‘We need an outside thinker’: June Jones critical of UH athletic director search

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Former University of Hawaii Football Coach June Jones is critical of the way the UH is conducting its search for its next athletic director.

Jones, the winningest UH football coach, said the job qualifications posted by the UH disqualify many candidates with private and public sector experience.

Those qualifications include having three years of experience in collegiate athletics administration.

“What we need right now at the University of Hawaii is an outside thinker, we need somebody that thinks out of the box,” he said in a Zoom interview from Seattle, where he is the offensive coordinator for an XFL team.

In a letter to the editor in the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, Jones said he doubted whether outgoing Athletic Director David Matlin would have qualified for the position that was posted.

He also took issue with the composition of the seven-person search committee for lacking diversity, especially for a program that’s filled with many Polynesian and Black student-athletes.

He also says the selection of women’s Basketball Coach Laura Beeman and men’s Volleyball Coach Charlie Wade on the committee that will screen their potential boss could lead to awkward situations.

While sports like men’s and women’s volleyball and basketball will continue to succeed, Jones says he worries that if the university isn’t able to raise enough revenue from its football program, the program will be dragged down the path toward Division II status.

“If we don’t think out of the box on this ... if we’re not thinking that way, then I’m not sure the UH football program will survive,” he said.

A UH spokesman says the university stands by its selection process.

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