Posted on: Tuesday, January 28, 2003

Frazier soliciting help to pay Jones

By Stephen Tsai and Ferd Lewis
Advertiser Staff Writers

University of Hawai'i athletic director Herman Frazier yesterday said he is soliciting financial commitments from "outside individuals" to help pay for part of head football coach June Jones' next contract.

"They've been very good about it and very receptive about assisting," Frazier said.

When he was athletic director at Alabama-Birmingham, Frazier recalled, he used the same approach in drafting the contract for UAB basketball coach Mike Anderson.

"There were commitments made from individuals for five years to go toward basketball support," he said, "so the state paid some and outside individuals paid some. That's how you do it."

Jones is in the last year of an original five-year contract he signed in January 1999. Jones earns $220,000 in base pay — $150,000 from the university and $70,000 from Na Koa, the football program's booster club. He also receives $40,000 annually in housing allowance and $60,000 per year from television and radio deals.

Frazier and Jones' agent, Leigh Steinberg, are negotiating a multiyear contract extension for Jones. Frazier said the talks are progressing.

"Everybody knows we're heading in the direction to getting it completed," Frazier said.

Frazier said he would like to increase Jones' base pay — in part, by guaranteeing the supplemental income — as well as offer incentives for postseason appearances, academic success and attendance.

"First of all, you have to look at the base," Frazier said. "You have to make the base reasonable. I think what happened when June came here (in 1999) ... because the program was kind of down, football-wise, they probably had a tough time trying to sell a bigger base (to UH's Board of Regents). And, so, his contract had a lot of provisions inside it that called for additional bonuses and things. Those should be more a part of the base."

Frazier admitted the salaries for UH coaches are lagging compared to the pay for Mainland counterparts.

"I think Hawai'i as a state ... has been somewhat behind the curve on paying its top coaches," he said. "I think you have to take care of your people, especially people who are going to bring revenue to the institution. Those who are successful should be compensated."

Frazier, who was hired in August, said he was surprised that the time remaining on Jones' contract was allowed to dwindle. Jones broke off negotiations with UH last February when school officials offered a raise of about $30,000 in base pay.

"The thing that I think should have never happened is he got to a point where he had a year left," Frazier said. "It should have probably rolled over at least a year and a half ago, to be honest with you. Then we wouldn't be under the gun to get it completed."

Frazier said he will not allow a recurrence of this situation.

"If I'm still sitting in this chair and he's my football coach, we won't get to the point where there's a year left," Frazier said.

He noted that men's basketball coach Riley Wallace worked without a contract from last April until last week, when the UH Regents approved a five-year extension. Men's volleyball coach Mike Wilton started each of the last three seasons without a contract.

"It should never happen again," Frazier said.

He added: "Let's say we come to an agreement where (a coach) has a contract through, let's say, 2010. Well, 2008 is when we should figure out how far (the next contract) goes past 2010."

Three weeks ago, UH President Evan Dobelle said Jones, like other UH faculty and administrators, deserved to be paid at the 80-percentile level nationally.

While that level might be too costly for UH in athletics, Frazier conceded, "If you want the top people, you're going to have to pay them something to get them."