Telling a story about a grandson at his introductory press conference yesterday helped put into nutshell perspective a lot of what new University of Hawai'i head football coach Greg McMackin is about.

The one they call "Papa" in the extended McMackin household is, at age 58, also the oldest to assume the position at UH in the major college era, suiting every bit the grandfatherly figure he presented standing before microphones and cameras at the Stan Sheriff Center.

The new head of the Warrior family is distinguished, mellow, seasoned, genuine and understated, which is a lot of what makes him such a good fit for UH at this time and place.

What the Warriors didn't need in their new head coach was a hard-charging maverick who wanted to reshape every corner of the UH athletic program in his image. Nor did they have the necessity of someone who has to be front and center every time a camera shows up or hailed as a genius. Characteristics not all his predecessors as head coaches or defensive coordinators were bereft of.

What they do require is someone who recognizes, "what I can be is the glue to hold things together," and has the good sense and humility to pull it off.

What they also are in need of — and part of what McMackin gives them — is someone who can be a unifier, as well as someone invested in what they already have and intent on making it better. Someone who sees this as a potential career-defining challenge. "This is my last contract — unless they extend it," McMackin said.

But, make no mistake about it, McMackin is not without passion or fire. He does not lack for a quick mind or relentless drive. Witness the explosion before the Idaho game that so stirred his stunned defensive unit as to come up with one of its better efforts of the 12-1 season. Recall how his defenses have made early adjustments and turned the tide against Louisiana Tech, Nevada-Las Vegas, Boise State and Washington.

They are a lot of the qualities that people around him, like the Lee brothers, assistant coaches Cal and Ron, and Rich Miano have come to appreciate over the years. Enough to understand that their gain by Southern Methodist would have represented a significant setback at UH. So much so that the Lees seemed determined not to let McMackin leave town without him first making a determined bid for the job after June Jones' departure for SMU.

Every time McMackin suggested one of the Lees pursue the top job, they threw it right back at him: Why not you?

Rare, unselfish, team-oriented thinking on their parts to be sure. But, then, that is what McMackin seems to bring out in people, whether they wear shoulder pads or not. And, in the end, there was a logic to it that he couldn't refute. It was an opportunity he couldn't walk away from and a need he could fill.

The match was dead-on enough that the selection committee recognized it with unanimity and school administrators were willing to not only act with alacrity but pay very handsomely — $1.1 million per year over five years — for it.

Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8044.