Tomey joins UH telecasts

By Ferd Lewis
Advertiser Staff Writer

Saying he is "looking forward to the excitement of Aloha Stadium on a Saturday night again," Dick Tomey, the University of Hawai'i's winningest football coach, will provide color commentator on KFVE telecasts of Warrior games this season.

Tomey, who resigned as the University of Arizona's head coach in November, will join play-by-play announcer Jim Leahey in the broadcast booth beginning with the Sept. 8 game against Montana on Maui, station officials announced.

Tomey, 62, coached UH from 1977-'86, where he had a 63-46-3 record. He was 95-64-4 in 14 seasons at Arizona, where he also was that school's winningest football coach.

Tomey, who maintains a home in Honolulu, said he explored opportunities in television and was talking to Fox Sports when the KFVE opening came up. "This was too good to pass up," he said. "I'm really excited about this."

Tomey, who coached or worked with several coaches on the current UH staff, said, "Being up there is going to be a new perspective for me. I'll try to be as objective as I can. But, it is like I told June (Jones), there will probably be a time when I'll say, 'What in the world are they doing?' "

Jones said he welcomes Tomey's addition to the broadcast booth. "He's a good man, very knowledgeable and will do a good job," Jones said.

Tomey replaces Larry Goeas, a financial consultant and former UH player who is moving aside to spend more time with his business. Goeas will do studio work on UH road games. KHNL sports anchor Russell Yamanoha will do sideline reports.

Leahey said the addition of Tomey "will take our broadcasts to a new level and give us a lot of credibility on the continent (Fox picks up the KFVE feed and airs the games on the West Coast), where they know Dick as a Pac-10 coach."