Statement from University of Hawai'i President David McClain:

"Like all of Hawaii, I'm greatly disappointed that Coach Jones has decided to take this new opportunity at SMU. June has done so much for our university and our community, and we wish him every success.

We gave it our best shot, and it has been very much a team effort. I want to thank in particular, the fans for their outpouring of love and affection for the Coach. I can tell you, he was greatly moved.

I'm most grateful to Governor Lingle for her involvement at a critical point, and to Chancellor Hinshaw for her leadership in these negotiations. I'm grateful to those football supporters and those legislators, particularly Representative Takai, who declared their support for a major initiative to upgrade UH Manoa's athletic facilities. We'll need that support as we recruit a new coach. I'm pleased to announce that some donors have already been contacting me to see how they can help.

My thanks also, of course, to the players who produced such a remarkable season, a wonderful exclamation point to our centennial year. We look forward to supporting them during this time of transition, and to building on their success.

Finally, I also want to apologize to our fans and all of Hawaii for matters getting to this stage in the first place. Exceptional performance deserves exceptional recognition, and your University was slow to step up.

That won't happen again. My focus as your president is to keep the drama on the athletic field and in the stadium, where it belongs, and not at the ticket window, or in contract negotiations."