curious students and boosters check out a team that is suddenly piling up points and yardage in droves.

"Hopefully, as we start winning, we'll start selling out," Jones said.

Jones is confident he can get it done in Dallas, due largely to the commitment to football being made by Orsini and the rest of the SMU administration. Facilities improvements are underway, tough academic restrictions have been loosened a bit and Jones has been told that money will not be an impediment.

"We have a great leader in Steve Orsini, who I feel is a real visionary type of guy. Everyone, from the president to the trustees to the athletic director to the head coach, is on the same page with regard to what needs to be done to make SMU a football power again," Jones said.

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[Pony Soup]

Do it, JJ