A man with a state full of admirers

June Jones, the man who boosted the spirit of the University of Hawai‘i football program and carried the entire state along in the excitement, stands out as one of Hawai‘i’s most powerful — and popular — icons.

Jones unveiled the Warriors' new athletic logo at a press conference on July 26, 2000. Advertiser library photo

Jones left a promising NFL coaching career in 1999 in exchange for an abysmal, discouraged football program at a financially strapped university. His inherited team was coming off the three worst seasons in school history and in a situation so dire that it was placed on the endangered list: School officials expected it would be disbanded in two years.

But Jones created a miracle. In his first season, he led the team to a 9-4 record and a win in the O‘ahu Bowl — the greatest turnaround in college football history. His arrival returned fans, respect and national recognition to a state in desperate need of a confidence boost.

In the process, he has become legend.

Gov. Ben Cayetano has suggested half seriously that Jones run for governor when his term is up. UH President Kenneth Mortimer likened the turnaround Jones engineered to the UH scientific achievement of cloning mice. Island business leaders tried to find a correlation between the Rainbow Warriors’ success and a rebound in Hawai‘i’s economy.

Jones has become a fashion icon as well, promoting a line of aloha shirts sold at Liberty House and donning a new design for each game. He is a familiar face on TV commercials, gives motivation speeches whenever asked and has coached local business leaders on how to boost morale.

Now, the car crash that put Jones in critical condition yesterday has left the entire state holding its breath, hoping that the man who brought so much inspiration can use his positive attitude to pull through.

Jones puts a name to all that is good about the University of Hawai‘i, said Joe DeMattos, president-elect of the UH Alumni Association. "When he arrived, we were at the absolute bottom of the state’s economic downturn," DeMattos said. "People were down about the community, down about the university. He reminded us the sky is the limit. He reminded us that through determination, anything is possible."

He has been an example to everyone in Hawai‘i, said John Monahan, president of Liberty House. "There are so many negative things that happened in Hawai‘i in the ’90s, and the football team was one of them. He was able to not only improve things, he totally turned them around," Monahan said. "That was inspiring. He kind of gave us all some hope."

Around the state, Jones, 48, is as recognized for his community service and motivational speaking as he is for his coaching. "He’s almost a nonstop guy," said Mortimer, joking that Jones would go to a laundromat opening if asked. "He goes above what is expected."

The Rev. Ralph Moore, pastor of Hope Chapel in Kane‘ohe, said Jones spoke to a men’s group at his church about a year and a half ago before becoming a member there. "June comes in and gives people hope like no one I’ve ever seen," Moore said. "He’s the same man wherever he is. I think that’s why people respect him. There’s a sense of integrity about this man."

Jones, a former UH football player who also coached at UH years ago, has another special quality: love of the Islands, said Mortimer. "June has shown great respect for local people and local culture that means so much here in Hawai‘i," he said. "It’s reflected in the respect that the community has for him."

Jones, a former UH quarterback and assistant coach, put his stamp on the football program from the beginning. He changed the team’s name (from Rainbows to Rainbow Warriors), colors (adding black helmets), offense (from mish-mash to run-and-shoot) and attitude.

He inspires players and others because he recognizes their potential, said Chris Garnier, president of the Association of Students at UH and a former football player under Jones.

"He brought life back to the university," Garnier said. "People think of sports, and they don’t think it’s important to the university. It’s what brings spirit. He brought a sense of camaraderie. He touched the entire state."

Jones encouraged Garnier to forgo his senior year of football in favor of being the student body president. He even let Garnier keep his scholarship because he told him he was doing something good for the university. "He saw more of a passion in me for law and politics than I had for football," Garnier said. "He recognized that, which is amazing, and encouraged me. I appreciate him so much."

A UH football player in the 1973-1974 school year, Jones went on to play at Portland State, where he led NCAA Division II in passing and total offense in 1975. After a five-year NFL career with the Atlanta Falcons and a season in the Canadian Football League, Jones returned to UH as offensive coordinator.

He went on to successful coaching jobs with the Houston Gamblers of the United States Football League and the NFL’s Houston Oilers, Detroit Lions and Falcons. He was head coach of the Falcons for two years before becoming the Chargers’ quarterback coach. He was interim head coach at San Diego after Kevin Gilbride was fired.

Although he earned an estimated $500,000 with the Chargers, Jones left the team for an estimated $320,000 at UH. He said money wasn’t a factor in his decision. "It’s a personal matter," Jones said at the time. "Hawai‘i is some place I’ve always loved and a place I’ve always wanted to be. It is something I’ve always wanted to do." Jones also talked of building the program at Hawai‘i and making this his permanent home. "It can become a lifetime job," he said. "That’s what excites me — the possibility of that becoming the final stop. To be able to work as hard as you can and see the rewards is satisfying."

Jones brings more than football success to the university, said Pat McFadden, president of the UH Foundation. "I think June has brought a level of leadership and competence that we need all over the university," he said. "He helped raise the bar of expectations here. Here’s a guy at the top of his profession who decided to make his home in Hawai‘i."

Students at Manoa heard about the accident as they were coming out of classes yesterday afternoon.

"He’s made a big difference on campus," said Reid Saito, a communications senior from the Big Island. "He brought them up to a winning record again. He did a lot for the football program and the campus." Saito said he rarely attended football games before Jones came to the university, but does now.

Other students said they admired Jones’ style. "Even though he turned the football team around, he was still so humble about it," said Cherakah Cunningham, 20, a junior in speech communications. "Worst to first — football became a bigger deal around campus."

But the local enthusiasm for Jones started well before he produced results.

His first game at UH was a sellout. A crowd of 50,000 filled Aloha Stadium, and the game was broadcast live on local television. Cayetano even predicted that UH would upset 27-point favorite USC by seven points, saying that Jones had brought a spirit of hope to UH football that was sparking positive feelings throughout the state.

It wasn’t a storybook beginning, however. The team lost, 62-7.

But while the team lost the season opener to Southern California, it won eight of the next 10 — including all three road games — to earn a share of the Western Athletic Conference title and a berth in the O‘ahu Bowl.

He was named national coach of the year by CNN/Sports Illustrated, American Football Coach/Schutt Sports and the Sporting News. The 1999 Warriors broke 69 school records and tied 11 more. They received votes in The Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today polls for the first time in seven years.

His first season prompted universal praise at the time, including from ESPN’s Larry Beil, a former Island sportscaster.

"Right next to the Duke Kahanamoku statue they should make one for June Jones," Beil said.

Advertiser staff writer Stephen Tsai contributed to this report.

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