Herman Frazier Interview on 3/25/07

About the deadlines he missed on the schedule, HF said:
"I think what people need to understand is we're not making any excuses in not getting (the schedule) done in a timely manner. There have been mitigating factors all the way through the process. As we kept trying to close a deal, other things would happen that opened it up." (HSB)

HSB Note: "Frazier said he has worked with "24 different scenarios" regarding the schedule, going back to last fall."


Admitting he messed up with the schedule, HF said:
"We may have gotten a little bit greedy. I miscalculated, because at the end of the day, too many people were involved in it, because somebody wanted to do this, and somebody wanted to do that. When we were talking about six home games vs. eight home games, I should've just knuckled down and done it myself." (HSB)

HSB Note: "Frazier said he could have booked a 2007 schedule late last year that would have included Texas A&M and either North Carolina State or Texas Tech, all on the road. Louisville on the road was also an option. But he wanted to hold out for more home games."


About how he regretted turning down all of those teams in November, HF said:
"In November we could've done it. Do I regret it? Now, yeah. I need a game." (HSB)


About how they tried to get a game with USC by taking the spot on USC's schedule that Idaho had, and getting Idaho to play Michigan instead, HF said:
"We called Michigan, said you take Idaho and we take USC. I wanted to take Colt Brennan (who is from Southern California) home to start his senior season. They said OK. Meanwhile, ESPN pushed us at Michigan to open the season. They said that would be better exposure. That took a lot of discussion. My first e-mail about Michigan is Jan. 25." (HSB)


About how the game vs. Michigan didn't work out, HF said:
"It would have given us great exposure. But at the end of the day, if none of what ESPN tries works we get left holding the bag. ESPN was trying to help. But they're going to do what's good for ESPN and I have to do what's right for the University of Hawaii." (HSB)


About how it is hard to get teams to play them in Hawaii, HF said:
"The fact is it's not as easy to get teams at home. It is a well-known fact that our team is very, very competent. What people considered a win no longer exists. There are many schools that will not play 13 games, dependent on the calendar year they may not have a bye. The days of eight home games are probably gone." (HSB)


About how he had promised to release the schedule on March 12 but no announcement came on that day, HF said:
"I will explain March 12 when I can." (HSB)


When asked if their additional game vs. a BCS-conference school would be a road game, HF said:
"It looks pretty good. We've got options. We're still waiting for this other thing to take hold. It has to do with something more serious than anything having to do with a football schedule. It's not even about sports. It's about an individual's life." (HSB)


About how scheduling a team at this late date would take a lot of schedule juggling for other teams and UH, HF said of the mystery school he refers to:
"You won't find it by looking at the schedules (openings). Don't waste your time." (HSB)


About how he has teams looking at them for the 2008 schedule, HF said:
"As soon as this fiasco is over, we're gonna get future years done and get us out of the market. We have teams knocking on the door for '08 and beyond. They ain't jumping at us (for 2007), though." (HSB)


About how he still expects a 13-game schedule, HF said:
"We never said it would be a 12-game schedule. We've got options." (HSB)


On 9/12/2004, HF said about road games:
"We should have been making some kind of decent money when we played at UNLV or USC. To go on the road, I want money. The stature of our program deserves money, and none of this we go on the road to go on the road." (HSB)


On 11/12/2006, HF said about Michigan State:
"We haven't finalized Michigan State. It's still under discussion. Depending on Michigan State, I don't know which way that might go." (HSB)

"It will fall into place." (HSB)

"If I'm going to do that (play at Louisville), I might as well play at Georgia." (HSB)

"Perhaps another team on the road. But it all depends on who the anchor is. And my anchor depends on what happens with the Michigan State part." (HSB)

"To have a schedule is not the issue. What I'm trying to do is go after a certain mix. Otherwise I could have the games. We hold out until we get the best deal going. That's how we do it. I'm going to do what's best for us. Now, at the end of the day, I'm gonna fill it all up, one way or the other. But that's not a problem, because I know just what's out there. I can go get a schedule tomorrow, but it's not the optimum schedule." (HSB)


On 1/12/2007, HF said about his schedule delay:
"Obviously for me to be holding out this long, it has to be BCS conference schools. The reason we've held out on our schedule is because we can get better teams and there are more people assisting us, like ESPN, the WAC and the other conferences." (HSB)

"If I had all the dates filled, the flexibility goes away because we can't change (the opponent). But we're talking about mostly home games." (HSB)


On 1/18/2007, HF said:
"ESPN, in conjunction with the WAC, will release (a schedule) in either the first or second week of February. It will include all of our conference games. We will (release the nonconference schedule) at the same time or earlier." (HSB)


On 3/9/2007, HF said:
"Now that we know the WAC dates, we'll finalize our nonconference matchups and be prepared to release them Monday afternoon. I realize that fans have been anxious for the schedule to be released. However, due to many factors, this has been a difficult process and I've been working diligently to put together a nonconference schedule that is in the best interest of our football team and our fans." (HSB)


On 3/13/2007, HF said:
"I ain't guaranteeing anything, based on how people react." (HSB)

"I can't go into complete detail about that." (when asked if UH was negotiating with a Division I-AA school). (HSB)

"Once we slot that, we will announce the other game. We know what team we're talking to, but it's more than just that." (HSB)


On 3/24/2007, HF said that the schedule didn't affect ticket sales:
"It's amazing, isn't it, in the middle of all of this? As long as they know when the home games are, there's no issue." (HSB)