UH-Georgia Quotes from Tuesday night

AJC = Atlanta Journal-Constitution
FHT = Florida Herald Tribune
USA = USA Today
NOLA = New Orleans Times-Picayune
RAB = redandblack.com (Georgia's student newspaper)
SOA = Spirit of Aloha (Aloha Airlines' in-flight magazine)


About the importance of getting into a BCS Bowl, JJ said:
"This puts us on the map and says a lot about what we've been able to accomplish here. We've been to bowl games seven of the last nine years but never one like this. I'm really excited and proud for the entire state of Hawaii. Our kids have been on an unbelievable run and believe they can compete with anybody. Our team's success has allowed Colt Brennan a chance to win the Heisman Trophy, and that's a huge bonus." (USA)

Praising Colt, JJ said:
"Colt Brennan was the best player in American last year, and he's the best player this year. What he did against Washington he's done all season." (USA)

About how they aren't afraid to play anybody and how JJ wishes there was a playoff after the bowl games, JJ said:
"Out kids believe they can beat anybody, and we would have liked to play (top-ranked) Ohio State. But that said, this is a tremendous opportunity for us. I kind of wish that after the championship game there was another game, so if you won your bowl you had a chance to play again. I think Boise would have been in that discussion last year, and maybe we could be this year." (USA)

Expecting a lot of fans at the Sugar Bowl, JJ said:
Our whole state is going to be there. We'll have people from Chicago, Hawaiians from New York, from everywhere in the southeast they'll be coming to New Orleans. It's just going to be a great experience, not just for my kids, but for our whole state." (NOLA)


About their offense, Colt said:
"It's a one-of-a-kind offense." (RAB)

Colt added that he's been:
"blessed with by far the best receiving corps in the country." (RAB)

Praising the SEC, Colt said:
"Obviously the SEC talent across the board is superb - it's what they consider the best in college football. We're coming up against a monster ... I'm expecting a dogfight and for us to fight for everything we get." (RAB)

Praising Georgia QB Matthew Stafford, Colt said:
"He's awesome. He's got a quick release, he's accurate, he's got a big-time receiving corps. They're playing great." (RAB)

About how Boise State's win in the Fiesta Bowl last year help their BCS chances this year, Colt said:
"What (Boise State) did was a big stepping stone for all the mid-majors. There's no doubt in my mind that if they didn't do what they did last year and because of our schedule (this year), there's a good chance we may not have expected to be allowed into a BCS game. I think (BCS officials) are all right now with letting one mid-major team play with the big boys." (RAB)

About how the Pac-10 and SEC might have the best talent, but some of the best football is played in the WAC because they play as a team, Colt said:
"What makes a good football team is not the athletes, but how well you play as a team. Obviously the Pac-10s and the SECs of the nation have the best talent, but some of the best football is played in the WAC. There's no doubt about that." (RAB)


About UH's offense, Georgia coach Mark Richt said about his defensive coordinator Willie Martinez:
"I'm not sure coach Martinez will sleep. The numbers are very, very impressive and imposing even." (FHT)

About how UH will be hard to beat, Richt said:
“Teams that are used to winning are hard to beat.” (AJC)

About how he lobbied to get into the national title game, Richt said:
"I needed to say what I could say to try and sway the vote because it is a popularity contest. And it's kind of a beauty contest and politicking was the only thing I felt like I could do. If nothing else to the let the players know that I love them and care about them. I wanted the team and the Bulldog nation to know I was going to fight and try and get into that game because that's goal of everybody across this country. I know Coach Jones' team being undefeated feel like they could have and should have a chance to play for the national championship. Why not them? It's just one of those wacky years when everybody got a chance to filibuster a little bit. And we just didn't have enough to stand on." (NOLA)

About how his team will be ready for UH, Richt said:
"The guys are going to be extremely excited. My gosh, it's going to be a whole month before we play, and that's plenty of time to get jacked up about a ballgame." (USA)

About playing in their 3rd Sugar Bowl in 6 years, Richt said:
"I'm very excited about this opportunity, I know our team is. Gosh, Oct. 6 after Tennessee we didn't think we would even make it to a bowl game. We were hoping to get bowl eligible at that point. To kind of catch fire like we did was a tremendous thing for our program. Now we get the chance to play the only undefeated team in the United States." (NOLA)

Praising Colt, Richt joked that he:
"has thrown more touchdowns than anyone in the history of the world." (RAB)


Not sounding confident that they would sell out their 17,500 allocation, HF said:
"We expect a pretty good showing in New Orleans, even though it is far away from us. We will talk to the Sugar Bowl in the next couple days about how we should do with that allotment. To say that we are going to sell 17,500 could be a reach. But we certainly will talk to the Sugar Bowl on how we handle that." (NOLA)


About why he bonded right away with JJ when they met in 1977 when JJ was an NFL free agent QB, Leigh Steinberg said:
“June is my type of guy. He is a Leonardo-type man of all seasons. He reads books and newspapers. He had theories on economics and religion, sports and theology. He followed the stock market. He put me into investments, like the plastic eggs that hold prizes in vending machines, and we made a killing. He had a probing, in­tellectual mind. It could be opal mines in Brazil, plastic eggs, DMSO, which smelled god-awful … he is just a completely intriguing character.” (SOA)

SOA Note: "So in 1999 when June Jones turned to Leigh to help him with Hawai‘i football, he wasn’t knocking on the door of a super agent, he was merely seeking wisdom and counsel from a long-trusted friend."


About how JJ and he sold Hawaii to help turn their football team around, Steinberg said:
“Hawai‘i is a special place. The scent of flowers, the spir­ituality, the magic and the warmth you can instantly feel. These people are some of the most loving on the face of the earth. There are no strangers. It’s unlike anything else. The ocean, the birds, the land—the inner peace—this football team had to stand for all of those things.” (SOA)


About how they had to change the product of UH football to change the perception of the team, Steinberg said:
“We had to re-envision what the product could be. Any time you bring about change to the product, there’s always some resistance. But we were less concerned with stepping on toes and more concerned with what the football program and athletic program could be from a marketing standpoint. How could we re-energize the revenue sources? How could the Ath­letic Department become competitive with Mainland programs in the 21st century? How could it pull major corporate sponsors?” (SOA)


About how they decided on the process of change, Steinberg said:
“A sporting experience has a pro­c­ess. Watching a game live—how could we attract more fans in the stands? How could we improve the game experience? The process of watching it on TV—how can we make that a better experience for the television viewer or for the potential recruit? How can we take advantage of the positioning in the Pacific Rim? How can we bring in athletes from Japan and China to broaden our demographics? Can we have later start times that would enable us to have a Mainland TV package?” (SOA)

SOA Note: "Jones and Steinberg sketched out a plan. No longer would Hawaiian, Sa­moan and Polynesian players be the exception—they would become the rule. You play Hawai‘i, you play Hawai‘i. They pitched ESPN on a late-night TV package. ESPN loved the idea. Jones started lobbing political footballs to reduce or eliminate his million-dollar overhead at Aloha Stadium. Due to bureaucracy, that one would take some time. To develop a new brand, they turned to Kaua‘i native and Kapa‘a High School graduate Kurt Osaki. An award-winning designer, Osaki’s signature works included new logos and uniforms for the San Francisco 49ers, Miami Dolphins, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Baltimore Ravens."


About his meeting with JJ, Osaki said:
“When I asked June what his goals were for the program and the brand, he said, ‘To win a national championship at the University of Hawai‘i.’ I’ll never forget it.” (SOA)

SOA Note: "Everyone agreed the new brand should pupukahi i holomua—or unite and move forward. Over an eight-month period, Osaki’s firm interviewed more than 200 people who represented a cross-section of the University and the local community. First, they arrived at the “tapa,” where the three triangles rep­resent “body, mind and spirit,” as well as teamwork. In Hawaiian culture, three symbolizes teamwork; if one stumbles, two remain to support a fallen comrade in the true spirit of ‘ohana.

Second, they settled on the “H,” which immediately embraced the entire state—outer islands included—as well as the program. Like the Tennessee “T” or the Michigan “M,” the “H” would be the traditional Hawai‘i monogram.

Third, they selected green as a color of growth and hope, in the same shade as the lush green valley of Mänoa. Sil­ver was taken from the shimmering re­flections of the daily rainfall. Black was added for accent and contrast, and the package was complete.

Next on the agenda was music. June had met five-time Grammy and Emmy award-winning composer Mike Post on the golf course, and he didn’t hesitate to call his friend. Post had owned property in Hawai‘i for nearly three decades, and he leapt at the opportunity to do something for the University. He produced theme songs for starting lineups, kickoffs and goal-line stands. The unmistakable beating of drums and warrior chants would now resonate through Aloha Stadium like thunder in support of the new Warriors.

Post donated his award-winning com­positions (all of which can be heard on warriorsrespond.com) to the University at no charge."


About how he later added silver road helmets to extend the UH brand, JJ said aobut the changes:
“Recruits get off the plane wearing our stuff when they visit us. Overnight, we became one of the hottest properties in college sports.” (SOA)


About how other Universities called him to request that he help them with something "as powerful and recognizable" as what he had done for UH, Osaki said:
“It’s my proudest accomplishment." (SOA)

SOA Note: "Not everyone instantly agreed. Pur­ists blasted Jones for discarding the once-beloved Rainbow. Local TV news anchor Joe Moore, livid after Jones scrapped the music from Hawai‘i Five-0, would chastise Jones early and often on the air. The definition of a pioneer, however, is a man with arrows in his back; Jones ignored his detractors and simply forged ahead."


Smiling as he thinks of JJ's accomplishments, Steinberg said:
“When he took the job, people simply overlooked the considerable re­sources June has. If we trace all the way back through this story, you have all of the people that June has worked with, like me, or coached, like Warren Moon, as part of the Hawai‘i package. They not only got a great coach, but they got the biggest names and marketing people in sports. We beat the drums. We changed the logo. We reshaped the literature. We re-branded the program. Jones epitomizes the pride of Hawai‘i. He took risks. He took criticism. But don’t forget—he made the right decisions, not necessarily the popular ones at those times.” (SOA)