June Jones interested in returning to coach Hawaii

June Jones, the winningest coach in Hawaii football history, is interested in a return, he told the Honolulu Star Advertiser.

June Jones, the winningest coach in Hawaii football history, is interested in a return, he told the Honolulu Star Advertiser.

As the search begins to replace coach Norm Chow, who was fired by Hawaii on Sunday, Jones said he would apply for the position.

“I don’t want to comment further at this time because the attention should stay on the team now, and hopefully (interim coach) Chris (Naeole) can lead them to some wins down the stretch,” he said.

Hawaii is 2–7 and coming off a 58–7 loss to Air Force last week. Offensive line coach Chris Naeole is serving as the team’s interim head coach.

Jones, 62, coached the team to seven winning seasons from 1999–2007 before leaving for a seven-year stint with SMU. He resigned at the beginning of last season due to personal issues.

His last game as Hawaii coach came on Jan 1, 2008 in a 41–10 Sugar Bowl loss to Georgia.

- Kenny Ducey