UH to add Duffield as grad assistant

A spot would open up when McKnight takes the job created by Davis' retirement

Terry "Duff" Duffield, a former assistant coach at Dixie State now at Eastern Arizona, will join the Hawaii football staff as a graduate assistant, probably in time for the 2007 season.

"We're not sure when yet," said UH coach June Jones, when asked for a timetable for Duffield's arrival. "There's a lot involved."

Some of it has to do with the pending retirement of Jones' mentor and assistant coach Mouse Davis, 74. Davis was Jones' coach when Jones played at Portland State, and Davis brought the four-wideout run-and-shoot offense (which UH uses) to pro football, coaching with Jones at several NFL, USFL and CFL stops.

Davis, who joined the Warriors staff in 2004, has said several times -- as recently as last week -- that 2006 would be his final season. Yesterday, Jones would not confirm Davis' retirement.

When Davis retires, Dennis McKnight is the logical replacement. McKnight, who was UH's special teams coach in 1999 and 2000, returned to the Warriors last year as a graduate assistant. His work with the offensive line and special teams contributed greatly to UH's 11-3 season.

McKnight moving onto the regular staff would open a GA position for Duffield, 38.

In addition to his JC experience, Duffield is a former high school coach in Seattle. He is also a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps, serving as a member of the elite Force Recon in the Desert Storm and Somalia campaigns.

Two years ago, while he was recruiting coordinator at Dixie, Duffield alerted UH defensive backs coach Rich Miano to linebacker Adam Leonard. Leonard was about to graduate from Rainier Beach High School in Seattle.

"He had all kinds of offers, but everybody dumped him (after a torn ACL in 2004)," said Duffield, who had coached against Leonard's high school team. "We could've had him for ourselves, but I thought so much of the kid I knew he deserved (Division I). He's a special kid on and off the field."

Leonard, his knee fully recovered, led UH in tackles as a sophomore last season.

"If it wasn't for Coach Duffield, UH wouldn't have known about me," Leonard said. "He told me from the beginning if he could find a Division I school for me he'd do it, and he lived up to it."

"Duff told me about the guy and we took a look at him," Miano said. "It turns out (Leonard is) a great player and even a greater person."

Duffield's wife, Stephanie, was raised in Hawaii. She is a graduate of Roosevelt and Chaminade. They have three children: Dalton, 10; Darvin, 3; and Deuce, 1.

Corner commits:

Bakersfield College cornerback Kenny Graham committed to UH yesterday. Graham said he hopes to graduate with an associate's degree in May and be eligible to play in the fall.

The 5-foot-11, 197-pound athlete has run a 4.38 in the 40. He received recruiting interest from Arizona State, Baylor, Washington State, Tulsa and Florida.

Owens at clinics:

Former Warrior and current Tampa Bay Buccaneers receiver/kick returner Chad Owens will be a guest instructor at the Hawaii Speed & Quickness clinics this weekend.

NCAA to eliminate controversial clock rules Responding to negative reaction by fans and coaches, the NCAA football rules committee yesterday recommended completely eliminating the controversial clock rules of 2006 and implementing a new set of time-saving measures. Last season's rules shortened the average game by about 14 minutes, but they also eliminated about 13 plays and reduced scoring by about five points a game. Coaches overwhelmingly complained that the rules changed the structure and flow of the game too much. After reviewing the data, the committee agreed. Cox News Service