Quotes from HF

At the start of his 6th year at UH, HF chuckled and said:
"it seems like longer." (HA)


Feeling good about what he's done at UH, HF said:
"I think, given all the things that we have had an opportunity to touch since we've been here — and everyone might not always agree that we did the right thing — we will certainly tell you that we believe that we have." (HA)


Praising HF, WAC commissioner Karl Benson said:
"In the past five years under the leadership of Herman Frazier, (UH) has continued to be one of the WAC's flagship programs. He has also provided strong leadership within the WAC structure and he is an AD I turn to often for advice and counsel. He recognizes the 'big picture' when it comes to conference matters and that sometimes decisions need to be made that are in the best interest of the league rather than just one school." (HA)


Wondering if HF has done enough to justify his $250k salary, Rep. Mark Takai said:
"In my few interactions with Mr. Frazier he seems like an intelligent person and nice guy. However, for the amount of money we're paying him ($250,000), I just don't see what he has personally done to bring Hawai'i to the next level." (HA)


About the weak football schedule this year and the budgetary questions under HF, Takai said:
"Those two issues are examples. The finances, some could argue, have put the UH athletic program in a more financially risky (position) and deeper in debt." (HA)

HA Note: "UH had deficits for three of Frazier's first four years. The audit for the just-completed fiscal year isn't complete."


About the harm caused by the weak schedule, Takai said:
"In terms of the schedule, I think, with Colt Brennan leading the way, and the confusion that particular issue brought to the program could, potentially, be harmful." (HA)


Former UH TE Kent Untermann, a businessman and booster now, is not satisfied with HF:
"I'm looking forward to him (Frazier) embracing the community more. I'm extremely disappointed in the facilities, with Cooke Field, which doesn't have (artificial) turf on it. I'm very (dissatisfied) with the way the schedule has been handled. We have a legitimate Heisman Trophy candidate and a very exciting football (season) ahead of us, so I'm struggling to understand why we have only (20,400) season tickets sold." (HA)


About the poor attendance at Aloha Stadium, Untermann said:
"My senior year we averaged 47,000 (45,765) people per game and we didn't have nearly as exciting of an offense, so I'm disappointed (they) can't get more bodies in the seats because part of the excitement of playing Division I football is playing in front of a large homefield crowd." (HA)


HF defends his budgetary performance, saying that any other WAC school would be happy because:
"while everybody here likes to talk about the budget all the time, if we were any other school in our conference able to accomplish what we have with our budget process ... they (would) marvel at it. The other aspect, is that we are running a high-caliber, broad-based program. You look at our Olympic sports and what they have accomplished over the last three, four years." (HA)


UH President McClian, who led the search committee that picked HF, praised HF:
"During Herman Frazier's tenure as UH-Manoa athletics director, I've been impressed with his emphasis on the 'student' in 'student-athlete-athlete'; with the growing competitiveness of UH teams in many sports; and with his efforts to improve the financial picture of the department. I appreciate the professionalism and integrity with which Herman leads UHM athletics." (HA)


HF claims that he never was interested in the past openings at Washington and Colorado that his name was linked to:
"those never came into play because, for the most part, we were committed to getting some things accomplished here." (HA)


About how he might leave UH for the US Olympic Committee, HF said:
"There has been speculation that I will (someday) be president of the Olympic Committee. That can always be in my future, but Peter Ueberroth is like 65 years old ...and I'm only 52, so it is nothing that I have to run to tomorrow." (HA)