The hiring of Norm Chow as the new head coach of the University of Hawai‘i football program has brought a palpable buzz to the islands.
It’s generated high expectations for a team that missed the post-season last year, and has been on the slide ever since the departure of June Jones four years ago.
Born and raised in Hawai‘i, Chow attended Wailea High School on the North Shore, and went on to graduate from Punahou.
He began his collegiate football career at Brigham Young University (BYU), where he was twice named All-American, and would eventually serve as assistant coach there for 27 years.
His coaching reputation proceeds him, having been with five schools in the last three decades, he has earned three national championships and mentored the likes of several Heisman-winning quarterbacks, including Steve Young, Carson Palmer and Phillip Rivers.
Chow is widely regarded as one of the most gifted offensive minds in the country by peers and players alike, and looks to bring a winning mentality to the struggling Warrior team.
His illustrious resume was enough to beat out the 40 other applicants for the head coaching position.
Among the other prospective applicants was the Warriors Assistant Coach Rich Miano, who many feel deserved the position the most, having played for and coached the school for nearly two decades.
Chow got his coaching start at Wailua High School, and returns to the islands after recently leading Utah to a victory over Georgia Tech in the Sun Bowl.
Chow replaced Greg McMackin, who opted out of the last year of his five-year contract after several abysmal seasons with the school.
Chow’s salary is considerably less than the $1 million a year contract that McMackin drew, but is loaded with incentives, including a $20,000 bonus if the team goes to a Bowl Championship Series (BCS Bowl) game.
Making the job incredibly lucrative providing they win as much as they’re projected to.
He is currently signed to a five-year commitment.
The 65-year-old coach will make his debut with the Warriors on Sept. 1, for the season opener against a highly vaunted University of Southern California (USC) team.
The University of Hawai‘i just finished their last season as members of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC), and are moving to a much tougher Mountain West Conference including Boise State and TCU.
After spending the majority of his career in the mainland recruiting talented high school players from Hawai‘i, he will now have the opportunity to persuade the islands elite to stay and represent the community.
Since his hiring, he has already managed to convince defensive lineman Kiha Sai of Kamehameha Schools Kapalama to commit to the university, as well as offensive lineman Leo Koloamatagi of Sacred Heart Prep School in San Francisco – both of which were highly sought after by schools across the nation.
Though his Native Hawaiian and Chinese ancestry endears him to the locals, it’s wins and only wins that matters in the end.
Hopefully, by the end of his tenure, he will be able to produce more than just puns for sports writers.