KAILUA, Hawai'i — In his first public comments since resigning as University of Hawai'i head football coach, June Jones defended fired athletic director Herman Frazier, backed his defensive coordinator Greg McMackin to succeed him as head coach, and predicted that the program will receive more support from the state — ironically, perhaps, because of the upheaval brought on by his resignation.

Jones leaves for Dallas today to begin work as the new head coach of Southern Methodist University. Yesterday, he invited reporters to speak with him at the Hokuli'a luxury development in Kailua, Kona.

The development's chief executive officer, John De Fries, is a close friend of Jones and was one of a small handful of people Jones consulted with the night before he made his decision to leave.

Looking relaxed, Jones addressed a wide range of issues related to his tenure at UH and his ultimate departure.

"The state of Hawai'i has an opportunity to make a decision to change so that the next coach is not frustrated by the kinds of things that Herman (Frazier) and I and everybody else have been paralyzed with," Jones said. "I'm not a person that gets up and beats on the table and I knew when I came here it was this way. I tried to do things in those early years and I was accused of all kinds of things by people who thought I had ulterior motives, but every change I made was with the school or my players in mind.

"Because of me leaving now, I think there's a sense of urgency to do the things that need to be done and should have been done," Jones said.

It was widely believed that Jones left, in part, because of his frustration in dealing with Frazier and Frazier's failure to negotiate a contract with him in a timely manner.

But Jones yesterday defended the former athletic director, saying that Frazier did what he could to address deteriorating facilities and other "frustrations" but was limited by a lack of funds and support.

Frazier was fired a day after Jones announced that he was leaving UH to take the head coaching position at SMU.

"I felt really bad about that situation because, as a football coach, Herman was right there with us, helping me as much as he could," Jones said. "I hate that the timing of it was triggered with my departure. In no way did I ever feel that Herman was anything but helpful. Whenever I needed anything, I went downstairs and Herman tried to get it done. He was faced with a lot of the frustrations I faced the first four years on the job until he showed up. I know he tried to do it right and tried to do it correctly."

Yet, Jones admitted that the lack of progress on addressing facilities and his contract — he didn't receive a formal extension offer until after SMU put its bid on the table — were long-held frustrations that played a role in his decision to seek a change.

Jones said he was particularly frustrated at the start of the 2005 season, and might have left if it weren't for the addition of friend Jerry Glanville to his staff.

"I didn't ask for anything," Jones said. "Everybody knew what had to be done. We had a plan to get those things done, but it stagnated. Nobody was moving."

Still, Jones said he likely would have re-signed had an offer been made in 2005, or even before the start of this season.

Last summer, the UH Board of Regents approved an increase in salary range for Jones and other coaches, but no offer was made. Jones said the subject of his contract wasn't broached until practice had started.

"I told them to talk to Leigh (Steinberg, his agent)," he said. "I didn't want to talk about it during the season. We had talked about it two years before and it didn't happen."

Jones said he first spoke with SMU five days before the Sugar Bowl but deferred talking about specifics because he wanted to focus on the game.

SMU eventually offered Jones $10 million over five years. UH made three last-minute counter-proposals, including one that specifically addressed Jones' concerns about funding and facilities.

Jones said he agonized over the decision. After flying to Dallas and meeting with school officials, Jones said he still was undecided.

"Right down to the 11th hour, I wasn't ready to go because of my attachment to friends and people here," Jones said. "I really thought this would be my last job."

Jones said he spoke with a few close friends before going to sleep. When he woke up, he said, "I had such a peace about the decision to come (to SMU).

"The opportunity to look at SMU ... ," a 1-11 team this past season, "and all of the things at their fingertips to get it changed kind of excited me," Jones said. "The hard part was pulling the trigger because it would affect so many lives."

Jones said his $2 million-per-year salary was also a factor — and one of which he is not ashamed.

"It is part of the reason, but it's not the only reason," Jones said. "I left $6 million behind with the San Diego Chargers to come (to Hawai'i), so I don't feel that I haven't sacrificed enough. I feel blessed that I've been offered this kind of contract and I don't feel guilty or bad that I'm taking it.

"You can never recover losing $6 million, but I saw how people were tied to the (UH) program, not just the people at the school, but the state," he said. "People in the school, I don't think were tied to the program until we went to the Sugar Bowl. I don't think they knew what I knew. I used to go to Honolulu Stadium and I saw how the cab drivers, the workers, the maids, everybody was tied to the program. And I knew if we won, it would have that appeal and it would energize the whole state."

Jones said he thinks the undefeated season and Sugar Bowl appearance provided ample evidence that a successful football program is a boon to the state. His eyes watered briefly as he recalled the thousands of UH supporters who flocked to New Orleans to attend the Warriors' first-ever BCS bowl game.

"That was very moving to everyone who was there," he said. "That was a taste of what football can do for the school. I think people need to never forget that football can be the best ambassador for the school."

Jones had hoped to bring McMackin with him to Dallas, but he said he supports his defensive coordinator's bid to be the head coach at UH.

"I don't want to lose Greg McMackin," Jones said. "But just the thought that he has a possibility to be here, I want that for the school because that's the best chance to keep the continuity of the things we have built and the things we have done."

Assistant coaches Wes Suan, Dan Morrison and Dennis McKnight have already committed to joining Jones at SMU.

And Hawai'i hasn't seen the last of Jones.

He said he hopes to schedule games between his former and current schools, and he also hopes SMU will one day earn a bid to the Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl through the game's affiliation with Conference USA.

Beyond that, Jones said he intends to return to Kona when he retires.

"This is my home," he said. "I'm going to come back and live here the rest of my life."

Reach Michael Tsai at mtsai@honoluluadvertiser.com.