Advertiser Staff

June Jones, then interim head coach of the San Diego Chargers, was named the University of Hawaii's head football coach in December 1998.

He succeeded Fred vonAppen after the UH football program's three worst seasons in the school's history.

Jones' ties to the Islands run deep.

He was a UH quarterback during the 1973-74 season and the team's offensive coordinator in 1983, when the then-Rainbows used a potent passing attack to set 21 school records. Jones later established himself as one of the top quarterback coaches in pro football and was an NFL head coach twice.

Coaching in Hawai'i was Jones' dream job. "Hawai'i is some place I've always loved and a place I've always wanted to be," he said.

Although he was offered a four-year, $3 million contract to remain with the Chargers, Jones agreed to coach UH for $320,000 annually. He said money was not the issue.

Jones brought instant credibility to a football program that hasn't had a winning season since 1992.

At Portland State, where Jones went after leaving UH, he led NCAA Division II in passing and total offense in 1975.

After a five-year NFL career with the Atlanta Falcons and a season in the Canadian Football League, Jones returned to UH as offensive coordinator.

He also had successful coaching stints with the Houston Gamblers of the United States Football League and the NFL's Houston Oilers, Detroit Lions and Falcons. He also was head coach of the Falcons.