University of Hawai'i-Manoa Chancellor Virginia Hinshaw

"Our top priority was finding a demonstrated leader with significant coaching experience and the ability to produce successful student athletes. Also a person who fully appreciates the special connection between UH athletics and the people of Hawai'i and have every capacity to lead us through the transition for current players and coaches.

"Greg McMackin surely meets all of those qualifications and much more. Greg brings passion, ability and proven success to our football program and I have confidence he will lead us to greatness."

UH football head coach Greg McMackin

"Thank you very much. This is a very humbling and exciting time for my wife Heather and I. have so many people to thank.

"The people in the process were very wise. We needed to get going and keep the continuity that June has developed here in recruiting and staff members and things such as that."

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"I, number one, just want to thank June Jones. There will never be another June Jones. He's one of a kind. I say it all the time. I've been fortune to be with some great coaches. June Jones is the best coach in the game. What he's done here, going from 0-12 to 12-0, I don't know another coach who could have done that.

"He is responsible for this. Possibly what I can be is the glue to hold it together so that we can continue on. And we're at that point."

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"We have excellent coaches. George Lumpkin, Cal Lee, Rich Miano and Ron Lee over here. There's a reason we were 12-0 and went to the Sugar Bowl. That's because of the coaches we have, but more importantly it's because of the players we have.

"I've coached for 40 years, I really hate to admit that because this was my 40th year of coaching. And the two greatest coaching experiences and I've said that over and over — my wife know this — was in '99 when I came here with June. I didn't there would ever be anything better than that because you could see those kids grow and see them believing. It was a great educational experience, a really fun time. And then the other time was this time.

"This was the greatest year I've ever been involved with. These guys believed in each other. Pastor Norm said at our banquet God was our 12th man and I really believed that. A lot of times it was like we were playing angels in the outfield, 'How are we going to turn this around?' Then Adam Leonard makes a play or Colt (Brennan) makes a play or Keala (Watson) makes a play that just comes out of nowhere. They knew they were going to make the play. They knew were going to win. It's just a class group of guys.

"I appreciate very much the honor and very humble to accept the head football coaching position for the University of Hawai'i Warriors."

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"I think what we have to do is to build on what we have going now. We have something special going on. We have leadership. Every team has a different personality. Honestly, I think defensively we're even going to be better than we were last year. Obviously we lost some good offensive players. The coaches and players are going to have to do a great job of recruiting and get some guys in here, which we are prepared to do.

"We're right at the point where we can be a big-time football program. We can be the Miami of the Pacific, back when Miami won. Because people follow us around now. People know our game and people are excited about our style. We're not going to change our style.

"Ron Lee knows the run-and-shoot as well as anyone. I'm not going to really announce — I know people have been announcing — I'm not going to announce my staff 'til later on. It will be a mixture of coaches that are here and coaches that we bring in. We're going to keep what June has built. There's no reason to fix something that isn't broken."

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"I had the fortune to be on the Denver Gold team when June was the offensive coordinator and Mouse Davis was the head coach.

"The league went down and we were one of the only teams that were still getting paid. We spent six months just clinicking each other so I got notebooks of Mouse Davis talking about the run and shoot.

"I'm going to stay working on the defense, but I know the run-and-shoot. I'm not going to get any anyone's way, but I want to know what we're doing and make some calls every once in awhile just because I like to throw at those other guys every once in awhile, too. They've thrown at me all of my life. I'd like to tell them to go deep every once in awhile.

"I took it (the run-and-shoot) to Oregon Tech. Ron (Lee) was my offensive coordinator and we led the country for four years in total offense because of Ron."

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"Now is the time we need help. Heather and I stay down in Waikiki so we'll go out to dinner every night and see the bellboys and see the waitresses and waiters. Those are the guys who are going (to the games). We have all kinds of people that go, but the working people of Hawai'i are our big fans. They took out loans ... they flew to Atlanta and Florida, however they could to get there (Sugar Bowl). The stories I have heard are unbelievable. We got the greatest fans in the world and we have to keep them and we have to grow. We have to continue to grow. This is the perfect time to get on board."

"Next season is going to be difficult season. The schedule is with two of the better teams (Florida and Oregon State) on the road. But, you know what, I know these guys are going to rise to the ocassion. I have all kinds of confidence in them, and that's not going to matter.

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"I really believe that we have to do some recruiting very fast we have two weekends to do it in.

"I'm thankful for giving me this opportunity. I will work as hard as I can. We're going to continue June's legacy and the next time we get to the Sugar Bowl, we're going to kick their ass.

On keeping some of the current staff including Rich Miano, Cal and Ron Lee and George Lumpkin:

"I'd love for them to stay. They're great coaches. They will definitely stay. There are some procedures to go through. They have to re-apply. I have the most respect for all four of those guys as friends. The players love 'em. They will be here, we just have to work out the details."

On putting together the staff:

"I have people in mind. We're going to keep some guys that are here that are really solid coaches and we're going to add some coaches also from people I know from other experiences and guys that fit in to a staff that takes care of its players."

On the UH athletics facilities problem:

"I think that's been dealt with. I should say Chancellor Hinshaw I completely trust. I know she's working on that. President McClain is working on that. Carl Clapp is working on that.

"I don't think the perception was out there on how bad it was. It's not going to happen overnight, but it's happening very timely. I have complete confidence that has to get done. That's something that they believe is going to be a big factor. It's all in the open now. It would n't do any good to go over it. It's all for the players. It's to help the players make them comfortable so they can compete — and recruiting.

"Guys that come here when they look out and see we don't have turf on the field, that's an eyesore. I think things have to be done fairly quick and certainly some of them do just so these players know that they are sincere like I believe they are. I think that's what they are doing. I trust them very much."

On what makes him a good fit for Hawai'i:

"They (the selection committee) asked me that last night about the culture and multiculture. I come from Oregon. Heather and I were childhood sweethearts in Oregon. We raised each other basically. Oregon people are like Hawaii people. They're hard-working, they're honest. They try to get along. They have great passion and that's the way Hawaiian people are. We love Hawai'i. We're going to bring our whole family over.

"Tony asked me to tell this story. It's touching to me. You know they live in Lubbock, Texas, my daughter has a business, they (grandchildren) go to school and they're all doing good. When this first happened I was going with June (to SMU) I didn't want to politic for a job or anything and I figured if anybody was interested then they'd say something. June wanted me to go with him because we work well together and trust each other and we've won together.

"You know (grandson) Taylor, I said, 'Taylor somebody called to say they were interested ... they want to know if I'd listen to them about being head coach at Hawai'i.'

"He says — he calls me papa, — 'No, papa, you come to SMU, then I can get right down there, it's a 45-minute flight. I can be there for spring ball.' He thinks he writes half my plays. On my board in there he's got all these little plays down and he has since he has been 3.

"So, an hour later I get this call, he says, 'Papa, you got be a head coach, you gotta go to the University of Hawai'i.'

"So I said, 'You sure? Because it's a lot farther away.'

"And he says, 'That's what you need to do.'

"He told (wife) Heather, he says, 'You know papa has sacrificed for our family,' and because I always wanted to live near him. He said, 'This is papa's day,' and for a 12-year-old that crushed me, so I made up my mind I'm going to bring them all out here and this is where we want to be.

"This is my last contract, unless they extend it. (laughs). We love it here, we feel very confortable here. No pressure .. but after the second year ..."

On wanting to be a head coach:

"I always wanted to be a head coach.

"I was really at the point where I'd finish off as a defensive coordinator and I loved that. I'm just so thankful that all of you and Chancellor Hinshaw had given me the opportunity to be a head coach because that's what I want to do.

On talking to June Jones while making his decision to apply for the UH job:

I had all kind of discussions. Just his thoughts. I talked to him the night before he made his decision and it was a 50-50 deal. It was really hard for him to leave here. He loves everybody. He loves Hawai'i.

"He wants the best thing for me. He invited me to go there (SMU). We've been very fortunate together and have a lot of respect for each other as coaches. He supported me at the end. I have nothing but great feelings and love for June Jones.

On bringing his family over (from the Mainland), which includes his daughter and two grandchildren:

"We're really excited about just getting our family togehter. We call it the 'Mack Pack.'

"I just don't want to miss my grandson and granddaughter, who are really my son and daughter, are 12 and 13. I just don't want to miss these years of their lives and they feel the same way. They love Hawai'i.

On recruiting:

"The guys (coaches) have been working really hard. They've been talking to guys. We lost a quarterback we thought was really good from Bakersfield because he was a midterm guy. He visited Tulsa and came home and went back to Tulsa. They put the clothes on him. He was going to come visit us, but there are guys like that. There was one guy, I coached his brother in the pros. If I was going to go there he was going to go there. There's just guys like that. These guys have done a great job. It's all organized and we really have to get out.

"We have to immediately get the guys we've been recruiting. We have two weekends. We have visitations and then when we're done recruiting with this recruiting class. In the spring I need to get into every high school in the state of Hawai'i. I want to get to know the coaches. We are going to keep the good players in Hawai'i. That's going to be the main focus. Rich (Miano) and I are going to Samoa.

"I'm not really worried about this recuiting season because we're going to get who we can get. We're not going to hurry. We want to bring in good kids, so we're not just going to scramble and get anybody that's out there. We're going to get to know their families — home visit them, get to know their character.