By Ferd Lewis
Advertiser Columnist

When June Jones came to the University of Hawai'i after 15 years in the pros, it turns out he wasn't leaving the National Football League far behind after all.

Not when it seems like more and more of the NFL is following him to college.

When Jones glanced around at this week's Fiesta Bowl Frolic, a veritable coaching convention in Tempe, Ariz., he could see the rising number of other head coaches who had also come directly from the pros, and swap NFL stories.

"When you stop and think about it," Jones said, "there are a bunch (of ex-NFL coaches) now."

Of course, you need look no further than the Warriors' schedule this season to gauge the depth of the movement. With Mike Shula, most recently of the Miami Dolphins, now taking over at Alabama, nearly half the head coaches Jones will confront on UH's schedule this year are acquaintances who came to college directly, or just about, from the NFL.

In addition to Shula, there is Southern California's Pete Carroll (Patriots), Nevada-Las Vegas' John Robinson (Rams), Fresno State's Pat Hill (Ravens) and Tulsa's Steve Kragthorpe (Bills).

Compare that with not much more than a decade ago and beyond, when both UH head coaches, Dick Tomey and Bob Wagner, and nearly all their sideline adversaries, were college "lifers."

Indeed, LaVell Edwards, Earle Bruce, Fisher DeBerry, Ron McBride, Dennis Franchione etc. hardly strayed from academia except to reach for the TV clicker on Sundays in long and impressive careers.

"I'm glad to see the trend," Jones says for somewhat selfish reasons — "because it means fewer teams will be running the option (offense) against us."

There are other reasons, too. "A lot of these guys run what they have always run, and that can be somewhat beneficial," Jones said. "I was looking at some tape the other day and Pete (Carroll) is running a lot of the same things he ran in the NFL."

A large part of what has brought these coaches to campus is the now considerable money to be made there. Where a few years ago college coaches received a fraction of what their pro brethren made, now there are fortunes to be made.

And not just at a few marquee programs, either. Nearly a quarter of the 117 NCAA Division I-A head coaches have deals worth $1 million — or more — a season. Top assistants at major programs can now command $200,000 and beyond.

With Bowl Championship Series berths — and the $13 million per-team payout that now accompany them — there is a premium on winning in college as never before. And there is heavy competition to attract and retain coaches able to deliver trips to the postseason promised land.

These days, being an NFL coach can also stand for Not For Life.