The island’s movers and shakers gathered at Washington Place on Thursday evening to welcome home Hawaii’s new football coach.
Gov. Neil Abercrombie then announced that Norm Chow’s first day would be his best day — a playful reminder of a public figure’s life in the islands’ spotlight.
Undeterred by jet lag or expectations, Chow embraced the challenges as warmly as he greeted each of the well-wishers.
"He’s going to be good for the university and good for the state," said Abercrombie, clutching a green T-shirt that read: Chow Time.
"It’s an exciting time," said Chow, who was Utah’s offensive coordinator this season.
It has been a whirlwind week for Chow. He was among more than 40 applicants for the job vacated when Greg McMackin signed a release agreement on Dec. 5, ending his tenure with a year remaining on an initial five-year contract.
Last weekend, Chow was in town for less than 10 hours to interview as one of the five finalists. He was offered the job Monday night, reached an agreement on a five-year deal Tuesday, then signed the contract Wednesday.
Thursday, he was at the podium in the Stan Sheriff Center, a few miles from Palolo Valley, where he lived through his Punahou School graduation.
"I never left the islands until I went to college," said Chow, who was an offensive lineman at Utah.
In a decorated coaching career — during which he directed offenses at Brigham Young, North Carolina State, Southern California and UCLA, and with the Tennessee Titans — Chow won three national titles and coached three Heisman Trophy winners.
To be sure, there were opportunities to serve as a head coach. But each decision came with a family vote.
"If it wasn’t right for my family, it wasn’t right for me," said Chow, noting his four children are graduates of the same high school.
Chow was a finalist for the UH coaching job that went to Fred vonAppen in 1995. That snub did not leave an impression.
"You keep working at it, and hopefully it will work out," Chow said.
Hugh Yoshida, who hired vonAppen, was at Thursday’s reception. "It’s his time," Yoshida said of Chow.
"How many people are fortunate to go full circle?" Chow said. "I’m blessed. I’m honored. I know that."
During contract negotiations, salary was the quickest issue to resolve. Chow’s annual base salary is exactly half of the $1.1 million McMackin earned each year, and even less than McMackin’s $600,000 buyout.
Of returning to Hawaii, Chow said: "Money has nothing to do with that. How much can you pay for that?"
According to the contract, Chow’s starting date is Jan. 1. Although he will coach Utah’s offense through the Dec. 31 Sun Bowl, Chow has assumed UH duties.
Chow said he has been given "free rein" to assemble a coaching staff. He said there is no timetable. But he vowed to "recruit good recruiters. We’ll have good recruiters on our staff because recruiting is the lifeline of what we do."
His first instruction to a new coach? "Drive right to Laie," Chow said.
He said he prefers an "inside-out" approach to recruiting. Translation: Recruit locally.
Chow said every team in the Pac-12 has Hawaii-raised players. At UCLA two years ago, Chow had an easy time recruiting a defensive tackle from Hawaii. The prospect said he did not receive an offer from the Warriors.
Chow said he will emphasize evaluations in recruiting, and aggressively pursue Hawaii players.
Chow said he has not decided if he will call plays on offense. He also will make the move from the coaches box to the field.
The past 13 seasons, the Warriors ran the four-wide offense using one running back and four receivers. Chow said he prefers a balanced attack. That means the Warriors might use a tight end or a fullback, with the quarterback under center instead of a shotgun alignment.
While he will keep some of the concepts of the four-wide offense, Chow said, "Will we throw it every time? Probably not. We need to have balance. We need to run it a little bit."
He also promised an attacking defense.
"A lot of man-to-man coverage," Chow said. "You’d better be able to pick up the blitzes when you see us play."
Asked about his style of coaching, Chow smiled and said, "Demanding. They will be prepared to play football. Those who survive will be prepared to play football."
In the first month of the 2012 season, the Warriors will play road games against USC and BYU. Chow said he would not shy away from invitations from tough opponents.
"Bring ’em on," he said. "Bring anyone on. Why would you want to play other people? If we’re going to try to be the best we’re going to be, then let’s go and play the best."
As for the challenges of the job, Chow said: "If you don’t like challenges, you shouldn’t be in the business."
