JJ feature article in SI

About cheering for UH while watching the UH-Washington game, SMU AD Steve Orsini said:
"I'm like, 'If they win, they'd be the only undefeated team in the nation and our society would love to see that team get a chance to move up to a BCS bowl.' " (SI)

About how as an AD, UH's comeback win was the "fly in the ointment", Orsini said:
"I started to say to myself, 'Wait a minute Hawaii, don't win.' " (SI)

About how a BCS bowl bearth would delay his coaching search, Orsini said:
"One thing I said to myself was, 'I am not going to hurt the opportunity of a coach and the student-athletes at that university. Let's let them finish out the year because SMU is in this for the long run.' " (SI)

About the 71 days it took for him to fill their coaching spot, Orsini said:
"Yes, it took 71 days, but I look back on it and I hope we look at it years from now and say that's the best 71 days invested in SMU football in the history of SMU football." (SI)

About how their facilities did not improve over his 9 years at UH, JJ said:
"I was there for nine years and basically nothing changed in those years." (SI)

SI Note: "More importantly, Jones says it was about the chance to revitalize another program -- and himself. He says he was twice prepared to leave Honolulu because the athletic department was "in a paralysis state of doing the things that were necessary to maintain a high level within the department," once before the 2005 season (but the hiring of Jerry Glanville as defensive coordinator re-energized him) and again before last season (but no NFL position he was interested in materialized). Just before Christmas, he told agent Leigh Steinberg there were only two programs he was interested in: Duke and SMU, two teams that posted 1-11 records in 2007."

About telling Steinberg about his interest in SMU and Duke, JJ said:
"He thought I was crazy for even saying that." (SI)

SI Note: "But he believes his players-first approach -- which is rooted in positive-reinforcement instead of yelling -- is better served at a school looking to rebound."

About how rebuilding a team appeals to him, JJ said:
"I think by nature these things have been attractive to me because I know the philosophy I have in treating the players and dealing with the players, and offensively it works and can turn these situations, and it kind of motivates me to be a part of it." (SI)

About how he told JJ when they met face-to-face a few days after the Sugar Bowl that SMU was low-irsk, high-reward, Orsini said:
"We're 1-11. We haven't been to a bowl in 23 years. If you're 7-5, we'll probably have a parade for you because we're going to our first bowl in 23 years. And the high reward is you'll be successful in this very successful market called Dallas, a la Cowboys and Mavericks and Rangers and a lot of successful businesses, and the rewards will be high as well. You will be known as the guy to rebuild SMU football and its proud traditions. That's something that would be attractive to you." (SI)

SI Note: "Under SMU policies, Orsini had to form a search committee to find Bennett's replacement, and he made it clear that the school would be looking for a proven commodity at coach, instead of bringing in a coordinator (which it did in hiring Bennett, who was previously defensive coordinator at Kansas State). Orsini is unwilling to disclose who else was on his short list, but it definitely included former Navy and current Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson, who visited campus, and is rumored to have also included fired Texas A&M coach Dennis Franchione and former Miami (Fla.) coach Larry Coker. But it was Jones who Orsini had targeted all along. Hawaii did try to keep him after Orsini's pitch, offering a reported five-year deal with a base salary of $1.3 million annually and a $1 million bonus if he stayed for the duration of the contract. But Jones' mind was made up. It was time to leave Hawaii with a 76-41 record, the most victories in school history and seven winning seasons."

About how his frustration with UH made up his mind to leave awhile ago, JJ said:
"I think I had made the decision three years ago that I needed to go and it was just time to go. I needed to be re-energized, and SMU has done that for me already. People here are very motivated to win. They have everything in place that I dreamed about having in place when I was at Hawaii. It's ready to go and now it's my job to get it done on the field." (SI)

SI Note: "To do that he's enlisted some coaches familiar with the Jones way. Several assistants followed him to the mainland, including Dennis McKnight (offensive line), Dan Morrison (quarterbacks), Jeff Reinebold (special teams) and Wes Suan (running backs). Bert Hill, a former Detroit Lions and Miami Dolphins assistant, will coach the defensive line, while Jones has yet to hire a defensive coordinator."

About SMU, JJ said:
"I think after losing for 20-plus years, they're ready to go." (SI)