Quotes from Tomey

About how Hawaii still feels like home, Tomey said:
"I feel like Hawaii's home to me in many ways. I've always felt that way. We're never going to lose that. Hawaii contributed more to who I am than any other place I ever lived. I feel very connected to Hawaii. Most of all to the people. The best friends we have are in Hawaii." (HSB)


About what his SJSU team knows of his 10 seasons at UH, Tomey said:
"Nothing. They know I coached there, but they don't need to know that. What we're playing for has nothing to do with Hawaii. We're 2-0 (in the WAC). If we win we're in first place and we've beaten one of the teams everyone thinks has a good chance to win the championship." (HSB)


About how he never had any thoughts of being a college coach, Tomey said:
"I got into coaching because it looked like fun." (HSB)


Asked what his thoughts were on his longevity in a profession in which that is rare, Tomey said:
"I feel fortunate that I'm in good health, I feel fortunate that I've had good jobs. I wouldn't want to be somebody that's had six different jobs. I've worked in three great places with a lot of great coaches and players with great people and great places to live. Obviously you have to have a certain amount of success to keep your job, and I feel fortunate for that, as well." (HSB)


Asked if he had advice for young coaches getting into the business, Tomey said:
"I got in to be an assistant high school coach. I didn't think about being a college coach or a head coach or anything. I got into coaching because it looked like fun. Your motives need to be right. You just need to do the job you've got. You can't be the kind of person who gets into the business looking at what his next job's gonna be. Get into the business looking to do a good job at the job you have. There's too many people in the profession who seem to be focused on what their next job is going to be." (HSB)


Asked how the game has changed since the 1960s, Tomey said:
"People throw the ball so much better. The offensive skill. Quarterbacks have evolved so much because of skill camps and quarterback-receiver camps, seven-on-seven and passing leagues and so on. And the formationing has really developed. The same stuff still wins. Winning the turnover battle, winning the kicking game, winning the critical situations. Make the plays in the fourth quarter and you win the game. Period." (HSB)


Asked if running the ball is still important, Tomey said:
"The numerical truth of it is you can stop someone's running game if you commit enough people to it. So you have to be able to throw the ball. Also the truth is, it's the physical dominance somebody has if they can run the ball and stop the run. It still wins at most any level. Still wins the big game at most any level. Obviously there's exceptions to that." (HSB)


Asked if people should be surprised that his team is passing the ball more now, Tomey said:
"We threw the ball well at Arizona. We threw it as well as we do now. It's circumstance. We've got three true freshman offensive linemen. Our running backs are all unavailable. We're going to keep trying (to run). But we throw it better than we run it.

We're throwing it as well as we have, because Adam (Tafralis) is accurate and we have talented young receivers.

Particularly when you play Hawaii you have to score. Because they're going to score." (HSB)


When it was mentioned that he had a very good passing team at UH in the early 1980s, Tomey said:
"We had Walter Murray and some other good receivers, Marco Johnson." (HSB)


Asked about his thoughts on UH's offense now, Tomey said:
"It's an effective offense. Very effective. It's not magic. If it was magic, everyone would run it. The truth is June and his staff understand it better than just about anyone else. And they're really good at it and it's marvelously effective.

But it's just like the wishbone. Part of the reason it's effective is it was unique and you had to prepare for it in a short period of time and that's the problem that we have this week. They do the same thing every week, and we have to get ready for something entirely different. That's a preparation problem.

Just like Navy -- the Navy concept is every bit as unique and effective and difficult to defend as the Hawaii concept. They both make it very difficult for a defense, and Paul Johnson and June are the two most learned people in the country at what they're coaching. Neither one of them's right and neither one of them's wrong, but they're doing what they believe in." (HSB)


Asked how the players have changed since he started coaching, Tomey said:
"I just think they're smarter, they're more dedicated. I think they work harder. I think they don't just accept something because the coach says it. Somebody said at one time, "This kid's a great kid, he's a 'yes, sir,' 'no, sir' kid." I'm not interested in that. I'm interested in someone who tells me what he thinks. I'm interested in someone that's respectful, but tells me what he thinks.

Obviously there's also a time when we're going to say something and they have to do it.

I didn't think that someone saying "yes, sir," "no, sir" meant he respected you. I thought that meant maybe he was just trying to say the right thing. You can't coach him, can't mentor him unless he tells you how he feels." (HSB)


Asked about the similarities and differences in his style of coaching and JJ's, Tomey said:
"I really don't know. This is just an observation. I think there are more similarities than differences because the emphasis is so much on developing the players and developing the team as people who care about each other. The Xs and Os part is important, but it's not the most important thing." (HSB)


Asked about how some people in Hawaii were upset last year when he left UH out of one of his coaches' polls near the end of the season, Tomey said:
"I don't think that's anybody's business. I think I left Hawaii out once after they lost and Houston won. I just vote who I think is the best. I don't vote along conference lines, I just vote what I think.

We spend a lot of time thinking about it and we try to be honest about it.

So if there was a week where I left Hawaii out it was because I thought they should be left out. But they were in my Top 25 in my last poll after the bowl game." (HSB)