Coach Jones critical but stable after surgeries

By Dan Nakaso and Scott Ishikawa
Advertiser Staff Writers

June Jones, the University of Hawai'i coach who became a symbol of success across the Islands by turning around a hapless football team, was in critical but stable condition tonight after his car veered off the H-1 Freeway and smashed into a concrete pillar.

University football coach June Jones underwent surgeries for multiple injuries after his Lincoln Town Car slammed into a concrete pillar near the airport viaduct this morning. Advertiser library photo

Jones, who turned 48 on Monday, suffered a skull fracture, chest and abdominal injuries. He underwent the second of two, two-hour operations tonight to control internal bleeding.

The news of the crash stunned people throughout Hawai‘i.

The Queen’s Medical Center was so overwhelmed by callers checking on Jones’ condition that the hospital asked that people stop calling.

“We all understand what June means to our community and all the good things he has done, not only for the University of Hawai‘i but the entire state of Hawai'i,” said UH athletic director Hugh Yoshida. “Please join all of us in the athletics department in prayer for June’s full recovery.”

Jones’ major injuries were bleeding in the abdomen and a tear in his aorta, the main artery that supplies blood to the lower half of the body, said Queen’s trauma doctors Gail Tominaga and Neil Ferguson.

Jones arrived in the emergency room unconscious and unresponsive because of a possible concussion, Ferguson said. But the results of a CAT scan were normal, a sign that Ferguson said was “encouraging.”

“His blood pressure is stable and the bleeding has been controlled,” Ferguson said tonight. Jones was to remain overnight in the hospital’s intensive care unit.

Doctors said they didn’t know if Jones suffered a seizure or any other medical problem that might have caused him to lose control of his car.

The doctors’ next concern is looking for injuries not evident during the initial stages of treatment, Ferguson said. Patients with multiple injuries also have to be monitored for infections, he said.

Coach not wearing seat belt

Jones was driving alone today from a meeting in Kaneohe, Yoshida said.

He was town-bound on H-1 near the Nimitz Highway off-ramp when he lost control of the car at 10:35 a.m., police said.

His black, 1999 Lincoln Town Car veered off of the H-1 and slammed into a concrete bridge abutment 78 feet from where the car left the highway.

Jones was not wearing a seat belt and his head apparently twisted around the air bag and hit the car’s windshield, police said. It did not appear that Jones was speeding, police said.

The impact pushed the car’s engine back into the passenger compartment, pinning Jones’ right knee under the steering wheel. The force of the crash bent the hood of the car like an accordion.

Golf clubs scattered inside the car, including one that snapped in half and wedged itself into the steering wheel. Jones is an avid golfer who learned the sport at the age of 7 and played on the Celebrity Players Tour.

Fire crews arrived at 10:52 a.m. and saw people running toward the crushed Town Car. Emergency Medical Services paramedics and police were already tending to Jones, said Fire Capt. Moke Hauanio.

“As I was running toward the car, one of the officers, I believe, said that was June Jones,” Hauanio said. “It didn’t make a difference. We were there to extricate and get somebody, who needed help, out.”

Jones was briefly conscious when he was pulled from the wreckage but was unconscious by the time medical personnel took him to an ambulance, police said.

Family and friends gather

At the hospital, dozens of people, including friends, coaches, players and UH officials gathered, many of them in tears.

Honolulu Mayor Jeremy Harris said the news stunned him and his wife Ramona. “We join all of Hawai‘i’s citizens in praying for his full recovery and for his family to be strong during this most trying time.”

Gov. Ben Cayetano was told about the crash while on his way to Washington, where he will attend a meeting of the National Governors Association this weekend.

“He has had such a positive influence on our student athletes, our people and our state,” Cayetano said. “Our prayers are with June and his family in this difficulty time, and we hope for a speedy and full recovery.”

Word spread quickly, but quietly, across the UH campus.

“You always think of something like this happening to the bad guys,” said wide receiver Justin Colbert. “He’s such a good guy. It’s hard to believe something terrible could happen to him. All you can do now is to give him your blessings and hope he’s strong enough to pull through.”

UH basketball coach Riley Wallace relayed word from the hospital to the coaching staff.

“Our prayers are with him. He’s a very special person,” Wallace said. “I hope all the prayers of the state are behind him. He’ll need that through this tough time.”

Jones brought victory to team

June Sheldon Jones III took over the Rainbow Warriors football program in December 1999 after the team ran up the nation’s longest active losing streak of 19 games.

He inherited nearly the same group of players but motivated and inspired them to a 9-4 record. That year, UH won the Oahu Bowl and conference co-championship — the Rainbows’ first WAC title since 1992.

Attendance shot up by 9,000 tickets per game and fans half-jokingly talked about a “June Jones for governor” campaign.

CNN/Sports Illustrated, American Football Coach/Schutt Sports and The Sporting News named Jones national coach of the year. The WAC also picked Jones as its coach of the year.

Jones came to UH from the San Diego Chargers, where he was interim head coach and had been the quarterbacks’ coach.

A native of Portland, Jones played quarterback for the University of Oregon, UH and Portland State University. Professionally, he played quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons from 1977-81 and for the Canadian Football League’s Toronto Argonauts in 1982.

He began his coaching career at UH in 1983, coaching quarterbacks. He went on to the Houston Gamblers, Denver Gold, Ottawa Roughriders, Houston Oilers, Detroit Lions and was head coach of the Atlanta Falcons from 1994-96.
Jones and his wife, Diane, have four children and live at Black Point.

Advertiser staff writers Stephen Tsai, Beverly Creamer, Robbie Dingeman, Brandon Masuoka, Rod Ohira and Sally Apgar contributed to this report.