Posted by Geddy Lee on 1/8/2008, 3:48 pm, in reply to "Re: Hawaii columnist says it's time to hire Dick Tomey"
65.170.182.130
I agree...I would think the school would have sent word denying his interest by now.
--Previous Message--
: I'm starting to think that DT is thinking
: about going back to Hawaii especially with
: no word from him or the athletic department.
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: --Previous Message--
: Tomey is the answer for UH's two pressing
: needs
: Ferd Lewis
: Honolulu Advertiser
: January 8, 2008
:
: Dick Tomey used to be the University of
: Hawai'i football coach and he once was
: "promised" the school's athletic
: director job.
:
: Now, there's a chance for him to do both —
: at once — and perform a huge favor for his
: old school.
:
: With the comings and goings — mostly goings
: — in Manoa yesterday, the Warriors have two
: huge openings and the need for the kind of
: leadership and experience Tomey could
: provide in a pinch.
:
: And this is, to be sure, quite a pinch that
: Manoa finds itself in today with its most
: successful coach (June Jones) on the way to
: Southern Methodist and the man who couldn't
: keep him, Herman Frazier, on his way out the
: door.
:
: Ideally, you mount a search and find the
: best possible candidates for both positions.
: But coming as these changes do less than a
: month before national letter of intent day
: (Feb. 6) for football recruits and amid the
: most chaotic UH athletic period in 30 years,
: "ideal" went out the window a
: while ago.
:
: What the Warriors and their administration
: are trying to do now is just hold disaster
: at bay. With each passing day, the public's
: disenchantment grows. Factions form and
: potential recruits become more wary.
:
: Jones took UH from 0-12 to 9-4 in the
: greatest single-season turnaround in NCAA
: football history. It would be a crying shame
: if UH thanked him by reverting back to the
: dark ages from whence he rescued them.
:
: It shouldn't be that way a week after the
: athletic program's shining moment, an
: appearance in the Sugar Bowl. But at UH
: there is little time for bemoaning the mess
: they've stepped in and not much more for
: additional finger-pointing. It is time to
: roll up some sleeves and find creative
: solutions, pronto.
:
: Without an athletic director in place, few
: football coaches of any quality will
: entertain an offer when they don't know who
: their boss is going to be. And taking time
: to hire an administrator will likely result
: in the kind of delays UH can ill-afford in
: securing a coach.
:
: UH President David McClain said yesterday UH
: might be able to fast-track a coaching hire
: in "5-to-10 days." So much the
: better if you can pull a two-for-one deal
: that wraps up everything at once.
:
: At 69 with 27 years as a head coach (UH,
: Arizona and San Jose State) and a 161-118-7
: record, Tomey is not your long-term
: solution. But he can provide what UH needs
: most in the short term, stability and
: credibility until a timely transition can be
: made and he rides off into a celebrated
: retirement. Never mind that he is coaching
: at San Jose State and has loyalty to the
: Spartans, who gave him a late-career
: opportunity. His heart is here, where he has
: always maintained a home since leaving UH in
: 1986. And this certainly qualifies as a rare
: situation.
:
: Moreover, Tomey knows Hawai'i, our
: uniqueness, quirks and drawbacks. And we
: know him. Having rescued UH athletics from
: the dustbin in the late 1970s, paving the
: way for Western Athletic Conference
: membership, he earned his place in the
: school's Circle of Honor and a lot of
: enduring respect.
:
: Clearly, Tomey wouldn't perform both jobs
: full time but could lean on existing staff
: or additional hires to handle much of the
: day-to-day work. Bring in Tomey and you
: could likely keep Rich Miano, George
: Lumpkin, the Brothers Lee (Cal and Ron) and
: whatever others don't follow Jones to
: Dallas.
:
: More than likely you also attract a Duane
: Akina, Joe Seumalo or other far-flung ex-UH
: coaches and players. All people with
: heartfelt investments in UH with little
: learning curve.
:
: As a former UH player and assistant coach,
: Seumalo, now at Oregon State, put it,
: "He (Tomey) needs to come home."
:
: For sure UH needs him to.
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