Ex-coach McKnight says family comes first

By Stephen Tsai
Advertiser Staff Writer

McKnight: "I love football and Hawai‘i"

"People have told me I'm making the biggest mistake of my life," McKnight said, referring to his decision not to return to UH. "It is a great job, and I'll miss everybody there, especially (coach) June (Jones). But I won't get another opportunity to be with my daughter on her 13th birthday or to spend this time with my wife."

McKnight owns a house and two successful car-cleaning businesses in San Diego. The past two years, he coached special teams in Hawai'i, then returned to San Diego during the offseason.

"I realized I had to make a decision," McKnight said. "If I can't commit to living in Hawai'i, how can I talk to the players about making a commitment to football? To be on the kids about commitments didn't seem right. They could say to me, 'What are you talking to me about making a commitment when you can't even move to Hawai'i?' "

His decision was sealed following Jones' near-fatal car accident in February.

"I can't lie," McKnight said. "It kind of makes you think about how short life can be, how it can end in a fleeting moment. God forbid, something happened to my family and ... and I'm not there. It made me realize as much as I love football and Hawai'i, I love my family a lot more.

"You know, I'm doing something I haven't done before. I'm putting my family first."

While UH struggled on special teams last year — "That's a direct reflection on me," he said — McKnight insisted many of the players he coached have developed into leaders. "They'll be fine," he said. "The main thing is June is steering the ship."

While Jones has left open the possibility of McKnight rejoining the team next year — graduate assistant Tyson Helton was named as an interim replacement — McKnight said he will feed his appetite for the sport by coaching at St. Augustine's School, an all-boys school with an enrollment of about 650.