Posted on: Thursday, December 20, 2001

June Jones contacted by Georgia Tech

By Stephen Tsai
Advertiser Staff Writer

University of Hawai'i football coach June Jones has been contacted about the vacant head coaching job at Georgia Tech, according to people familiar with the situation.

If hired, Jones would receive a six-year contract and, with bonuses, could earn in excess of $1 million annually, two sources said.

"If I were contacted, I would not tell (the media)," Jones told The Advertiser, adding, "My plan is to stay here."

After speaking with The Advertiser, Jones told other news outlets that he had not received any offers from Georgia Tech.

Jones' agent, Leigh Steinberg, said he has been contacted by Georgia Tech intermediaries, but neither he nor Jones has had any formal discussions. Steinberg said Jones' success at UH "will attract programs from across the nation. He will get offers this year and throughout the future from collegiate and professional programs."

Steinberg also reiterated Jones' commitment to UH, saying, "Hawai'i is where his heart is."

"He's been very clear in his commitment to the state of Hawai'i," Steinberg added. "He is in the place he would like to be. He would like to continue coaching in Hawai'i for the rest of his professional career. He believes there's a unique spirit there. He's found a peace that would be hard to replicate any place else."

Sources said Georgia Tech officials called Jones Wednesday afternoon.

UH athletic director Hugh Yoshida said Georgia Tech did not seek UH's permission to speak with Jones.

The Georgia Tech job has been vacant since George O'Leary resigned to accept the coaching job at Notre Dame. O'Leary resigned five days after taking the Irish job when it was learned that he lied about his academic and athletic background.

Steinberg is seeking a contract extension for Jones, who has two years remaining on a five-year contract he signed with UH in December 1998.

After the Warriors went 9-4 and won a share of the Western Athletic Conference title in 1999 — Jones' first season at UH — the school's Board of Regents extended his contract by five years. Yoshida and Kenneth Mortimer, the UH president at the time, made the request for the extension.

But Jones did not sign off on the extension and believes he has two years remaining on his contract.

Jones earns a base salary of $150,000. In addition, he receives $100,000 annually from Na Koa, the football program's booster club, and $70,000 annually in appearance fees for his television and radio shows. Only the base salary, which is paid by the UH athletic department, is guaranteed.

"We're in conversations with Leigh," Yoshida said. "With all contract issues, my lips are sealed."

Yoshida said Walter Kirimitsu, chief of staff for the UH system, is representing the athletic department.

"I would say that June Jones is the greatest coach in the history of Hawai'i, and if there is any kind of community effort to keep him here, I would want to be a part of it," said Walter Dods, chairman and chief executive officer of First Hawaiian Bank.

In a request to Yoshida three weeks ago, San Diego State asked for permission to discuss its vacant coaching position with Jones.

But Jones declined to meet with San Diego State officials.

Jones was the San Diego Chargers interim head coach in 1998 when he signed with UH.