Posted: Tue Dec 25, 2007 9:59 am
Jones will give his assistants donation
By Stephen Tsai
HawaiiWarriorBeat.Com Editor
Dec 11, 2007
University of Hawai'i football coach June Jones will pay it forward.
A group of Hawai'i business leaders and UH supporters have pledged more than $100,000 as a gesture to thank and support Jones.
Jones, in turn, said he will give the entire amount to his assistant coaches and to improving the athletic department's deteriorating facilities.
"I want the money to go where it's needed," Jones said.
The nine-assistant coaching staff has received one across-the-board raise in nine years. UH's athletic facilities, which include a condemned Cooke Field infield, were sharply criticized during the Nov. 23 national telecast of the UH-Boise State game.
"I think that says an awful lot about the kind of guy June is," defensive line coach Jeff Reinebold said. "That's a window into June. He's very generous to make a gesture like that."
Jones is in the final seven months of a five-year contract, in which he is paid $800,016 plus bonuses annually. Half of his salary is paid through donations.
Last week, the group, led by retired First Hawaiian Bank chairman Walter Dods, sought donors to each contribute $2,000 as a show of support for Jones. As of yesterday, the group reportedly received $114,000 in pledges.
"It's an awful strong statement by the people who recognize what he's done here," Reinebold said. "Really, when you consider everything, he's probably done the greatest coaching job of all time. You compare our budget to the budgets of schools we compete against, and you see he's done an amazing job. Look at the facilities and budgets he's had to overcome."
More importantly, Reinebold said, Jones saved the football program. In 1998, UH was 0-12 under Fred vonAppen. The next year, Jones' first as UH head coach, the Warriors finished 9-4, which, at that time, was the greatest turnaround in NCAA football history.
Under Jones, the Warriors have had seven winning seasons in nine years, qualifying for six postseason bowls. This year, the 12-0 Warriors are the only Division I-A team to produce an unbeaten regular season.
"Everybody talks about the great job the South Florida coach did in building a program," Reinebold said. "But June resurrected a program. If the program was a patient in the hospital, they would call the priest to give the last rites. He took it off life support. He breathed life into it, and gave it an identity. (IS THIS WHAT SMU NEEDS?)
"When you're down, it's hard to get back up. Everyone is reminding your recruits how bad you are. You get slammed in every possible way. To take all of that stuff, and then build is very difficult. Look at all of the teams he's beaten â€" Purdue, Arizona State, Washington, Alabama, Michigan State. He's beaten teams from every major conference except the ACC. And he's doing it with essentially a Division II budget and facilities. That's amazing."
That's why Steve's been so secretive. Everyone on here til this point has acted like a bunch of anxious kids a week before X-Mas. Now we know what our potential gift is and we have to hope it doesn't get taken away.