June Jones will sign with SMU
-
MrTitleist
- WyoNation Overlord
- Posts: 10520
- Joined: Sun Aug 12, 2007 2:46 pm
- Location: Missoula, MT
- Has liked: 8 times
- Been liked: 33 times
Latest from ESPN.com
SMU is close to finalizing the details of a contract for former Hawaii coach June Jones and he is expected to be introduced at a press conference as soon as Monday, a source close to the situation said Sunday.
Jones' contract is expected to be for five years and close to $2 million per year. The deal is expected to be booster funded. SMU athletic director Steve Orsini has reportedly sold up to 20 boosters on the concept of donating up to $100,000 per year for five years.
Jones, who flew to Dallas on Saturday, will bring an exciting offense and instantly make nearly twice as much as any other coach in Conference USA.
Jones reportedly resigned as Hawaii's football coach.
Kent Untermann, a former Hawaii player and member of Na Koa, the school's booster club, told KHNL that Jones was leaving because of frustration with how the athletic department was run, not because he felt his salary was too low.
The Honolulu Advertiser, citing Jones' friend Al Souza, reported Jones resigned Saturday morning.
Jones' agent, Leigh Steinberg, said that wasn't exactly the case.
"As of now, the process is ongoing," Steinberg said. "He hasn't accepted SMU, he hasn't accepted Hawaii."
The school and Jones have not made an official announcement.
Jones earned $800,016 a year under a five-year contract with Hawaii that expires June 30. Reports of the resignation came even though Hawaii offered Jones a new contract that would make him the highest paid coach in the Western Athletic Conference.
Hawaii would not say how much it offered Jones. But figures provided by the university show Fresno State's Pat Hill, who earns an annual salary of $1,229,996, is currently the highest-paid WAC coach.
Hawaii athletic director Herman Frazier said he asked Jones to call him before deciding on SMU's offer.
Hawaii finished this season 12-0 before losing to Georgia in the Sugar Bowl -- the school's first bowl appearance on the mainland since 1992.
SMU is close to finalizing the details of a contract for former Hawaii coach June Jones and he is expected to be introduced at a press conference as soon as Monday, a source close to the situation said Sunday.
Jones' contract is expected to be for five years and close to $2 million per year. The deal is expected to be booster funded. SMU athletic director Steve Orsini has reportedly sold up to 20 boosters on the concept of donating up to $100,000 per year for five years.
Jones, who flew to Dallas on Saturday, will bring an exciting offense and instantly make nearly twice as much as any other coach in Conference USA.
Jones reportedly resigned as Hawaii's football coach.
Kent Untermann, a former Hawaii player and member of Na Koa, the school's booster club, told KHNL that Jones was leaving because of frustration with how the athletic department was run, not because he felt his salary was too low.
The Honolulu Advertiser, citing Jones' friend Al Souza, reported Jones resigned Saturday morning.
Jones' agent, Leigh Steinberg, said that wasn't exactly the case.
"As of now, the process is ongoing," Steinberg said. "He hasn't accepted SMU, he hasn't accepted Hawaii."
The school and Jones have not made an official announcement.
Jones earned $800,016 a year under a five-year contract with Hawaii that expires June 30. Reports of the resignation came even though Hawaii offered Jones a new contract that would make him the highest paid coach in the Western Athletic Conference.
Hawaii would not say how much it offered Jones. But figures provided by the university show Fresno State's Pat Hill, who earns an annual salary of $1,229,996, is currently the highest-paid WAC coach.
Hawaii athletic director Herman Frazier said he asked Jones to call him before deciding on SMU's offer.
Hawaii finished this season 12-0 before losing to Georgia in the Sugar Bowl -- the school's first bowl appearance on the mainland since 1992.
-
MrTitleist
- WyoNation Overlord
- Posts: 10520
- Joined: Sun Aug 12, 2007 2:46 pm
- Location: Missoula, MT
- Has liked: 8 times
- Been liked: 33 times
June Jones will be introduced at a news conference today as the head coach at SMU, according to three sources familiar with the decision.
June Jones
Jones
His agent, Leigh Steinberg, confirmed that Jones had agreed to a 5-year deal worth about $2 million per year.
On Sunday, a source told ESPN that SMU was close to finalizing the details of a contract for Jones. The source said the deal is expected to be booster-funded. SMU athletic director Steve Orsini reportedly has sold as many as 20 boosters on the concept of donating as much as $100,000 per year for five years.
Jones was moved by Hawaii fans, including Gov. Linda Lingle, who pushed for him to stay. But, ultimately, facilities and a bigger budget won out. Jones called Hawaii officials Monday morning to tell them of his decision.
"He slept on it, finally came to peace and arrived at a decision,'' Steinberg said. "I think he's exhilarated by the challenge, by the environment.''
On Sunday night, the Associated Press reported that Jones had been moved by the statewide effort to keep him at Hawaii, where he built the Warriors from a winless team to a perennial contender in the Western Athletic Conference, Steinberg said.
"It's just turned into an enormous issue there with the whole state rising to the occasion," Steinberg said. "He's been sitting and dealing with these hundreds of e-mails, people saying Hawaii would fall into the pit of the ocean if he left."
Jones spent Sunday in Dallas meeting with SMU officials and the search committee that has been working since late October to hire a replacement for Phil Bennett.
As the day went on, more and more people from the island reached out to Jones, hoping to convince him to return to the Hawaii program he's guided to national prominence the last nine years. They were rallied in part by reports of a letter he'd sent friends saying that he was going to be resigning.
During a dinner with SMU officials Sunday night, Steinberg said he expected Jones to pick between the schools within a few hours. Around midnight, he called that prediction "unduly optimistic," mostly because of how emotional Jones had become. Steinberg said his client had tears in his eyes at times.
"June loved the [SMU] facilities, the support was terrific -- their actions were tremendous," Steinberg said. "On the other hand, there's been this torrent of e-mails and phone calls in the most dramatic fashion imploring him to stay.
"They talked about how unique his place is in the culture of the islands, what he means to the youth of the island, the economy, the morale and spirit, what a devastating impact it would have if he were to leave, how close he is to their heart and how much they love him. It's so unique. I haven't seen something quite like this."
Jones, who turns 55 next month, has gone 75-41 with the Warriors, including 4-2 in bowls. His teams finished first in the WAC twice and second two other times.
Bennett was the fourth coach to lead SMU since it came off the death penalty in 1989. The Mustangs are 58-153-3 in that span. The on-field struggles have been compounded by the long, slow hunt for Bennett's replacement.
The search has taken about 10 weeks, with SMU going from the first major college with a vacancy to the only one left without a coach. The school received permission to speak with Jones on Dec. 24.
June Jones
Jones
His agent, Leigh Steinberg, confirmed that Jones had agreed to a 5-year deal worth about $2 million per year.
On Sunday, a source told ESPN that SMU was close to finalizing the details of a contract for Jones. The source said the deal is expected to be booster-funded. SMU athletic director Steve Orsini reportedly has sold as many as 20 boosters on the concept of donating as much as $100,000 per year for five years.
Jones was moved by Hawaii fans, including Gov. Linda Lingle, who pushed for him to stay. But, ultimately, facilities and a bigger budget won out. Jones called Hawaii officials Monday morning to tell them of his decision.
"He slept on it, finally came to peace and arrived at a decision,'' Steinberg said. "I think he's exhilarated by the challenge, by the environment.''
On Sunday night, the Associated Press reported that Jones had been moved by the statewide effort to keep him at Hawaii, where he built the Warriors from a winless team to a perennial contender in the Western Athletic Conference, Steinberg said.
"It's just turned into an enormous issue there with the whole state rising to the occasion," Steinberg said. "He's been sitting and dealing with these hundreds of e-mails, people saying Hawaii would fall into the pit of the ocean if he left."
Jones spent Sunday in Dallas meeting with SMU officials and the search committee that has been working since late October to hire a replacement for Phil Bennett.
As the day went on, more and more people from the island reached out to Jones, hoping to convince him to return to the Hawaii program he's guided to national prominence the last nine years. They were rallied in part by reports of a letter he'd sent friends saying that he was going to be resigning.
During a dinner with SMU officials Sunday night, Steinberg said he expected Jones to pick between the schools within a few hours. Around midnight, he called that prediction "unduly optimistic," mostly because of how emotional Jones had become. Steinberg said his client had tears in his eyes at times.
"June loved the [SMU] facilities, the support was terrific -- their actions were tremendous," Steinberg said. "On the other hand, there's been this torrent of e-mails and phone calls in the most dramatic fashion imploring him to stay.
"They talked about how unique his place is in the culture of the islands, what he means to the youth of the island, the economy, the morale and spirit, what a devastating impact it would have if he were to leave, how close he is to their heart and how much they love him. It's so unique. I haven't seen something quite like this."
Jones, who turns 55 next month, has gone 75-41 with the Warriors, including 4-2 in bowls. His teams finished first in the WAC twice and second two other times.
Bennett was the fourth coach to lead SMU since it came off the death penalty in 1989. The Mustangs are 58-153-3 in that span. The on-field struggles have been compounded by the long, slow hunt for Bennett's replacement.
The search has taken about 10 weeks, with SMU going from the first major college with a vacancy to the only one left without a coach. The school received permission to speak with Jones on Dec. 24.
-
MrTitleist
- WyoNation Overlord
- Posts: 10520
- Joined: Sun Aug 12, 2007 2:46 pm
- Location: Missoula, MT
- Has liked: 8 times
- Been liked: 33 times
Good pickup for SMU.. they'll do well. Jones's name alone will bring in some nice recruits.
We lose June, and then might gain an even better coach 
Lets hope so.-
Johnny Havoc
- Buckaroo
- Posts: 25
- Joined: Sat Sep 15, 2007 12:37 am
I doubt Chow could duplicate going to the Sugar Bowl. That was a miracle.
-
MrTitleist
- WyoNation Overlord
- Posts: 10520
- Joined: Sun Aug 12, 2007 2:46 pm
- Location: Missoula, MT
- Has liked: 8 times
- Been liked: 33 times
Has Chow talked to Hawaii since the Titans finished the season?
-
Johnny Havoc
- Buckaroo
- Posts: 25
- Joined: Sat Sep 15, 2007 12:37 am
No, I didn't forget that he was a part of those efforts, I just don't think he can duplicate JJ's success.You forget Chow has won a national title at BYU and USC.
-
Wyokie
- WyoNation Moderator
- Posts: 6683
- Joined: Sun Aug 12, 2007 5:40 pm
- Location: Oklahoma City but from Casper, WY
- Has liked: 36 times
- Been liked: 45 times
Johnny Havoc wrote:No, I didn't forget that he was a part of those efforts, I just don't think he can duplicate JJ's success.You forget Chow has won a national title at BYU and USC.
Nobody could, IMHO.
I want CHAMPIONSHIPS not chicken poop! And we're getting chicken poop!!!!!!!!!!!