Quotes from Tuesday morning

About getting to travel with the team and his parents to New Orleans for the Sugar Bowl, Brian Kajiyama said:
"Life was sweet, but just got even sweeter." (HSB)

HSB Note: "The university has arranged to have a wheelchair-accessible room and bus so Kajiyama can travel with the team in New Orleans. He does not know whether he will be allowed on the field during the game at the Superdome. At Aloha Stadium he is allowed on the field only before and after the game, apparently for safety reasons.

Kajiyama's duties for the team involve putting together the scouting report for each opponent for the defensive staff and editing coaching video. He said he did not travel with the team this season because he was more helpful in Honolulu, preparing material for the next opponent."


About how he didn't travel with the team on previous road trips, Brian said:
"I felt that this worked out for the best, as I was able to focus on my academics and help get things prepared for our next game." (HSB)


About how he worried that Brian would be left behind, Jeff Reinbold said before Brian got the invitation last week:
"He contributed to this 12-0 season. He had a big part in this whole magical season. It's always an issue whenever you've got the reality of being in a chair. There are certain things that are very difficult for Brian to be a part of just from a logistical standpoint." (HSB)


About how Brian would like to ride on the team's bus to Aloha Stadium, Reinbold said:
"He's never come out and made a big thing about it. I know for certain that would be a big deal to him." (HSB)


About how he would like to ride on the team bus, but he doesn't want to be a distraction from the team, Brian said:
"Sometimes being a part of a team requires sacrificing personal wants for the greater good of the team. That's all I'll say about this." (HSB)


Hoping that his experience in New Orleans will encourage employers to provide better accomodations for people with disabilities, Brian said:
"At times, people view accommodations as being something that will cost more or will involve tons of extra work. This is not the case. ... These accommodations just need to be requested." (HSB)


About how he hangs otu with Brian on and off the practice field, Reinbold said:
"Stuff that we take for granted in our day-to-day lives, they become hurdles for people with disabilities. We owe it to those with disabilities to try and make those hurdles low hurdles instead of high hurdles." (HSB)

HSB Note: "Kajiyama's presence at the Sugar Bowl will serve as an inspiration for young people with disabilities everywhere, he added. Indeed, Kajiyama has already been nominated for the FedEx Orange Bowl-FWAA Courage Award for a person in college football who displays courage on or off the field. The award will be announced this month."


About the Brian's inspirational example, Reinbold said:
"This is not a fairy tale. You can do this. You can become a contributing part of a top-10 football team and so many other things if you just dream enough and chase your dreams. Now when we go to the Sugar Bowl and people will see Brian and see just what a great person he is ... and what a great job he does for this football team, I think that can serve as an inspiration for young people who have disabilities everywhere." (HSB)


About the 1000 additional tickets the Sugar Bowl sent to UH, HF said:
"The demand for tickets has been incredible and we thank our season-ticket holders for their patience and the Allstate Sugar Bowl for working with us to acquire additional seats." (HA, HSB)

"The additional tickets should accommodate most or all of the season-ticket holders currently on the waiting list." (HA, HSB)


About how UH fans have been buying up tickets from scalpers and reseller sites, UH associate AD of extrenal affairs John McNamara said:
"It really demonstrated the loyalty of the Hawai'i fans when you see the lengths at which they've gone to get to New Orleans." (HA)

HA Note: "McNamara said the returned tickets "are in different sections" than the original allotment, which were located in all levels of the east and southeast corners of the stadium, closest to the UH bench. He also was uncertain who or what groups previously held those tickets."


About this batch of 1000 tickets, McNamara said:
"I don't know where the tickets came from, our primary concern was getting our fans in the building." (HA)


Uncertain if there is a demand for more tickets, McNamara said:
"We've let the bowl office know if they're able to secure additional ones we'd be interested." (HA)


About how they will make a 2nd wait list for season-ticket holders if they still have tickets left over from this 1000, HF said:
"Our goal is to provide tickets for as many of our season-ticket holders as possible. The Allstate Sugar Bowl has been wonderful in helping us respond to the demand for tickets." (HA)


About how UH is still working on a list of those who will represent UH at the Sugar Bowl, UH spokesman Gregg Takayama said:
"We hope to have it done in the next few days." (HSB)


About how the entire amount that the boosters are raising for him will be given to the assistant coaches and to improving their facilities, JJ said:
"I want the money to go where it's needed." (HA)

HA Note: "The nine-assistant coaching staff has received one across-the-board raise in nine years. UH's athletic facilities, which include a condemned Cooke Field infield, were sharply criticized during the Nov. 23 national telecast of the UH-Boise State game."


About JJ turning over that money to help out the program, Jeff Reinbold said:
"I think that says an awful lot about the kind of guy June is. That's a window into June. He's very generous to make a gesture like that." (HA)

HA Note: "Last week, the group, led by retired First Hawaiian Bank chairman Walter Dods, sought donors to each contribute $2,000 as a show of support for Jones. As of yesterday, the group reportedly received $114,000 in pledges."


About how the boosters already passed their $100k goal and have raised $114k now, Reinbold said:
"It's an awful strong statement by the people who recognize what he's done here. Really, when you consider everything, he's probably done the greatest coaching job of all time. You compare our budget to the budgets of schools we compete against, and you see he's done an amazing job. Look at the facilities and budgets he's had to overcome." (HA)


About how JJ turned around the program after an 0-12 year, Reinbold said:
"Everybody talks about the great job the South Florida coach did in building a program. But June resurrected a program. If the program was a patient in the hospital, they would call the priest to give the last rites. He took it off life support. He breathed life into it, and gave it an identity.

When you're down, it's hard to get back up. Everyone is reminding your recruits how bad you are. You get slammed in every possible way. To take all of that stuff, and then build is very difficult. Look at all of the teams he's beaten — Purdue, Arizona State, Washington, Alabama, Michigan State. He's beaten teams from every major conference except the ACC. And he's doing it with essentially a Division II budget and facilities. That's amazing." (HA)


About how he's preparing to propose a bill that would declare the BCS as unconstitutional and call for a playoff system, Neil Abercrombie said about the non-BCS conference teams:
"They're being let in on sufferance. They're like distant cousins. 'If we're real nice, maybe they'll let us in the house for New Year's festivities.' And we're supposed to be grateful? We're supposed to say, 'Thank you?' For what? They earned their way in. Nobody beat them. It's like when people said to (boxer) Rocky Marciano when he retired undefeated: 'Oh, he just took on the bum of the month.' What are you talking about? He beat who was in front of him. That's all you can do is take on who's in front of you, especially when people won't get in front of you." (HA)


About how the current system denies non-BCS conference teams a chance at the national title, Abercrombie said:
"It's a way of saying there are 120 schools and we're all equal, except some are more equal than others. Remember from 'Animal Farm?' All pigs are equal, but some pigs are more equal than others. There are special troughs for a few of the conferences, and the other conferences get to be on the outer edges of the farm. And sometime, maybe, if you're real good, we'll invite you up to the main trough. If you have a 120-school association, everyone ought to have their shot." (HA)


Abercrombie said that the BCS limiting automatic spots to just 6 conferences:
"is restraint of trade. The automatic qualifiers are still taking care of themselves. I'm saying regardless of what good intentions may be behind this, it's restraint of trade. It's illegal. It's unconstitutional." (HA)


About how a playoff system is needed, Abercrombie said:
"Do the Warriors work less hard than the (Ohio State) Buckeyes? I don't think so. Why should they be treated differently? Why shouldn't they have their turn?" (HA)


About how he'll get support from the representatives from states not in the national title game, Abercrombie said:
"I bet I can go to Kansas and Missouri. Ohio won't be so anxious. ... It depends on whose ox is getting gored. I think everyone sees the justice in this (proposal)." (HA)


About Hercules being named to the Football Writers Association of America's All-America team over the weekend (only 4 offensive lineman and a center made the team!), JJ said:
"That's pretty awesome. That's the first I've heard of it, but he's certainly deserving. He's had a great career, and he's played very well last year and this year. Pass-protected as well as anybody in the country." (HSB)


Expecting Hercules to get to the NFL just as Samson made it, JJ said:
"I would think Herc would certainly get his opportunity to prove what he can do, and I think he'll get better when he gets into run blocking and other schemes. He'll be a real powerful player. They're two very physical players, and you want 'em physical in a pass offense." (HSB)

HSB Note: "Satele and Central Florida running back Kevin Smith were the only non-BCS conference selections on the FWAA offense or defense teams, and Satele was the only player from the Western Athletic Conference. The FWAA, made up of media writers of each conference in Division I college football, only selects a first team."


About his hopes for Hercules when he signed with UH out of high school, JJ said:
"We felt like he was our kind of athletic lineman. We knew Samson was his (relative), so we kind of knew what we were getting. But still, there's a lot of ifs involved with a high school kid. You've gotta be dedicated, you've gotta work hard, and spend the time in the offseason to improve yourself. He did all those things." (HSB)

HSB Note: "Junior slot back Davone Bess was named to the Walter Camp All-American second team last week."