Quotes from the local papers

About his wish that 20,000 to 30,000 fans will attend their Spring Game, Mack said:
“I really believe we have the greatest fans in the country." (HA)

HA Note: "If the price — there is no admission fee — and autograph sessions are not enticing enough, consider the game’s format. It is hit-everybody-but-the-quarterback full game (15-minute quarters). And it’s not like the past controlled scrimmages, where one team is only offensive players. There was a full draft — rosters will be announced next week — with brothers Ron and Cal Lee as the opposing head coaches."

About limiting the participating players such as Estes, Steinhoff, AhSoon, Mouton, Adam Leonard, Elimimian, Monteilh, Blaze, and Desmond Thomas, Mack said:
“We know what they can do." (HA)

HA Note: "He said he wants to see linebackers Brashton Satele and R.J. Kiesel-Kauhane in action. He also said he believes one team will wear black and the other green."

HA Note: "UH is to receive $4,385,555 for its participation in the Jan. 1 game against Georgia when checks go out at the end of the fiscal year June 30 and it expects to net approximately $2.2 million after expenses, school and Western Athletic Conference officials said yesterday. The record payout to a non-Bowl Championship Series-signatory school is expected to go primarily to reducing the athletic department's mounting red ink. UH athletic director Jim Donovan, who inherited a balance sheet with a $4.4 million accumulated net deficit when he took over last month, said he hopes to use $1.5 million to balance the budget for the current fiscal year. Options for the remaining $600,000 to $700,000, if it stays within the athletic department, include reducing the accumulated net deficit, making investments in the athletic department and purchasing video equipment for the football team."

About using the Sugar Bowl money, JD said:
"As a university, we're one team and there are going to be times when the athletic department can do things for the student body and other areas of the campus and we'll do them. There will also be times when the campus can help out the athletic department. That's what it is all about being one team." (HA)

HA Note; "Donovan said it will be at least another week before all the Sugar Bowl expenses are totaled. From its take, UH is responsible for airfare, hotel and other bowl-associated expenses. Boise State was paid $4,294,000 for its 2007 Fiesta Bowl victory over Oklahoma and netted approximately $3.1 million after expenses. UH officials had been told to expect at least $4.2 million for the school's share of the BCS pot but had been awaiting the final figure, which was determined by a percentage of the overall five-bowl BCS take."

HA Note; "Under conference bylaws, UH receives 70 percent of the WAC's take of approximately $6,265,000. But, with the bylaw under review, that could change downward for the next WAC member to crack the BCS. Because of UH's participation in the Sugar Bowl, the rest of the nine-school WAC is cashing in, too. The eight other conference schools will each receive $410,555. The Fresno Bee reported that Fresno State plans to use its share of the BCS windfall to deal with a $343,000 budget shortfall."

About how the benefits from the Sugar Bowl go well beyond the check, JD said:
"Our whole school and state benefitted from the exposure leading up to and through that game." (HA)

About how UH and the WAC benefitted from the Sugar Bowl, Karl Benson said:
"Hawai'i and the WAC (are) benefitting from the very valuable recognition the Warriors' season brought. To do it with the WAC having teams in back-to-back years is a very strong statement about the WAC." (HA)

HA Note: "The biggest payout to a non-Bowl Championship Series signatory school in history should buy plenty of long-dreamed and much-needed improvements. It could enhance UH's competitiveness across the board by renovating facilities, raising coaches' salaries, expanding recruiting budgets, reaching gender equity, buying overdue equipment. Instead, much of it, if not all, will have to go to bail out the pools of accumulated red ink brought about by years of poor fiscal operation. Without the Sugar Bowl money, we're told UH could run an athletic department deficit of $1 million this year. That is in addition to the $4.4 million accumulated net deficit over the past five years.

At WAC rival Boise State, the net proceeds from the Broncos' 2007 Fiesta Bowl victory over Oklahoma is a visible statement of the intention to get back to the BCS. They have injected more than $2 million into the renovation and expansion of Bronco Stadium. And, no, they aren't dumping the blue Smurf Turf. Because the Broncos aren't drowning in accumulated red ink, they are slapping up luxury boxes, club seats and expanding the press box, all calculated to boost the bottom line and competitiveness. Oh, and they still had $500,000 to give to the academic side."

HA Note: "How do you manage to go hundreds of thousands of dollars in the hole when your team has a once-in-a-lifetime football season? If your average home football attendance (41,325) hits a 23-year high, how can you not, at the very least, balance your books without the bowl money?"

About the Lee brothers coaching against each other in the Spring Game, Mack said:
"Whenever the Lee brothers are involved, you know it's going to be competitive." (HSB)

About how Dan Kelly will handle all of the kicking for both teams in the Spring Game, Mack said:
"He'll be playing for both teams. It'll be fun and he'll like it. He likes action." (HSB)

Looking forward to the Spring Game, Dan Kelly said:
"I'm just excited I get something to do. This is my third spring, and I've yet to do anything." (HSB)

HSB Note: "The Warriors haven't done any team field goal work this spring. While the offense and defense players practice on the upper grass field, Kelly hones his technique on the adjacent soccer field. Graduate assistant Brian Kajiyama provides him with a workout plan for each practice."

About their draft for the Spring Game, Mack said:
"We did it position by position. They're already having discussions about making trades." (HSB)

About how he'd like a big crowd for the game, Mack said:
"If we can get 20 or 30,000 people there, that'd be awesome. Support's been unbelievable so far, and this is a great opportunity for people to come see what we've been working on. It's a day for families." (HSB)