Where are the fond farewells?
A departing employee is supposed to get a lei, some nice speeches and a lot of hugs. Maybe coffee and cake, too, depending on the level of adoration.
But more often than not, it does not seem to end well for a University of Hawaii coach or athletic director. And the thing is, nobody is surprised at the outcome.
It’s Charlie Brown trying to kick a football, the bespectacled fat guy in a Jurassic Park movie, the mechanic popping the hood and saying, “Well …”
At UH, the not-so-uncommon result is a coach or AD being let go or becoming disillusioned with the job.
It is why few were caught off guard last week when David Matlin announced he would retire as UH’s athletic director on June 2 — leaving a staff he loved and a job he accomplished despite the daily headaches. There were “Hamilton” analogies and other explanations, but the bottom line was he had enough. In the months leading to the announcement, he disengaged from talks on extending a contract that was set to expire in April. UH officials insist he was not asked to step down. And he is leaving this job, but not necessarily the university or the profession. On the final scorecard, he was largely well liked, and he did way more good things than not. And he leaves on his terms and timetable.
>> That was not the case with UH football coaches. Bob Wagner led the Rainbow Warriors to three victories over BYU and to an 11-2 record, including an upset of Illinois in the Holiday Bowl, in 1992. In the ensuing years, while other WAC teams poured more money into their football programs, UH tightened admission standards. Entering the 1995 season, athletic director Hugh Yoshida promised Wagner the final two years of his contract would be honored, no matter what. With a game left that season, Wagner was fired … sort of. He was asked to discuss his dismissal at a news conference, and then was allowed to coach in the regular-season finale.
>> Todd Graham, who paid for bowl rings for his football team out of his own pocket and emphasized not committing penalties, resigned following public complaints from his players on a perceived “toxic” environment and an a state Senate hearing.
>> Norm Chow was fired nine games into a 2015 season in which the Warriors played road games against Ohio State, Wisconsin and Boise State. Chow eventually starred in a commercial for Altres Staffing, a job-search firm, in which he portrayed the coach of a floral company.
>> A year after leading the Warriors to a share of the WAC title, Greg McMackin was fired in a hotel conference room a few minutes after the conclusion of the team’s awards banquet. It was reminiscent of the 1973 awards banquet for the UH basketball team. With 500 in attendance, then-UH president Harlan Cleveland announced head coach Red Rocha’s reassignment. It came as a surprise, mostly to Rocha.
>> Riley Wallace agreed to retire as basketball coach a year earlier than he would have preferred. Bob Nash, who spent a quarter of a century as a UH basketball player, coach and unofficial ambassador, was fired as head coach the night after returning from the Rainbows’ final game of the season. Rocha, Wallace and Nash are members of UH’s Circle of Honor. Nash’s No. 33 also has been retired.
>> In 2014, Gib Arnold was fired amid an NCAA investigation into the basketball program.
>> In 2009, Jim Bolla was fired as Rainbow Wahine basketball coach over allegations he kicked one of his players during a practice. In 2012, following a loss to Louisiana Tech in the WAC Tournament, Dana Takahara was fired as Rainbow Wahine coach before she reached the locker room.
>> There have been uncomfortable departures for UH athletic directors. Yoshida retired when it was apparent his power was being marginalized.
>> Herman Frazier was fired after failing to retain football coach June Jones, who went to SMU. (UH asked Jones to pay the remaining six months — $400,000 — on the final year of his contract, meaning he would have coached the unbeaten 2007 season for free. A settlement was reached.)
>> Jim Donovan was removed as athletic director in the aftermath of a proposed fundraising concert featuring Stevie Wonder. UH was conned into believing the $200,000 it wired to an “agent” would be used for the concert. Instead, it proved to be a scam. While his involvement was tenuous — he was on a family vacation when the concert was announced — and all ticket-buyers were wholly refunded, Donovan took the hit. There is no overcoming a situation in which “Wonder” rhymes with “blunder.”
>> Ben Jay’s tenure as AD was doomed when he told the Board of Regents the department needed more financial support or faced the elimination of some sports, including men’s volleyball and football. The regents picked a third option: dump Ben Jay.
>> And now UH will launch a search for a new AD in the next few months. And while there is hopefulness a qualified successor to Matlin will be hired, the challenges remain. There are meddlesome lawmakers, benign regents, and a demanding public. UH must deal with conference realignments; name, image, likeness issues; budget differentials; and a lack of a permanent football facility for at least five years.
The aroma of coffee is faint.
