ARENA FOOTBALL
Respect for Riptide coach flows in Hawai'i

By Kyle Sakamoto
Advertiser Staff Writer

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arenafootball2 Who: San Diego Riptide (2-5) vs. Hawaiian Islanders (5-2) Where: Blaisdell Arena When: 6:30 p.m. tomorrow Admission: $25 lower bowl (reserved); $15 upper bowl sidelines (reserved); $10 upper bowl end zones (general); $7 youths. Parking: $5. Radio: 1500 AM Special promotions: Meadow Gold Family FANFest from 4:30 to 6:15 p.m. in Blaisdell parking lot ... $1 draft beers from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. ... First 1,000 through gates get free hot dog and soda ... Former American Idol contestant Jordan Segundo will perform at halftime.

The Riptide (2-5), coming off a 62-52 home victory over the top-ranked Quad City Steamwheelers last week, will play the Islanders (5-2) tomorrow night in an arenafootball2 game at Blaisdell Arena. Kickoff is set for 6:30.

Three weeks ago, the Islanders won at San Diego, 55-54, in overtime.

Among Davis' friends here are University of Hawai'i head football coach June Jones, and Islanders owner Kimberly W. Dey, general manager Chris Dey and head coach Cal Lee.

Jones ran Davis' run-and-shoot offense while at Portland State (1975-76) and set an NCAA Division II record with 3,518 passing yards in 1975.

Jones, 51, also was a player/coach for Davis in 1982 with the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League.

During that season, Davis, 71, recalled Jones calling him "dad" by accident. "He stopped and said I can't believe I did that," Davis said.

They also coached together in the United States Football League and NFL.

"I feel he's as solid a person as I've ever met," Jones said. "I've leaned on him more in things I've chosen to do and decisions I've made. He's a father, friend, everything."

Davis said he's been "spoiled" by Hawai'i's golf courses and wanted to play golf with Jones this weekend. But Jones said he has previous engagements.

The Islanders wanted to hire Davis as offensive coordinator last season, but he declined. They hired Vince Passas instead and Davis served as a team consultant.

"At one point they did want to do that," Davis said. "But they got Vinny who had worked with Cal (at Saint Louis School) and he's done some positive things."

Lee, whose brother Tommy met Davis while coaching in Oregon, said Davis taught him the run-and-shoot offense, which he used at Saint Louis to win 18 Interscholastic League of Honolulu titles, 14 O'ahu Prep Bowls and the inaugural state championship in 1999.

"We go way back," Cal Lee said of Davis. "He was instrumental in us developing the run-and-shoot in the mid-70s. He's a very genuine person and I have nothing but the greatest respect for him. I enjoy his company and my family does, too."

Davis helped create the 8-man aside arena league in the early '80s. The league currently has a television contract with NBC and has af2 to develop players.

The league has grown "far beyond my expectations. I didn't see growth exceeding this," Davis said.

Lee said Davis, who recently served as head coach of the arena league's Detroit Fury, played a big role in the Islanders' success last season. The Islanders went 11-7 and won the National Conference West Division title.

"He was a big factor stabilizing the team and the staff," Lee said. "He gave us ideas on what you need to do when you're running an arena football team."

Reach Kyle Sakamoto at ksakamoto@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8041.