What was intended as a rally to help keep June Jones at the University of Hawai'i turned into a show of thanks for the departed football coach and a public outcry for the removal of athletic director Herman Frazier.

Shortly after it was announced that Jones had accepted the head coach position at Southern Methodist yesterday, about 30 UH supporters gathered on the lawn fronting UH-Manoa's Bachman Hall.

Fans held signs that read "June No Ka Oi" and "Keep the dream alive."

They also expressed anger toward the administration and began chants of "We believed, you should have, too."

"It hurts," said Lee Young of Makaha. "It hurts deeply. He brought Hawaiians together and he brought a level of excitement here we may never see again. It's just unfortunate."

Vili Fehoko, better known to fans as Vili the Warrior, also was there for support.

"These people here, they love this program and they love June. It's just really sad," Fehoko said.

Less than a week after the school's first Bowl Championship Series appearance in the Sugar Bowl, fans were left to wonder who will lead their Warriors.

"It just seems like everything happened so fast," said David Higa of Hawai'i Kai. "A week ago we were in New Orleans having a good time, then all of a sudden, everything came crashing down."

Still, most fans sided with Jones.

"He probably has had a lot of patience — more than a lot of other people," Antares Kaneshiro of Hawai'i Kai said. "I don't think as fans — we're definitely not upset with him — he brought all of this to us and we wouldn't even be here right now otherwise. We owe it to him and he has every right to go and do whatever is in his heart's desire. I think overall it's a somber thankfulness."

Unlike Kaneshiro, Wayne Coito of Mililani called for immediate action.

"I'm very disappointed that Herman Frazier hadn't done anything before but now it's too late to turn a blind eye to everything," Coito said. "We need to, right now, take action and Herman Frazier needs to be removed immediately."

Coito held a white sign with red lettering that read: "Fire Frazier."

Said Young: "The administration, they have the responsibility to maintain proper staffing and they should have — and I blame from the president down to the athletic director. (They) had a responsibility to recognize what June Jones meant not only to this university, but to the entire state of Hawai'i."

Higa said he feels the whole ordeal could have been avoided.

"I thought maybe Herman should have been hugging Jones' leg when he got on that plane (to Dallas) to keep him here," Higa said. "He should have done whatever he could have done to keep him from getting on that plane, instead of having that arrogance of 'Don't worry about it. He's going to come back.' To me, if he's getting on a plane to go to Dallas, that's already ... you know, it shouldn't have come to that."

To some, the loss of Jones means starting over.

"It'll take years (to rebuild), because June Jones is unique and I think SMU sees the value in him," Young said. "You cannot replace a June Jones.

"It's one thing to have a good coach, but it's another thing to have a good person," said Young. "(The UH administration) just simply didn't recognize that. He gave up a lot to come here in the first place. That tells you an awful lot about a person. Money was not the only issue for him. He loves the state of Hawai'i, the people here love him, that's unique."

Despite the dour mood at Bachman Hall, fans remained loyal to the Warriors.

Said Fehoko: "I'll still be a Warrior for the rest of my life."

Reach Kalani Takase at ktakase@honoluluadvertiser.com.