PSU Magazine Spring 2000

By Robert Gill June Jones brought the forward pass to the islands. une Jones surprised the sports world when he turned down a lucrative coaching offer with the San Diego Chargers for the opportunity to take over one of college football's poorest performing teams. Prior to the 1999 season, the University of Hawaii Rainbow Warriors had lost 18 straight games, the longest losing streak in the coun– try. There was virtually no hope: most starting players from that team were returning, and those starters didn't appear to be very good. With a lot of 12- to 14-hour work– days, Jones and his staff revived the Warrior football program in just one season. The magnitude of the turn– around-from no wins in 1998 to nine in 1999-is measurably one of the biggest in the history of NCAA foot– ball. The man who saved the Hawaii program is the same June Jones who, 24 years ago, as an itinerant quarter– back, helped coach Mouse Davis save a faltering Portland State football program. In 1975, Jones, a victim of coach– ing changes at two universities, was disillusioned with his playing career. His aspirations to be a pro player dimmed. Married with a child, he needed to get on with his life. "Football hadn't worked out for me," remembers Jones. "It was time to return to Portland to finish my educa– tion at Portland State and enter the family business." But one more football opportunity presented itself to Jones. Portland State's football program was under pressure to succeed or face elimination when President Joseph Blume! hired Mouse Davis, a master of the "run-and-shoot" passing offense, as its coach. Davis, discovering Jones enrolled at PSU, immediately coaxed 18 PSU MAGAZINE SPRING 2000 him to tum out for football. It was a good fit for both, and the rest is PSU foot– ball lore. Jones became the school's first All-American player, and Portland State saved its foot– ball program. Still loyal to PSU, Jones surfaced again last year when he negotiated a game in Hawaii with the Vikings on Sept. 9. "It should help PSU both financially and with their recruit– ing," says Jones. "I thought it was a good schedule when we made it last year," says PSU head coach Tim Walsh. "But after the success they've had, I'm not Coach June Jones, a PSU football sensation in the mid- 1970s, has performed miracles for the Hawaii Warriors. so sure." Walsh is right to be concerned. In 1999, the Rainbow Warriors shared the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) championship. Sporting News and CNN/Sports Illustrated honored Jones as coach of the year, and with Hawaii's pride restored, Jones became the most popular person in the Islands. "It was a miracle season that could never happen again," marveled Jones after his Hawaii football team upset the Oregon State Beavers 23-17 in the 1999 Jeep Oahu Bowl on Christmas day. Jones, a proponent of the forward pass admits, "Our system allows the kids to compete against teams that probably are better than we are. We spread it out, run 20 to 25 times a game and throw it 50 times." He taught senior quarterback Dan Robinson the offense in just six months. Robinson led the WAC in total offense and set or tied 42 school records. e built confidence, cama– raderie, gave them things to believe in, and good things happened," recalls Jones. "Historically, everywhere I've been, this has happened. When I went to the Oilers and the Lions, in a very short period of time we were in cham– pionship games because of what we did offensively." It's no accident that Jones was successful in his first year a a college coach. He came well-prepared. Before he could graduate from PSU, Jones was drafted by the NFL Atlanta Falcons. He played five years