Look backward
Sure, the Warriors are heading in a new direction with the coaching change. But maybe it’s time to go backward, too. It’s time to bring back:
> … Vili the Warrior. Let’s bang the drums for the best mascot in the program’s history.
> … The cannon. While we’re at it, whatever happened to the touchdown cannon at Aloha Stadium? And no wise cracks about needing touchdowns …
> … Ben Yee. Not sure what’s the deal with him, but it used to be nice seeing him roam the sidelines during practices and games. Just don’t stand too close. He still walks around with a toothpick.
> … Long hair. I understand the risks of helmet security and the need for team conformity. But this is college, not the military nor the New York Yankees, and young people need to express themselves. If long hair makes you feel better and play better, what’s the harm?
> … Introductions. It starts with defense, right? So bring back the introduction of defensive players. C’mon, what was better than Adam Leonard’s intro routine?
> … Confetti. In the good ol’ days, the rosters were printed on a wrap-around of a newspaper. Fans would read the rosters, but use the rest of the paper to make paper missiles. By the end of the third quarter, the field was covered with curly paper strips. Opponents hated it; UH players loved it.
> … Hotel banquet. The intent of moving the season-ending team banquet to UH as a luau was for the right reason. It would be more affordable, enabling more of the players’ family members to attend. But the weather in December never cooperates, and sometimes it’s just more stylish to have a banquet in a Waikiki Hotel. Plus, freshmen don’t have to put away chairs and tables afterward.
> … Former players. Nobody feels for a program more than a former player. I’ve seen some players wear UH T-shirts that were available when the original Hawaii Five-0 was on the air. Hey, if you’re a former player, you should be given tickets or sideline passes to games. There’s plenty of room.
Yes…Back to the Future !
1st? or 2nd ..Who are the 8 new captains ?
fine with all those things, except bringing vili back
No to Vili. no need. embarrassing. overweight. talk trash. no need.
Doesn’t represent UH.
will the media be as nice to the next coach as they were to the one that was just let go
time will tell…
Hawaiian Studies Dept will veto Vili type mascots.
Cannon I’d still be being used. Just hasn’t been used much recently
Senior night after the game
Let all players suit up, not having some in shorts & tee shirts in the stands
I believe the cannon was there at the SDSU game, but band and the cannon were not in sync. Not sure if it was there for the AFA game.
The confetti was ultra fun to watch, but it made the field a huge mess and it looked like a they were playing in trash, but if the opponents hate it that’s a great thing to have. They also put tarps in the corners of the stadium so there won’t as much wind to make the confetti fly onto the field.
How come vili is gone?
bring back vili and bring back all his kids that went away….maybe the kids can wear the shirt of the school they attended…and get the crowd pumped up
No more “country road take me home” to start the 4th qtr.
I think Vili and his ohana are living in Lubbock, TX, now. Texas Tech doing the haka, now?
Close off the Yellow section of Aloha Stadium.
Those loud speakers behind seats to pump up the crowd.
No, to bringing back Vili!!! None of Vili kids attended UH. But yes to dropping the losing Rainbow nickname and bringing back the “Hawaii Warriors” winning nickname. And bring back those black on black Hawaii Warrior uniforms from the June Jones era!
It would be nice to someday have a UH student section like this, but all in green. Nice to dream, I guess.
https://vimeo.com/144174038
Make the student sections and North Endzone first come first served. You snooze you lose
I agree, no Vili. We should be grateful for his service to the school, but the mascot should be a student.
Use retro jersey for homecoming only
Rocky Savaiigaea – Leonard Peters – Hyrum Peters as mascots
Good morning everyone!
Yes, bring back the Vili the Warrior mascot!
Let’s not confuse the mascot with the person portraying him (whom we has personal issues with).
Hire a new “Vili” person!
Bring back helmet stickers
#16 couldn’t agree more, those were the best uniforms in the nation at the time. Time to reboot!!
Hyrum Peter’s Haka & Isaak Sapoanga Samoan Slap Dance during the intros were awesome
No to Vili not representative of Hawaii. Bring back June Jones and yes to having all the players suited up for the games and yes to long hair and no to the controversy of our nicename Warriors or Rainbow Warriors. Too much pilikia with the name which creates negative vibes to the program. Yes to a better marketing program to get our apathetic students back in the seats to support their team.
Getting rid of the captains is a smart move by Naeole. Lance doesn’t deserve to be captain after what I saw from him on the sidelines vs Air Force. It was embarrassing. Wittek definitely wasn’t a leader. Ben Clarke doesn’t practice. Only thing that puzzles me is there are now 8 captains?? Yikes.
Only 3 guys I see fighting and not quitting on the field are Gener, JWG, and Kennedy.
How about we go forward with waving Green rally towels at all home and ROAD games?
Since most fans are the quiet non-vocal types; they should at least wave these green towels to do their part in energizing all our players on the field doing the battle for them.
Besides, it will be good exercise for all the older fans; lol. One towel in each hand for maximum effect.
who are the 8 captains?
Play “pump up” music 1 1/2 before kickoff on the loud speakers… Rocky theme, Eye of the tiger, Welcome to the jungle…lol…
Leonard Peters would hands down make the best Warrior. Doubt he would be interested though.
28. Sorry Tom, we are not the Steelers. 300 fans waving green towels in a tiny section isn’t going to do much.
Unless I am wrong, Vili was under contract; $25,000/season. That’s why he was dropped. Then Vili got mad at UH and started talking trash. No to Vili coming back. Besides, there’s no budget. And no to any Vili-like mascot. With all the recent shark attacks, maybe a shark mascot. Sorry, just joking.
ST & Tsaiko Blog Dogs:
While it is comforting to think back of how things were, the program needs to move forward with a renewed vision. Hopefully, the new leadership will develop a sound strategic plan to achieve it. One thing that needs changing is the cheer squad routines…seems like they haven’t change in 40 years I’ve been to football games.
Whats up, the Hawaii Rainbows was a wining program way before June Jones changed it to the Warriors and the uniforms to black.
June was innovative at the time bringing in alternate colors like the black uniforms and silver helmets. UH had Swag! No one really did that before. Now look at what college football is now with Oregon, Baylor, Maryland, TCU they have hundreds of combos for uniforms.
Nike all blacks was the best. Maybe if Coach Jones returns the all black uniforms and “WARRIORS” return too? The guy turns around programs.
Norm brought 2 different “New” Warriors to Aloha Stadium. Didnt even come close to the original Vili.
Last call this Friday:
50 yard line seats at the Hawaii-UNLV road game this Nov. 7
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=910194495717879&set=gm.957144247676734&type=1&theater
Behind our Warrior bench.
Come sit with other Hawaii fans including former players & the families of current players.
Come support our boys! Las Vegas baby!
Let’s fill the stadium with GREEN shirts & GREEN TOWELS!
Ticket price is $55 (UH office is $60 & near end zone).
tomkitaguchi@yahoo.com or text me at 415-324-0585.
Not interested in seeing Vili back at UH. He can pound drums for Texas Tech and mourn the loss of Mike Leach.
But I do agree we need to find ourselves a mascot to help out our cheerleaders. Is the puffy warrior costume in a museum somewhere?
Can we hire a marketing firm to help UH with its game day atmosphere we need to build that excitement and have a real college GameDay atmosphere
The cell phone light show at the beginning of the 4th quarter is pretty cool. Would look a lot better if there were 30,000 fans in the seats though. And to think it all started with 3 guys above the jumbotron waving their cell phones. They may one day look back laughing at how they started a cool UH tradition.
No to Vili! He’s not a real UH supporter, But we should have some sort of mascot. Ever since we done away with a mascot….losses.
Jeezy: these 300 Hawaii fans will be right behind our Warrior bench at UNLV; and waving these Green Towels will be better than no one waving anything right? A lot of the current players liked this idea–isn’t football an emotional game; and if the fans can get engaged in doing something for the team; it should rub off on the players!
42. I’ll be in the suites drinking and praying to hit on the -9.5 Vegas line. This season is over in my eyes. I only care about Recruiting and who the next coach is going to be. I’ll have a nice list of potential recruits who aren’t committed for the next coach.
Tom, I apologize for the negativity but I sat behind the team this past weekend vs Air Force and it was embarrassing. The team gave up. Lance was a shit show trying to fight a teammate. The coaches did absolutely nothing about it. I already booked this Vegas trip thinking we would be competing. If they want to fold, then I have no interest in cheering.
Great ideas here!
All of ST’s ideas (with one change*) are on point!
#12 That IS a big buzz kill when we are behind.
#20 YES! Bury those things and ONLY bring them out for Homecoming (or not at all if you ask me).
#23 Yes to stickers, recognize big plays, build pride in earning them.
#21 & #22 Yes a “Vili” like mascot. IIRC “Vili the Warrior” is protected intellectual property, so a new name. How about “Ikaika the Hawaiian Warrior”? Best case scenario the new mascot is a student (who hits the weights a lot).
Can we take a mulligan and drop “Rainbow” from Warriors?
Loose the “Kiss Cam” & the “Bongo Playing” gimmicks too?
Free tickets for all former UH Football players with a section for them. What a great presence it would be to have a gathering of former Warriors near the bench.
And one last one just for me, have concessions offer beer from some of the many awesome local craft breweries.
Bring Brian Kajiyama back. Would he even be interested in returning, though?
45. Can we get also get rid of Take Me Home, Country Home after 3rd quarter?? We need music that will pump the crowd and the players up.
46. Agree. Great song but not the right time nor place. Only was fitting during Chow’s time because the games were most likely over already and they stop serving beer. GO BOWS!!!
I read an article blaming Chow and his pro style offense not being the right fit for UH to succeed. I blame the people who hired Chow and his offense. Maybe if they were football people they would have known that.
Bring back alternate jerseys… black, silver, american, camo, etc. The throwbacks were cool, once. But not every road game.
Do more for the guys in Pro Day
Take me home, country road puts me to sleep, while the entire stadium in Camp Randall is “jumping around.”
Bring back the Warrior Bowl, in the Spring, to Aloha Stadium & follow it with a movie night on the Jumbo TV & allow fans to watch on the field and hang with the players
Take me home, country road is a John Denver song, copied by IZ and adapted for the leeward side. I’m not opposed to the leeward side, IZ, or the song. It’s just not suited to be played at a football game. I thought I was the only one who felt that way.
I liked all your idea’s ST except for the confetti, I thought it made the program look trashy. The confetti never really happened in JJ’s era, it was more in the 80’s and early 90’s which is too far to go back. No more retro rainbow uniforms either, please!
48. Honestly, I don’t blame the pro style offense as to why we failed. It was a combination of poor recruiting and too much turn over in coaching. You need continuity with players and coaches and Chow thought he could just replace and plug in year to year. That doesn’t work.
Sean Schroeder is a good example of what I am talking about. Year 1 was rebuild and learn a new system. So Schroeder took a beating. Year 2, Chow already announced Taylor Graham as a starting QB without earning a job calling him next Carson Palmer. He didn’t work out, Schroeder comes in and the offense is scoring points. Same pro style offense is putting up numbers.
Year 3 comes around now and Chow decides to change his philosophy and move towards a spread offense while implementing zone read. He puts a GA in Jordan Wynn in charge. At this point, he gives up on Taylor Graham and Woolsey is THE GUY. It didn’t work out that great but he made strides as the season went along and won the most games as a QB under Chow.
Year 4 comes around and Wittek is not the man in charge. Whether he won the job or not, Woolsey is taking a back seat while Wittek has the keys. We are running the spread offense by the way. Not pro set. Wittek isn’t getting it done and we are where were at.
So lot of fans want to blame the pro set offense… But the pro set offense isn’t the problem. The indecisiveness of Norm Chow and his vision/leadership is his undoing. He wasn’t a good recruiter and even admitted on Radio that he couldn’t get the defensive line recruits he wanted. The turn over in coaches year after year hurt the program. And lastly, his stubborness to recruit and develop the most important position on the field was my gripe for years. Good football teams recruit 2-3 QBs per class. We were patching up issues with transfers and not developing anybody. It doesn’t work that way.
51. no kidding
Hawaii started the long hair movement in football. We also started the spread that’s seen in the NFL and college a lot, the haka and the rugby punt was also copied.
Build a 40,000 seat stadium (like the other UH, Houston) at the Ala Wai Golf Course. Get plenty space for parking. Pro Bowl pau. Beecher kind seats, ok, with regular seats between the 30 yard lines, if you want to pay. Luxury booths (there are FCS schools stadiums with luxury boxes, today). Make it with room to expand in the future. New and fresh rebirth of the program. Canal taxi service or build another bridge. Every time I drive past Aloha Stadium, people tell me that it looks so “old and tired.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPfQIW02M2M
I vote for all your ideas. We had fun back then … not all of is acceptable to the powers in charge but who cares! I loved Vili and the drums. That’s when we went too far and dropped the fan-friendly fun and magic of a great UH Warrior night of entertaining football. Fried noodles, a couple of teriyaki sticks and an evening of run ‘n shoot. What could be better!
I just hope the next coach will drop “RAINBOW” from the rainbow warrior nickname.
Having played in an era where the prep bowl almost got 30,000 at the turnstile, and if we were under 40,000, it was considered an off night…I chuckle when one of my ex-teammates left a message on my cell phone this weekend regarding the Air Force game
–“cuz, I wuz at the game and it was like watching Kaimuki v. Kalani on a Thursday day game at Aloha Stadium”.
Got to say that it was pretty cool when they played “Sweet Home Alabama” at the Bama game, years ago. Even the UH players were impressed.
H-Man,
Maybe you need a refresher course in Football Hawaii Rainbows were a winning program compared to the Football Hawaii Warriors. I do miss those Vader Black on Black uniforms… Hawaii had some serious swag during the Warrior nickname run for over a decade.
But check the stats for a refresher of your memory… the Rainbow Norm Chow and Von Appen years really brings the Rainbow winning program back to perspective.
http://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/schools/hawaii/
Sweet Home Alabama is more upbeat than Country Road.
Attending the UH-AFA game last week was like being at a funeral/wake. There was a sense of dread. The players walked out to an empty stadium, and had nothing to play for. The only issue in my mind was whether Chow was going to be fired Saturday night, or on Sunday.
The “Rainbow Warrior” name and retro uniforms will kill recruiting. Get rid of them!
Bring Brian Kajiyama back. Would he be interested, though? Hmm….
I like those suggestions ST. We should also consider starting games at 7:00 or 7:30 on a Saturday like we used to. People’s lives are so busy. Parking lot used to open at 3:30 and turnstiles at 5:30, swap meet wasn’t an issue. They also used to let you party in the lot for 1.5 hours after the game was over. Just a few a**holes ruined it for everyone. I don’t know what the big deal was. Bob Wagner always cried about how late they would get back to UH, and the players didn’t have lives. It would only make a difference if we started our games at 1:00 p.m. Now how many fans would come out at that time? Start later, give fans time to finish their family obligations and come to the game. UH-Oregon State in 2006 started at 7:30 and sold out. Of course, we had Colt and we were winning. I think winning is the only sure way to get the crowds back, but starting later can’t hurt.
Under Armour uniforms for football leave much to be desired.. They have to do a better job and they need to make more use of the tapa design. If we are the “rainbow warriors” you would think we can use a lot of color combinations. Our helmet is one of the best in the country, thanks to JJ. The silver helmet was cool too. But, UA can never match NKE. That’s a fact.
College FBS is in the entertainment business. You want scoring. People don’t want to see 14-10 type games. You want to see 61-55 like Oregon and Arizona St. That was exciting. The rules favor the offense. You have to score a lot of points to win. Even Geno Auriemma said this morning that to be a very good team you have to score around 40 points per game. Make sense. For that reason I believe we need an offensive head coach that develops and recruits good QBs. That to me eliminates some candidates.
Bring back affordable prices and concessions. $6 for a hotdog is outrageous… not to mention the $8.50 beers…
With the exception of Vili coming back, the other throw backs mentioned are good ones. My favorites are the cannon followed by push ups, intro of the “D” and a big yes for former players. There is so much pride and passion through the years that we all have for our favorite former players, would love to have those in attendance acknowledged at half time. Vili was a fair weathered part time friend. Someone said he and his wife had little aloha for any consideration of their kids being recruited by the home team.
It sounds like the blog host is calling for a return to the way things were when a certain coach was here. That coach was the total package. Branding, marketing, exciting offense and great coaches at his side. I like the way I think the host is headed here. Let’s pray the program is heading that way too.
BTW – let the other programs in our athletics keep their respective nicknames. But when the “Men in Black” take the field, let them be Warriors!
GO WARRIORS!!!
GO WAHINE!!!
let da fans bring in snacks and bentos again!!! no more anything worth buying at the stadium anyway. this has got to be the worst food offerings at a stadium ever! stan sheriff center and les murakami field get way better food than aloha stadium!
I have a bad feeling about this hire. I am trying to stay positive but it is hard when so many people want to try and relive the past. I do not think people understand how bad SMU was last year. June Jones had some success when he first got there, then ran the program into the ground, then bailed on the team. He also left us hanging after th Sugar Bowl. He also also bolted for ASU while at SMU. STAY AWAY FROM JUNE JONES.
55. …. Norm didn’t give up on Graham; Graham’s body gave out to injuries, so he couldn’t play last year.
Expert Curran and someone discussed this morning that UH has to use something other than the pr0-set to have success. Also, this morning Dennis McKnight said that if you go to the triple option type offense, you don’t have many high schools running that here and won’t get that type of recruit from Hawaii. When was the last successful time UH had the pro-set offense ? Dick Tomey ?
San Diego St runs the pro-set though, i think, and has been successful. No Hoke-pokey for UH though.
Miano for HC, Rolo as OC.
While we’re looking back, lets look way back – how about the UH marching band playing a signature version of this masterpiece, featuring the UH marching band “Warrior Drum Line” inspired by Buddy Rich? This song will get folks pumped!
I’ve heard the band play this before, but not quite like this.
I agree they should bring back the long hair. UH started that and it started a national trend that went up to the NFL. That was the teams identity and Chow blew it up. Why do we have to be BYU?!
Bring back the fun of watching an exciting team.
71.
Well for one thing UH has control over the SSC and Les Murakami stadium. The stadium authority has control over Aloha Stadium so UH doesn’t oversee the concessions there. But yeah I agree, the food options at SSC and Murakami stadium are much better
No costume mascot, but a buff islander dressed in traditional war attire.
Eye candy for the ladies and someone the locals could be proud of. Just a thought…
“One of the ironies of Chow’s failed tenure at UH was that despite his Hawaii roots, he was too late in understanding some of the common denominators that made the ’Bows a success in good years.
Many of UH’s best seasons were predicated on employing an unconventional offense that the ’Bows’ opponents didn’t see much of elsewhere and struggled to prepare for.
Bob Wagner won with the uniqueness of Paul Johnson’s spread offense. June Jones won by widening the field with the run-and-shoot.
It is hardly a coincidence that the two worst eras in UH football, those of Fred vonAppen (5-31) and Chow (10-36), came when UH’s offense didn’t have its own identity. …
http://www.staradvertiser.com/sportspremium/20151103_new_coach_must_get_it.html?id=339751142&c=n
We need to stop the talk about Miano and Rolo as the next coaches right now. If that’s the best we can do, we in trouble.
If Dino Babers is really interested in the UH job he should be taken very seriously. He has built an excellent resume. I didn’t know he was born in Hawaii and that his wife was a Rainbow Wahine. He played for Dick Tomey so he knows how fans flocked to Aloha Stadium and how the stadium was rocking then. His Bowling Green team is bowl bound so if he is interested and gets the job there might be a problem in him starting the new job, unless he leaves BG immediately and an interim coach handles the bowl game. That would be critical for recruiting. I believe Matlin has to decide on a new coach by the beginning of December at the latest because of the recruiting period.
#74 why should Rolovich have to play second fiddle to Miano?
80. Hate to break the bad news but were in trouble. If you followed closely on how the Ganot hiring took place, you kind of get he will do the same with football. It will be a cheap option that wants to be here that shows integrity and all that other stuff Matlin said. Matlin knew he wanted Ganot from the get go which really set Benjy off as he felt he wasn’t given a fair shot. So Matlin has his guy already. He put Naeole in charge to stir away from any controversy like with basketball. I don’t think Naeole meets the qualifications to be a full time HC so it adds up why he didn’t put Bailey or Mason in charge.
82. Rolo is a 2nd fiddle coach period. Considering Ganot got hired for basketball when there were more qualified candidates, it will be no surprise that Rolo gets offered the position when guys like Sitake and Salavea with stronger recruiting ties and coaching backgrounds will get passed over.
Mahalo coach chow.
You worked hard no doubt
bring back TD’s!
it won’t be former alumni and coaches miano nor jones.
another perhaps.
So tweets the little ones.
My list of head coaches:
#1. June Jones with Nick Rolovich as the QB/OC coach in waiting to be the next Hawaii Head Coach when June Jones retires… Nobody knows how to squeeze the budget and win games with the talent Hawaii usually lands like June Jones and Nick Rolovich. It would give Hawaii the continuity it needs to build a program and identity like it used to have in the “Hawaii Warrior” days.
June Jones has proven he can rebuild a stinking ship of a football program… he did it twice with VonAppen Hawaii debacle and SMU Football needing life support.
Once again Hawaii Football has found itself sinking into abyss of losing and being a bottom feeder. June Jones leaving Hawaii in 2008 hurt all of us… like that ex-spouse that left you for another after building a prosperous home together. But years later found out that there is nothing like being home and seeing that home was in such disrepair by you jumping from one love to another.
Im not saying it’s a guarantee that June Jones can pull the proverbial Rabbit out of his Hat 3 times in a row… rebuilding Hawaii, then rebuilding SMU and then rebuilding Hawaii again. But as long as June Jones has all his faculties are in working order and doesn’t get/have any mental health conditions like dementia or alzheimers. He already has the experience and proven that he can rebuild the fallen D1 Football program. Plus, Jone Junes will probably be willing to take the Hawaii Head Coach pay… being he already made huge money at SMU.
#2 This is a long shot but Dino Babers also know how to make do with a small budget and wins games.
#3 This is another long shot but Scott Frost- Oregon Ducks offensive coordinator
FCS Coaches that should get some attention and definitely know how to win with small budgets.
#1 Beau Baldwin- Eastern Washington head coach
#2 John Grass- Jacksonville State Head Coach.
#3 Chris Kileman- North Dakota State Head Coach.
#4 Bob Stitt- Montana Head Coach
I think our spread offense is not suited for Wittek. He’s more or less a pro style QB suited to a 5-7 step offense, much like what we ran last year. He’s shown a preference to throw the intermediate 10-20 yard passes and the occasional longer routes over the quick dink and dunk routes that spreads mix in to supplement a one back offense. He nor Woolsey have yet to show the right touch on screens or swings to the RB. They over float the ball on those passes. The defense doesn’t have to assign a man to prevent him from faking the hand off and running around the end.
In my opinion the Bailey should start Woolsey who has more mobility or should add an H back to help with the blocking on pass situations. It seems 99% of the time we’ve passed on 3rd with 3 or more yards to go. To me it’s a tell what UH will do in that situation and the defense can game plan accordingly.
You can’t do Coach in Waiting at a public university like Hawaii
Hard to read the names on their backs with a team comprised of long haired players.
No to Vili.
Yes, bring back Marshmellow Man mascot. He’ll get the crowd riled up!
If Jones is the Head Coach, even more important will be his OC and DC.
Hawaii get danm really serious about getting a new coach? Don’t get a local and former player to become the next Head Coach! Just get one from the mainland with a lot’s of experience in Division one coaching!. Because will make easy for Hawaii peoples! So they can stop being a cry baby about the local coaching experience!. Just get a coach that make sure the players to graduate from the University! Like Norm Chow that made sure that his players graduate from school! He made it 39% or more then former coaches!.
Because, I bet you all this that a lot’s of college players don’t know how to sign their name!. Some of them make a check mark first grade hand written!
Bring back the gold helmets. Visions of Levi Stanley, Jeris White, and Hal Stringert! Showing my age.
If Matlin hires someone who runs a Pro-Style offense then he should be fired immediately….But, I think he is not that dumb (I hope) and I also hope the people who he is asking for advice is not that stupid either.
The only teams who can run the Pro-Style offense and do it with success are in the P5 conferences.
We guys in the non-BCS conferences will not succeed in a Pro-Style offense because we do not have the personal across the board and at least 2 deep in the depth chart to run that kind of offense and find success.
It is very hard to recruit in Hawaii because we are so far away from the mainland that we will always not have the personel to run anything other than a “system” “scheme” or “gimmick” (whatever you want to call it) type of offense that will help keep our opponent defenses guessing…as well as give more opportunities to attack.
As I mentioned earlier…Tomey had his different style of offense…So did Wags and Jones and they all found success….The only 2 coaches that failed miserably who tried to run a Pro-Style offense was Von Appen and Chow.
I hope that this is the last time we ever get a coach with that kind of offensive mentallity.
90.
Stay puft man!!
Nice ideas…and I always liked those booming warrior chants over the PA system: “Eo, eo na toa!” that JJ brought in. Kind of Hawaii’s answer to UNR’s “And that’s ANOTHER WOLFPACK FIRST DOWN!”
Again, I will repeat it again…I believe that if we want to seriously bring or team back to respectability we need to find a HC who is of the “offensive minded” type, PERIOD!
I see others being mentioned for the job…but most of them are “defensive minded” coaches, or at least come from a defensive background.
We need an “offensive minded” HC someone like Coach Jones, who can create an exciting type of football on the offensive side…This will make people excited…Make Hawaii an exciting brand of football again…And most importantly, put Da Butts in Da Seats.
If you look at the top exciting offenses (ex, passing minded offenses) that is running now…you will notice that 11 of the 12 are “pass happy type” of offenses…And I believe ALL of them but 2 have HC’s that are “OFFENSIVE MINDED” HC.
Here is the list of the Top 12 Passing offenses:
1. Washington St…2. Bowling Green…3.Texas Tech…4. TCU…5. Western Kentucky…6. Cali…7. Memphis…8. USC…9. Oklahoma St…10. Cincy…11. Tulsa…12. Baylor.
Here is the list of the Top 12 Scoring offenses:
1. Baylor…2. TCU…3. Oklahoma (changed to Air Raid attack this season)…4. Texas Tech…5. Bowling Green…6. Memphis…7. Stanford…8. Notre Dame…9. USC…10. Clemson…11. Ohio St…12. Oklahoma St.
Based on the rankings above…would you agree that this “pass happy” style of football is what we need?….If so, then that is WHY I believe that we need an “Offensive Minded” HC to bring us back to exciting football again.
Scoring = Exciting!…Passing = Exciting!…More Winning is the result of playing Exciting style of football in todays world.
Bottom line…we got to think “OFFENSIVE MINDED” HC with an exciting style of offense…just like what Coach Jones brought, as the top requirement for our next HC at Hawaii.
jeezy how can you judge Ganot without seeing what he’s done? Who are some of the more qualified coaches that were passed over? I’m more into basketball men and women’s than I am football.
For me going to football games is more out of habit and reflex. Basketball for me is a more enjoyable experience. I have no insight as to Ganot’s coaching ability, i wanted Benjy to get the job. To me Matlin showed a lot of guts to go against the prevailing public opinion to go with who thought was the best fit. That and the way he handled Chow’s release gives me confidence that he won’t be swayed by outside forces and go with who he deems as best to lead the football program.
81.
Babers was on the same team as Miano. ’82, ’83
cocobean…
I hope Ganot succeeds this year.
The only thing that bothers me is that he is rockin’ a goatee…I know it is nothing but hair on his face…but for the life of me I cannot think of ANY successful men’s college basketball coach that had a goatee.
The only guy that comes to mind is Coach Shaka Smart from VCU who look like he sometime wore one, but most times didn’t.
Anyways, do you know of any successful coach on the D1 level to have a goatee and won with it?….I hope the goatee is not a telling thing.
Wonder who may be seeking to transfer. In particular, the LDS players such as Dylan Collie and Aaron Zwahlen, among others? Zwahlen signed with UH based on his dad’s friendship with Coach Chow. Hope they decide to remain at UH, but you never know. A lot depends on who AD Matlin hires.
Derek, judging from the sound bytes from Matlin, at the earliest he’ll make a decision is mid December. Again that’s the earliest.
Naeole was named interim because he was the associate head coach. He’s been on staff for three years while both coordinators are in their first year here.
95. … San Diego St runs a pro style offense, i think, and they are not in the P5 conferences.
John L. Williams 🙂
Mike Riley may be out of a job with those deep pocket boosters unhappy at Nebraska (3-6).
98— Ivin Jasper, Navy OC comes to mind. at one time the triple option worked well here.
To me Mid December is too late. LOI is early February. You don’t have much time because there are some dead periods in there too.
Want offense. Watch Northern Illinois and Toledo on ESPN2 right now. These MAC teams are very good. Makes our team a patsy.
aloha everyone !! new coach right know !! i say bust out black this weekend !!
Willieboy…
No offense to the triple option…I love Paul Johnson and what he did here with that offense, back in the day…I like what he did at Navy and now as GT….However with that said, I don’t believe that it will be exciting enough for us here in Hawaii….Yes, I know that it wins that matters to most….But IMO we are Hawaii…we need to find wins along with style points when doing it….That type of offensive scheme fits the service academies but I don’t think it will be fit here again…because of what Jones did with the spread air attack….We need exciting type of football and triple option is not exciting football….JMO.
Babers might want to check out Hawaii, but his family and agents would squash that.
He’s on track to be the next coach at Miami or Illinois.
#84 Jeezy LOL that’s how little I think of Miano.
Colle and Zwahlen won’t transfer.
Besides, Collie already was at BYU for a year. He’s not going to redshirt. He’s a starter over here.
Finally, some one else besides me that thinks this is needed to resurrect the fan base:
Attendance started to go downhill when Jim Donovan, nice guy that he is, agreed to start games at 2:00 pm up to 4:30 so that the poor visiting teams can get to the airport and catch their commercial flights that night. In the mauka sections, many of those old, long time season ticket holders wilted. NO PARASOLS OR UMBRELLAS ALLOWED IN THE STADIUM.
Enter the MWC and we are paying for their charter flights. But we continue to let our attendance decline because even a 6:00 start time (get in your seats by 5:00 for the pregame) is still miserably bright and hot until November. The AD took a survey (I wasn’t asked) if people prefered a 5:00 or 6:00 pm start time. DUH. 7:00 pm was not a choice.
If Dave Matlin knows the daytime Hawaii Bowl, he knows which seats sell out first for local people. Remember the Hawaii Bowl sun is nothing like the sun in Late August and September. Examine the season ticket sales by seat/section over the past 15 years should reveal a trend
Let’s throw out another name: Larry “Tui” Tuileta.
He’s not playing football at SC anymore.
He could come here and be a QB/WR.
UH can’t contact him, but that doesn’t mean an LA-based fan can’t stroll onto campus.
I don’t know much about him, but someone called into the Sports Animal show and suggested maybe they look at BYU offensive coordinator Robert Anae. I wonder if he would even have interest in the position, but if he is, he would be an interesting candidate to look at.
99. I’m not judging Ganot. I’m saying he wasn’t the most qualified applicant. I do have questions about whether he can command a room though. Not the most enthusiastic speaker that screams confidence in what he’s selling. Will his team respond through adversity? That will be found out very soon
Forget Vili … he’s moved to Texas … also did not know he and Kalani Sitake DC @ Oregon State are cousins … Maybe Matlin can work out a package deal …
Based on the names that have been tossed around and what Hawaii can afford, the 2 most qualified candidates in my opinion would be Kalani Sitake and Joe Salavea. Both are having success in the PAC 12, very respected by recruiting analyst and have very strong recruiting ties. Had a person who runs the program out in Samoa tell me Salavea is a huge figure out there and it shows in the recruiting of Daniel Ekuale and Shalom Luani. Also recruited Hercules Mataafa from Maui who Hawaii didn’t offer.
ST…
Back in the day, me and my brothers were to lazy to cut up the newspapers so we used to go to my Mada’s office and take all the calculator paper rolls and launch then from the blue section at the stadium…Was awesome watching those things fly high and create a nice white streamer all the way to the field.
#94 Old School Dave, you are like a fine wine getting better all the time. Those guys you mentioned from the early 70’s played to the utmost of their abilities. They were not he fastest or the biggest, just played balls out and played smart. Key was that Dave Holmes knew how to use this talent and blend with Mainland talent like Casey Ortez, Albert Holmes and my sentimental favorite Reinhild Stuprich. Larry Price was also a key component as a defensive coach. Too bad his venture as the HC did not go as well. Yup I too remember those gold helmets.
I think Ganot will have a lot of challenges, not unlike Chow faced in that he runs a style antithetical to the type of athletes he has and will likely be able to get.
He seems to run a highly disciplined style with many set plays but currently has a roster of players that is accustomed to a free-wheeling, playground style.
The players already seem to be chaffing under his un-Benjy Taylor-style (based on the recent Twitter outbursts).
There may be a tough in-conference ride in the coming years (the out-of-conference schedule is a joke) until we find out if Ganot can find, attract and retain players who will abide by his style of play.
#107 Derek. First time I saw UNLV play was against N. Illinois. The Rebels played them tough in a back and forth offensive game. Said then that they looked pretty good and they have continued to improve through the season. A contrast to the fortunes of the 2015 Warrior team. They may have a 1st time college coach, but he has a resume as a head coach even though much of the time leading a National HS power; knows how to lead and win.
Here is my wish for the next HC.
My hope is for JJ….but if not then maybe we can steal Chad Morris away from SMU.
Chad Morris
Who cares that Morris is struggling in his first year at SMU, which was a complete mess when he arrived? He’s one of the best offensive minds in the game, the architect of Clemson’s high-powered attacks from 2011-2014. And he’s going to be an outstanding head coach. Plus, he knows the ACC terrain as well as the recruiting landscape in the Mid-Atlantic region. Morris is the guy who developed Tajh Boyd and helped get Deshaun Watson to Death Valley.
With JJ or Chad Morris…they both can run the offense themselves and that saves some money getting an OC to run things.
I think we shouldn’t worry about getting those from the mainland who are hot right now…we should instead concentrate on getting the ones who want to be here and who can help get this program back to respectability Fast and not after 3 years of rebuilding…I, for one, can’t wait another 3 to 4 years for someone to rebuild this program.
JJ is the quick fix answer…He proved he can turn around a program…not once, but twice with Hawaii and SMU.
Getting Chad Morris away from SMU is probably unrealistic since he is most likely a frontrunner to take over Va Tech…..Oh well.
Just FYI, SBNation had this to say about UH Football:
Norm Chow, who’s also technically a lifer at Hawaii, since he never had any other head coaching job and I doubt most schools are looking to hire a man on the cusp of 70 who accumulated seven wins over FBS opponents in three-and-a-half seasons. It’s hard to say that isn’t enough time to turn a program that used to make bowl games pretty regularly around, but it’s also worth noting that Hawaii’s one of the most publicly broke athletic departments. If you interview for this job, make sure you read the fine print, or else you’ll find out too late that you’re required to provide team transportation to next season’s game in Ann Arbor. That’s how they get you. (http://goo.gl/SEK6U9)
jeezy: “So lot of fans want to blame the pro set offense… But the pro set offense isn’t the problem. ”
yes. because there’s no such thing as a pro-set offense. pro-set is a formation. sometimes you say things that make sense (like hawaii d-line is thin and the defense isn’t very good) but also sometimes you say things that only SOUND like they make sense.
but i agree with you that whatever norm chow is running, the offense in and of itself probably isn’t the only reason why his tenure as a head coach at UH was a failure.
someone else said that wittek isn’t suited to run the spread. i think this is a load of crap, because the “spread” is actually a very large offensive concept, and that there are specific types of offenses that fall under the “spread” umbrella. like the air raid, spread option, run and shoot, various zone read offenses, etc etc. even among the spread to run teams, you don’t necessarily need a running qb to be successful.
so i disagree when that poster said that wittek “can’t run the spread” on the grounds that i don’t think the poster actually knows what hawaii is running and why wittek is incapable of running it.
also, woolsey is just not a very good quarterback. but then again, at this point, the team is a train wreck and nobody looks very good, including the defense.
It’s hard to find a decent picture of the failed mascot that Hawaii fans derided as “The Marshmallow Man”.
All I could find was a grainy black and white photo that some blogger chose as his avatar.
Bring him back.
That mascot would attract national attention.
124.
In the comments section at ESPN.com, in regard to Hawaii’s athletic budget, one poster wrote that Alabama spends more on hookers for recruits.
Morris is not coming nor is he interesred. He makes too much money at SMU. The question is does Sitake or Salavea even interested in the job? Maybe we’ll never know.
Toledo ran a successful fake punt from their own end zone.
Derek mid December may seem late but that’s the reality of the process. Say the overall football season ends around 12/5. You may have candidates coaching until then and unable to come for an interview in season. That’s why I said I couldn’t understand why people thought firing Chow as soon as possible would give us a new coach any earlier than waiting until there was no chance of us having a winning record.
Do you think Babers, Sitake, Rolo, Banker or any other candidate would have the time in November to fly here.
Don’t forget to tune in tonight at 6PM to ESPN 1420 AM for BC’s “Call The Coach” show tonight with AD Dave Matlin!
http://www.espn1420am.com/
I’m all for giving former players tickets or sideline passes, but only if it is done for all sports. Just be transparent and upfront about it, then what’s the problem? In fact, it’s more of a problem if you don’t.
Need to stop the Morris non sense. He’s going to be a big time coach and already making over a million … He’s not interested
Step one: Check. JJ to apply.
Agree we need a mascot again. Apparently there is a lot people interested in the job. I hope the fans come out next weekend after they return from UNLV.
I think Davone Bess would make an excellent receivers coach.
If a young Urban Meyer had applied or (someone like him) applies for the UH job, his application would be discarded if many had their way because he doesn’t have a “Hawaii Connection.” I hope that AD Dave Matlin (and I believe he does) has more sense than that and doesn’t limit the pool in that way.
As with all applicant in most fields you need to ask the applicant’s former employer: “Would you rehire this applicant?
I said Morris was unrealistic and just a wish…He is a big time coach already and wouldn’t be surprised if he left SMU for Va Tech.
We also need to stop with the nonsense of hiring Kalani Sitake or Joe Salavea…We need a proven HC to turn this team around fast and not wait for another rebuilding project to occur.
No way any of those 2 gets hired for the head job here.
“I think Davone Bess would make an excellent receivers coach”
why? is he a good teacher that players connect with and meticulous in how he teaches the technical details of the position?
He knew what it took to be successful at this level and the next. Was hoping he could pass on the knowledge.
I agree we need to bring back the ALL BLACK uniforms for home games…Must be a reason why big name schools are all starting to use some form of All Black uniforms now.
playing and teaching/coaching re two different skillsets. mediocre players can make great coaches who are dedicated to their craft. amazing and talented players who made it to the highest level could have no aptitude for coaching at all.
there are also position coaches who didnt’ even play that position during their playing years.
i’m not saying that davonne bess wouldn’t be a good coach. but there’s nothing to base that he would be a good position coach off of.
Points taken. I also am kinda remembering he became a major head case in the nfl. Hopefully he’s doing better.
what’s colt brennan doing nowadays? last i saw he was quarterbacks coach at kahuku and then he disappeared off the face of the earth.
The 2013 USC game had all black uniforms, still lost though.
A head coach is more of a CEO than a coach. There’s just too much administrative headaches. I remember when Chow said he was handed a fertilizer order for the grass field.
There’s also a lot of dealings with academics. I think Chow had to fight to get 12 players admitted into school this summer.
What about bringing Brian Kajiyama back into the program. He’d be a positive, if he was interested.
Well one thing I think Davonne Bess could teach our receivers is how to run better routes…If we run a Jones type of offense, it will be about creating seams in the defense and Davonne could help in teaching the receivers how to adapt to their looks and how to catch the defense by surprise.
I know he can also help in teaching our receivers that in this type of offense, unlike most passing plays, that they will not be open when they are in open space, but rather when they are moving towards a space that is open or will be open in about a half a second.
I know he could teach our receivers the timing and precision needed in a Jones type of fast developing passing plays.
I know he can help them recognize zone reads and also spot matchup advantages which will prepare them to know that our QB is locked on to them for an immediate throw.
Our past receivers coach seems he couldn’t teach this to our receivers effectively enough…But if Jones does come back, Davonne, I believer can only be an asset to instantly help teach our current receivers how to effectively play the positions…since he did it so very successfully before.
Old School Dave-might bust out my Forrest Green with gold trim/white numerals jersey that went with those gold helmets for UNLV game. It will be a game time decision. The number is of course 50 which I wore 71-73. Always told my kids Imwas the original Hawaii 50! Actually Ed Foote had that number the year the show came out in 69. I had a shot at a guest appearance that called for a scruffy nasty looking big guy-Denise an admin at the FB office looked for me all morning but I had no phone. My buddy OT John Schroyer got the part after I could not be reached. John was about 300lbs 6-1 or so who was just as scruffy as me! 10’seconds of fame!!!!!
again, teaching and playing are two different skillsets. just because someone was all -american/all-pro/all-universe doesn’t mean that he can teach effectively and connect to players as a position coach.
145…
Black unis are more about a psychological thing…that affect our team in a mental way…Some psychs guy told me it is like…if you look good, you feel good…if you look strong, you feel strong…if you feel strong, you play strong…Something like that.
But here is what the experts say about the BLACK color.
In color psychology, black means power and control, hanging on to information and things rather than giving out to others.
Black is intimidating, unfriendly and unapproachable because of the power it exudes.
It can prevent two-way communication because of its intimidation. The salesman wearing all black will make a lot of sales, but no friends! It radiates authority, but creates fear in the process.
Black implies self-control and discipline, independence and a strong will, and giving an impression of authority and power.
Black unis doesn’t guarantee wins…but it could help, according to the psych guys, to put our players in a better mind set to go out and kick that A$$.
I have a gut feeling if JJ don’t get selected ALL of you JJ fans are gonna be real hurt and complain about who got selected.
149…
Sure I agree with that statement…I seen and been around many coaches and players and they most times can only do one or the other.
But regarding Bess, I don’t know if he needs to communicate verbally as some coaches who are older can only do…But since he is still young I believe he can communicate what he wants them to do by showing they physically….You can communicate both verbally and physically…Which one works best?
For me, when I was playing sports…I always understood better when someone showed my physically what I needed to do, instead of them barking orders or instructions at me.
Bess is still young so I don’t think that he is to far out of reach to connect with his players…Plus he’s an athlete who played at the highest level, a level that all college kids aspire to reach…so I am gonna put more pressure and responsibility on the kids then on him, to listen up and learn what he is saying and teaching them.
yeah. well, i’m not saying he’s not a good coach, because i don’t know, and i don’t even know if he even is interested in coaching. i’m saying that player skill doesn’t necessarily mean teaching and coaching skill. and if people want him to coach, he should start off as a GA, work his way up, and learn the craft and art of teaching.
Key component that we don’t know about any of the candidates is what kind of staff the next HC can assemble. Lot of June Jones early success was he hit a HR on his assistant coaches. Vs where Chow screwed up bad was his selection of coaches and how he chose not to retain the good ones we had here.
I feel like Rolos inexperience and connect to the coaching community is where he might struggle out together a solid staff. But at the end of the day, only Dave Matlin will know in interviews what kind of staff any of these candidates can put together.
ST — your #146:
hope the 12 student athletes are holding their own academically!
The one thing JJ has that no one else does is experiencing the politics of UH as a head coach. For that reason alone, he is the only qualified person. Everyone else is in for a rude awakening.
153.
Me too…I don’t know if he’s interested…I was just commenting about if he is given a chance I would be open to it, based on the fact that I believe he can teach the players based on his acquired skills and experience he has.
For me, I guess its different because he has been around NFL coaches for many years and if JJ is back, then he and Stutzman would definitely be 2 guys who can definitely show the receivers what Jones wants from them.
Lastly, as for being a GA first, for me, he like Naeole earned there stripe well enough to coach on our team…JMO.
I am amazed at the number of football coaching experts that use this blog!
truly, their content makes me feel that they personally know coach this or coach that and who/why coach A or coach B will be the most successful for UH -intimate knowledge of each coach
oh, yes, I forgot it’s only an opinion.
156..
True Dat!
But also…JJ already lives here…He knows the culture, the people, the HS coaches and players here…All very important things and information that he already has in his back pocket…and thus allowing him to concentrate on just winning games.
I see that no one remembers why Davone Bess is not in the NFL anymore. Better to have a guy like Sarkisian on staff then Davone.
I don’t care who the coach is. But should be good at these things.
1. win games (get back to the winning ways)
2. Get us back to a bowl game.
3. Get the fans back into stadium.
4. Get the best players he can get for the job.
5. form a good coaching staff that will stick together for awhile.
#125. I stand by my opinion. I understand there are many types of spread offenses. I was specific to say “our” spread offense. The way “our” spread works is the run is meant to set up the pass. “Our” spread is suppose to run it’s plays under 19 seconds from the end of the previous play. If the defense can stop the run it’s hard to go up tempo, the way the offense was designed to work. If the run is not working or we can’t go up tempo we’re left with pretty simple pass attack. We do not have a sophisticated passing attack like a run n shoot or air raid spread.
I’ve been at all the home games I haven’t seen Wittek get the ball out quickly and effectively. The quickest throws are receiver specific like a quick slant to Kemp or throw to a wideout who jab steps and turns toward the QB. On most other pass plays he’ll take the shot gun snap and drop back another three to five steps, set up and go through his reads. With Wittek at qb we’ve always passed on 3rd and 3 or longer. It is not in his mind to peek if there’s a possibility to run for the first down. I just feel the defense finds the play calling with Wittek at qb too predictable.
UH should hire Pat Hill.
163. Pat Hill was a awesome coach IMO. He had a strong connect with the people of the San Joaquin Valley. He owned the recruiting there. I called the Fresno decline once Carr graduated. Like the Hawaii job, I think you need to understand the Fresno culture to succeed. I’m not sure Pat Hill would work here but I would definitely listen. Just hard to adapt to a completely new community and won’t have access to the type of Athletes here in Hawaii that he was able to find in the central valley
I too thought Hill was a good coach. He and JJ had some nice battles back in the day. Much respect. Who knows, maybe he still has a pipeline from the SJ valley to Hawaii.
One thing that Jones has been doing since he’s “on vacation” or “sem retirement” is that he has seen a lot of high school football games here so he has a very good sense of what players he would go after locally, assuming he gets the job. Miano would also know as well. If JJ is energized he certainly has the inside track in my mind because of his history. The fact that he’s the winningest coach in UH history that speaks volume. The key for him would be to find good assistants who can develop and recruits players and make good evaluations as Jeezy33 said. He’s probably looking at 3 to 5 years and then retire for good in Hawaii.
Other than him, they guy that intrigues me is Dino Babers, but maybe he’s not interested and looking for a Power 5 team. Don’t blame him if he’s looking at a lot more money while he’s hot. He’s BG on TV tomorrow against Oho.
Love him or hate him JJ will return as HC. Personally, given the current situation, he is the guy for the job of you want the quickest turn around back to the Hawaii bowl. I just hope he also is committed to a long term succession plan which includes building hard a core recruiting base, and bringing in donor money to completely revamp on campus facilities. Don’t see him coaching more than 5 more years.
If we build it they will come…..
Agree with RB #151: I also get the feeling that there will be an awful amount of hate and criticism among locals towards the new hire if he isn’t Jones, Miano, or Rolovich. Hope I’m wrong as this will only be counterproductive for the program to move forward.
Who’s going to start this week vs UNLV at QB? Is Ben Clarke going to stay at center? Jerrol Garcia-Williams is having a productive season at LB, after coming back from an ACL injury in 2014.
IMO, here’s the recruiting needs for February.
3 – QBs (2 HS and 1 JC)
3 – Defensive interior line
3 – Defensive End, Pass Rushers
3 – Linebackers
4 – Offensive Linemen
3- Running Backs
3- Wide Receivers
3- Defensive Backs
1- Kicker (walk-on)
1- Punter (walk-on)
1- Athlete (can be all purpose RB or WR or DB who can return kicks.
10 or more-preferred walk-ons
So JJ will be applying for the job. Would be the easiest choice for AD. Wonder what is going thru ADs mind right now. Back to old or something new.
Very interesting call the AD.
I got the impression from his responses to the ?s that Matlin is putting a lot of thought into all aspects of finding the “right” man. I couldn’t get through but if I did I would’ve asked if he has a max $ amount in mind he’d spend to get the “right” man and the “right” staff. My follow up ? would be is he feeling out support should that amount higher than what the current staff is getting paid?
I think he’s smart enough to weigh an applicant’s qualifications and assign a maximum amount he could find support to pay for that person’s signature. He found a way to come up with some $$$ to pay a small cost of attendance for our athletes. I think he’ll be find a way to pay 750k or possibly more for the right man.
JJ friends with Pat Hill. Hill would make a really good special teams coach.
the ad knows aready who he wants !! but he going have think this choice might cost him his job come next year this time if the man basketball team does not have a winning season !! and football does not do good people will be calling for AD job!!
Coach Bailey and Coach Naeole
This Saturday’s game
Try Zwhalen – Vele – Ursua – Ewaliko – Hagger – Barker
If cannot, cannot at least we have Ganot
Rolo showed us how to use Vele. Hback.
I’m very ambivalent of June and Miano. Rich was my first choice the last go around mainly for continuity sake. Felt he would’ve kept Aranda, Rolo and Tuioti for sure. June is June. He’s polarizing. Not sure how much he has left in the tank. I know both would be willing to give Matlin a home town discount…that’s a plus. Both would hit the ground running with no time lost relocating.
Nevada is 4-4 with 3 of its last 4 games on the road. Rolo may be available sooner than expected
With the quality of some of those names being mentioned, I would be in favor of looking at a new coach. If he is available and interested, I would be willing to take a chance on Aranda. The experience of being in the Big 10 makes him interesting and a step above Rolo.
Live in Reno or Hawaii, I’m sure Nick’s wife can answer that in a heartbeat
Matlin can’t show his hand with regards to money. Remember that a brilliant person once said UH was willing to pay up to $1.1 million for a coach, and guess how much the next coach was paid?
There’s maybe one guy on this list that we could get.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/2015/11/03/college-football-assistants-to-head-coaches-openings-vacancies/75070132/
Wonder is JJ could get the likes of Tua to stay home and become the next TC. Guess I have more than one dream.
…if
While the head football coach may be the “CEO” they remain the coach who sets the tone for the team and other coaches.
Chow’s tone was one of pettiness to the determinant of team building: humiliating players who didn’t make weight by having them roll around in the mud (more or less), is a useless way to create change. It just signals to the players that mindless conformity is preeminent, and trumps creating a sense of “we’re all in this together.”
Shearing the hair of people who didn’t meet his out-of-touch expectations tells players that meaningless details that have little to do with the outcome of a game are more important than the ones that do.
Today’s athletes have far less regard for this type of shortsighted pettiness, especially when it becomes clear that the overarching X sand Os strategy a head coach articulates is failing over and over again.
What I saw in the Hawaii football players under Chow was more of a Stockholm syndrome than a sense of camaraderie.
Say what you will about JJ, but he either knew how to foster a sense of constructive teamwork, or it comes to him naturally.
Whoever is the next head coach is needs this attribute above all else because a head coach’s system only works when players buy-in over the long haul.
174.
Stop it!….Do not encourage Bailey (he might be reading this blog) to use Zwahlen…He is our future QB right now and we don’t need Bailey to get stupid and burn his redshirt just because he probably won’t be here next season.
Bailey can’t use Ursua as he is only cleared to practice but not play in games….That is a good thing because he is also redshirting this season and is another of our young but mature LDS players who will be our future stars.
Coach Bailey, if you are reading this blog…please start Reilly at QB….I have a feeling he will surprise us all…And hey, it might save your job if Reilly goes on to lead the team to a final 4-0 record…If you use Wittek or Woosley again, all it will confirm is that you show be gone with Chow…..Just saying.
If JJ is the man, I hope he brings a Clune or even Mack level DC and we don’t have the typical UH swiss cheese D. I’m excited!
#180. Of course he can’t say how much he’s willing to or capable of spending. The ? was if he has an amount in mind and if it’s more than the cost of the current staff is he lining up support for an increase.
turkey…
It wouldn’t surprise me at all if JJ gets hired that he keeps the defensive staff we already have….I mean DC Mason was his DC at SMU…Elimimian and Samuseva played for him…Gouveia has the top level and championship experience on all football levels…Keeping the current defensive staff would keep the continuity and familiarity on that side of the ball….1/2 the problem solved.
Still, if he was to bring back Mac again for a 3rd time…I would be all for that as well.
Remember…if JJ can bring our offense back to prominence and dominance again…then our defense only needs to bend and not break.
185. Reilly first half, then if he does nothing Zwhalen.
185. game film for next coach to look at
This is the time to make a splash and get the crowd back to the stadium. JJ would be a great hire to get the program jumping. Rehire Miano to be the Director of Recruiting and DB coach. Rolovich to be the OC and heir apparent to JJ in a few years. Try to get a feel to see if Jeff Ulbrich would be interested in becoming the DC (yeah, I know UCLA is better but this is where it all began). What’s even more important or just as important is to revamp the booster club and infuse new money into the program. Hey, I know someone that owns an island maybe he can also build a stadium for us too! Get BYU also on the schedule would also be helpful.
I wish the best for Steve Sarkisian and hope that he gets a second chance at coaching a FBS school someday.
But not here.
I am looking forward to the Bowling Green/Toledo game tomorrow.
Especially because I have the day off.
I tell people at work, “Don’t tell me the score. I’m recording it.”
But I know their gambling habits. I know who bets favorites; who bets underdogs, and just by looking at their facial expressions and body language, I can tell how the game is going.
God, I hope gambling never becomes legal in Hawaii.
Davone Bess:
http://www.rotoworld.com/player/nfl/4636/davone-bess
might not be a good choice.
I would like to see a young offensive mind like Mike Norvell (ASU OC), Scott Frost (Oregon OC) or Sonnie Cumbie (TCU OC).
Blowing the conch shell would be awesome on the loudspeaker! Too bad we don’t have something like Clemson’s death valley where the players come running down the hill.
Can you imagine if JJ is not chosen? And, the next HC with a 3 year contract fails miserably and becomes the all time lowest win percentage coach, TC Ching field will be able to fit the UH fan base.
When JJ quit at SMU 2 games into the 2014 season, I said no way I would want him to coach at UH again. He quit on his team and he will quit again with another team. But, it seems obvious he has an can affinity to Hawaii and UH football. I think he said somewhere, to media, “Hawaii will always have my heart.” I think he win here again. But, if UH football starts losing, will he be determined to turn program around. Chow had that no quit attitude. I’m not so sure JJ has that same no quit attitude if things went wrong and the L’s start mounting.
He left the first time in 2008 probably because of money and a little frustration with UH admin.
If he gets chosen as HC, I think he can bring back wins again at UH. He probably wouldn’t be as strict towards his players as Chow. Chow looked like he ran a tight ship.
If a younger up and coming coach is chosen and he does well here, he probably would leave for a bigger program which pays more money.
Matlin has a big decision. I am looking forward to mid December when the new HC is announced.
I just hope the next offense at UH is not as predictable as the run, run, pass, punt offense that was seen for four years.
Hagger is hurt. He hasn’t practiced in two weeks
Again..under no circumstances should Zwahlen play any downs this season.
He is our future at QB and is redshirting this season…which leaves him 4 seasons to play for the new coach.
When we talk about injuries we’re not talking about owies. Kennedy Tulimasealii had a broken hand this summer. Max Wittek played the first couple games with a fractured foot. There were games when Wittek had his knee drained at midweek and it refilled on Saturday. Steven Lakalaka blocked despite an injured shoulder. Paul Harris has been running on two sprained ankles. These are just a few examples. The players have been giving their all. This isn’t Madden football.
what time is practice tomorrow
it aint smart coaching also
Think about it for a minute … and let me preface this by saying that I am not sold on the idea of JJ coming back … BUT, now that it is known he will in fact apply, how do you NOT hire him?
Take all of the personal opinions about his character, what he “did” to UH (btw … who wouldn’t take the $$$?), etc. and throw it all out the window. Look at that the fact that he was a winner at UH. With most of his UH teams, no matter who the opponents, they posed a threat. There were significant upsets. There were rivalries. Just think back to what UH vs. Fresno meant. What does it mean now? Nothing. He is a visionary in terms of offense and marketing. Hawaii got A LOT of attention during his tenure that brought a lot of national exposure.
He wasn’t perfect, by any means. But look at all of the things that he WAS in terms of a football coach.
Is he a guarantee solution? Of course not. But the one thing he can say that no other candidate can say is “I know how to win with Hawaii.” And he wouldn’t be just saying.
So, how can you NOT hire him?
ST … I got the impression from Naeole’s comments about injuries in one of his interviews that there are a lot of guys that milk injuries (not saying the ones you listed are).
He said something along the lines of “when I played we didn’t know what an mcl is. Nowadays you got so many guys saying ‘coach I got this, coach I got that.'”
I kind of felt that was a call to toughen up a little.
It’s JJ for me, but here is another guy with Hawaii at heart that I hear will throw his name in the hat. That’s all the “Buzz” I got.
http://m.ramblinwreck.com/m/sports/m-footbl/mtt/al_preston_631686.html
ST so we might be seeing some new face in the back field ? and at qb?
Don’t get me wrong, JJ is not the only coach on my list.
I remember how JJ changed tailgating for me. Before JJ, it was drink, eat, go in after game already started. During JJ tenure it became drink, eat, hurry up game goin start. Don’t wanna miss the opening score. During Chow time it was drink, eat, drink, stay outside, drink, go inside check um out, go back outside, burn cuz you all depressed, call the wife pick you up.
Not sure if mentioned, keep forgetting, we gotta just stomp and stomp, on the sidelines! The stadium Aloha should be rumbling!!!
D-E-F-E-N-C-E
Kev 1…
Also as I mentioned if JJ is hired 1/2 of the problem with his staff is possibly solved by him deciding to keep the current defensive staff on board…I mean, they all know him, played for him and coached with him.
As for the offensive side we could get Timmy Chang to be the QB coach (cause we know Jones will call the plays)…we could get someone like Stutzman to be the WR coach…And my choice is to keep Naeole for the OL…The other 1/2 of the problem solved.
The last of the staff is the Special Teams coach which I am sure they can figure that out.
So with this situation lining up as well…again, how can you NOT hire him.
Oh…forgot…Maybe Miano can run the special teams…Right there problem solved and situation with staff solved before Jan 1st.
pokesquid … I like some of the defensive staff, but I’m not sold on Mason. I have not been pleased with the in game adjustment. As the season has gone on, the defense has looked less and less prepared.
RE: #219
pokesquid– Special Teams Coach? Didn’t I see Dennis McKnight being quoted recently. Hmmm, is JJ’s staff already hanging around? 🙂
Also, the band could intrude a bit more during the game. Only cause noticing Air Force band was doing so… They owned us on our home field.. lol
Unbelievable!! He’s really want to come back. It’s no brainer here if
you want excitement in Hawaii plus more sponsors coming in.
JJ was the one to outlaw confetti!
tomorrow’s practice time?
kev 1…
Its hard for me to really gauge him after less than a year here…but at SMU he did have a pretty decent defense in the early years with JJ.
The defense started out good…but I just think the wear and tear and the lack of depth, especially upfront just caught up to our defense and when that happened…there is really nothing you can do to reverse it completely…So could be injuries and lack of quality depth that screwed us more than it Mason’s schemes.
But…I would gladly take Mac back over Mason, if he wanted to be the DC.
213
I poke squid with my 3-prong lol…..Tako season is now baby….Gotta get that squid for the holiday feasts coming up!
I remember when Chow was hired, I think Chow said Dennis Mcknight hand delivered his resume to him. Didn’t he go from California to Texas just to give Chow his resume? I’m unsure why Chow didn’t choose him as a coach.
McKnight would be a good special teams coach for JJ if he was chosen.
Apparently, there is some person from upper campus that has been a thorn in men’s athletics admissions for a long time. Try at least 30 yrs! Try check it out! I will not mention the perps name.
229
Mention the name…why you scared for?….Does he/she know your name or handle here?
30 years is a long time…You need to mention the name or people here will think you are full of shiat and will question why you are afraid to post the name when this is an anonymous forum.
Peeps,…the second time around is never ever the same and can never be made better like coach JJ is already sliding and those in charge demand alot with what little support they give to the coaching staff;…like the old school plays are not for todays bigger and faster athletes like they want more speed plays and smart power plays like this is the new school coaching.
Great Morning All!
Brrrr…it is COLD over here!
…might still be on Saturday but still going be there cheering for the TEAM.
Let’s Go Warriors!
Pokesquid, I like your thinking and what you wrote. The pieces seem to fit. I am unsure if Tom Mason is the guy to be the DC. And I like Timmy Chang for offensive coordinator. It will be an interesting relationship with JJ as the mentor. From the fans’ perspective, it is probably the most popular selection and represents the lowest risk for Matlin. For sure, the fans will be back at Aloha Stadium.
One last thing. No Vili for me. It was JJ that brought Vili in as the mascot under contract for $25K. When his contract was not renewed by Chow, Vili trash-talked the Warrior program. So no to Vili. Plus, UH cannot afford to pay a mascot. Find a student to put on a costume (no spears please) and he/she gets to eat at the training or something like that.
Very interesting the new captains for the final chapter. Don’t know don’t care why but I can see why the newly installed choices were made that’s simple-change is good but still no guarantee of more wins-can they win theses you betcha, but not with dropped passes half hearted running at times and shoving instead of tackling. With a breath of fresh air things get can real good real fast-We’ll see sure hope so. Might as well chime in with a coaching choice. June was a teammate my jr year. He at QB me bent over with his hands between my legs(center)! Went out and met him at center field at Soldier Field when he was with the Falcons-pretty sure Golden Richards was suited up for the Bears same day-it was the last time we exchanged words. Anyway regardless of the past I think it is safe to say he knows how to do it knows how to put a staff together and to me I know where his heart is-that’s important to me. Here is a far flung thought-maybe just maybe he had deep regret over leaving, thinking this is what he wanted(SMU). Maybe his heart never left the place he felt he belonged-far fetched maybe but there is more than one reason he strolls the streets of Hawaii. He did more for UH Football and he is not too old nor is he too stubborn to make necessary changes to put us back in the headlines as a winning program. I have a ton of faith in Dave Matlin’s character and judgement so whoever he decides I’m good. Just remember you need to have experience, need to recruit(which he did with Adrian Klemm) need to raise money, market, and be community friendly. Like the line in Apollo 13…..good to see you Honolulu! GO WARRIORS
Wasn’t it Vili who was ahead of the curve(years before Ed O’Bannon headed a lawsuit against EA Sports), in regard to being compensated for your own image, when an edition of the popular College Football game featured his likeness.
My Hawaii beat Miami(Fla.), USC, Texas, Michigan, and Florida before the WAC season started.
My son found a loophole in that NCAA game — the Hail Mary. No matter the defense I called, Chang to Owens was a long gain.
That game also had a mascot element. Nothing like a team of Vilis running over Louisville Cardinals.
To Poke Squid. Go eat some tako poke! and try figure it out.
When UH was looking for a new school logo several years ago, a columnist wrote a change was unnecessary. She had an uncle who wore the same UH shirt for 20 years. Of course, that was the problem. The guy bought only one UH shirt in 20 years. When JJ switched the team’s colors and nicknames, it wasn’t because of homophobia. It was a marketing strategy to sell H and Warrior products. Next year, UH should again change colors and logos. 1) It would be a break from the past five years, and 2) it would mean more products to sell.
Wanted to move on from June Jones….until he said he wanted the job. Changed my mind. JJ’s teams were fun to watch….mostly. Bring back the fun. Hire JJ now! Let your voice be heard. When the winningest football coach in UH history wants another go round..give it to him. No brainer. That’s what scares me. No brains seem to rule the day at UH.
240 “What you talkin ’bout Willis (ST)!” Current logo will regain luster once we start winning again. Tribal is in!
239.
Did you see Park Chan Wook’s “Old Boy”?
The actor eats a live octopus on-screen.
In foreign movies, there is no Humane Society looking after the welfare of animals.
242.
There is currently a 26-year-old Texas singer-songwriter named Leon Bridges who sounds strikingly like Sam Cooke.
His real name is Todd.
For obvious reasons, he adopted the stage name “Leon”.
238.
It drives me nuts that Chad Owens isn’t a superstar in the NFL.
It must have driven Jacksonville nuts, too.
Owens must have looked spectacular in practice.
The Jaguars kept bringing him back.
“Stop it!….Do not encourage Bailey (he might be reading this blog) to use Zwahlen…He is our future QB right now and we don’t need Bailey to get stupid and burn his redshirt just because he probably won’t be here next season.”
lol as if UH coaches read this blog and will take personnel suggestions from partially informed anonymous internet fans who have no idea what their playbook is, their player evaluation process, and who may not even know the differences between a go, seam, and smash route without extensive googling.
methinks people here take themselves too seriously.
“Too bad your coach quit the team.” the Georgia fan told me with a pat on my shoulder, just before I made my way to my seat at the Superdome to watch my beloved Bows. I was hurt beyond measure when the team was not able to match Georgia’s intensity. Was the loss because of JJ? I have come to the realization that it was not. Georgia arguably had the best team in the nation that year. Hawaii had a GREAT year and the fans all know it was because of June Jones. HANA HO’U!!!
georgia was arguably the most talented and best of the teams that made it to a BCS bowl that year. although, yes, that UH sugar bowl team was solid, but also overrated.
If June Jones wants the job, I say give it to him. Out of all the coaches mentioned, other than Miano, I believe Jones wants the Warriors to succeed. It’s a no brainer and I would buy season tickets after a five year hiatus. I don’t think I’d be the only one either. Give him the job and watch ticket sales take off for next season.
Some off you forget that ranked #5 2007 Georgia Team was loaded with NFL talent. QB Matt Stafford, RB Knowshawn Moreno, WR Mohamed Massaquoi to name a few high draft picks from that team.
Ranked #10 Hawaii Warriors were out matched by superior speed and toughness of team that was considered to be one the elite of the elite teams in all of college football.
That Georgia team got snubbed from being in the BCS National Championship Game. Which we know after they beat Hawaii down, that they really did get snubbed and should have been in the BCS National Championship Game.
If they had the play-off then Georgia would have been in the playoff and might have won the National Championship that year.
GO JUNE JONES!
TRYING TO GET ON THIS BANDWAGON!
ALOHA FROM LA!
MANEO !!!
Please no JJ, no Miano, no Rolo or any coaches from that era. Hire someone else that has Hawaii ties.
No to JJ. He did good while he was here but it’s time to go in a different direction. Remember JJ was getting beat year after year (besides the sugar bowl season) from Boise ST. He’s more concerned about padding stats then actually winning games. I know statistically the team was good but he was being out coached year after year by Boise ST. the same will happen if he comes back.
Junes Jones team DEFEATS Boise State
http://espn.go.com/college-football/recap?gameId=273270062
This is Hawaii. It is unique. We look different, we talk different and, we live different than any other part of the country. My point is lets promote the team by showing this uniqueness. Lets start by getting rid of that crappy ‘H’ in the helmet. Replace it with the Hawaiian petroglyph. They can take the actual ones from the Volcanos National Park. Put a different one on each side of the helmet or change it every week. Its a great way to promote Hawaii and its team. Get creative upstairs!
I say no to JJ it’s like taking back an ex after she broke your heart, maybe to Miano, and definitely yes to the coach that supposedly was the former-former AD pick Dirk Koetter! He runs a similar spread offense, lots of “go routes” that Hawaii fans seem to love, actually has a TE in his offense. It’s my assumption that he wants to come here since he’s been a contender for the UH job since JJ left. Need to find out if there is a connection to Hawaii.
For those saying no to JJ think about this…going in a different direction is what got us to this point…If JJ had not left we might have a young coach like Rolo waiting in the wings imagine if he had those 5 years to learn from JJ not as a player but as a coach this time around we have that chance we are at a crossroads as a program and what we need to do is start winning no not going undefeated but at least put an exciting product back on the field…I could see if a guy like Babers was a realistic possibility but let’s be honest with ourselves he’s not…with the personnel we have on roster I believe JJ’s brand of football will thrive we don’t have time to recruit for a whole different system we need to make due with who we have and need to do it asap…
If JJ had not left there wouldn’t be room on the staff for someone like Rolovich. Morrison would still be the QB coach.
Bryson,
What has Rolo or JJ done lately?? I appreciate ur past but this is about what you done lately.
We hired Chow based on what he did in the past.
Can we hire someone that is up and coming but thriving right now?
On the attribute of loyalty….it is two way street. Wags saw that the door opened for you on the way out, is not nearly as pretty, or inviting, when they open for it, on the way in.
Jeezy,
Who do you think is a realistic possibility that could come in and win right away?
Huge difference between making a career coordinator a HC Vs Hiring a successful HC with experience the whole Chow hire was about $$$
” Remember JJ was getting beat year after year (besides the sugar bowl season) from Boise ST. He’s more concerned about padding stats then actually winning games. I know statistically the team was good but he was being out coached year after year by Boise ST”
uh… you do realize that boise state was beating EVERYBODY. and i mean, EVERYBODY. they were the flagship team of the mid majors, ESPECIALLY during the kellen moore years. boise team wrecked a lot of teams, from crappy mid majors to BCS powers. UH may have been one of the only teams to beat boise state in the WAC at that point in time.
Now that all the talk about hiring JJ has begun, my heart says I would like to see JJ back to coaching the warrior team, but my mind says hire an up and coming, young coach with island ties. Whatever decision the AD makes, I am a die hard warrior fan and will support them no matter what. GO WARRIORS!!
its gonna be a long 1.5 – 2 months. i dont know the answer, but i hope we pick the right coach.
UH needs a coach that is invested in Hawaii, it’s culture, it’s people, etc. They also need someone for the long haul, not a stepping stone to go to the PAC12. They also need a coach that does not run a pro-style system cause we all know that doesn’t work here in Hawaii as the last 2 successful programs were the spread triple option and the run and shoot.
JJ would give the program as well as the state of hawaii a shot of adrenaline to get jacked up again. UH needs to settle the HC position soon so they can move on recruiting. What also needs to happen is to use the hiring of a new HC to have the boosters rally and ride that same shot of adrenaline to get money to infuse into the football booster funds. I’m sure Matlin has something up his sleeve.
261. Right away? No one. This is going to be a complete rebuild job. Year 1 is going to be about recruiting the right players and setting a new culture. Implementing new systems. One thing to remember when June took over. He had one of the best offensive line coaches with NFL talent. Jeff Ulbrich was a NFL middle linebacker. Adrian Klemm was a NFL OT. The very next season was rough because everything had to be rebuilt.
2015 Hawaii recruiting class was a complete mess even though we landed a few solid high school kids at positions we were strong at. Its going to take 2 really good classes to get things going.
Based on the expected salary we got 3 options:
1. Hire another coordinator or position coach with no HC experience, Jasper, Klemm, Akina, etc
2. Hire a current HC, most likely at an FBS school
3. Hire a former HC with D1 experience, Koetter, Jones
Lots of pros and cons for each group.
“UH needs a coach that is invested in Hawaii, it’s culture, it’s people, etc. They also need someone for the long haul, not a stepping stone to go to the PAC12.”
If UH wants a coach that’s not gonna treat the university like a stepping stone to the PAC-12 or SEC, they need to be able to pay the coach like a PAC-12 or SEC coach. Nobody young/up and coming who succeeds at UH will stay for less than half of what they’re worth on the market with terrible facilities in a weak conference. People like to climb ladders.
Koetter has documented baggage, JJ has rumored baggage that no one has ever proven.
# 256
Dirk Koetter ??? NO other University has hired him – how come ???
why would UH hire him ? everybody else passed on him, including boise state.
no to Dirk Koetter.
269. Sorry but Hawaii is a stepping stone. Just how it is. The key is setting the right program in place so you have continuity moving forward. Boise embraced it. Koetter, Hawkins, peterson, harsin all embraced it. If you rebuild right, it works. Key is developing HCs on staff. And looking back l, miano probably should have been the guy over Mack
I don’t think Kalani Sitake or Joe Salavea will be able to recruit effectively if they came to Hawaii. They succeed because they have Hawaii ties and have a school like Utah or Washington St to show off. There is not much to show off here at UH unless its dilapidated buildings around campus and the athletic department.
Regarding JJ, he got an overated team to the Sugar Bowl with poor facilities, a joke AD and a shoestring budget. He was a miracle worker.
New post: http://hawaiiwarriorworld.com/?p=34070