Advertisement - Click to support our sponsors.

RAINBOW FOOTBALL NOTEBOOK

Steelers’ Gilbride
visits his son

The offensive coordinator for the Pittsburgh Steelers did his best to sneak into the Cooke Field stands without being noticed, but University of Hawaii head coach June Jones ended that bout with anonymity by yelling out, "What's wrong Kevin Gilbride? Are you still on Pittsburgh time?"

The man who hired Jones as his quarterback coach for the San Diego Chargers gave Jones a little wave as he grabbed his seat on the far side of the field.

As much as the former San Diego Chargers head coach enjoys being with Jones, he flew halfway around the world to see his son -- sophomore quarterback Kevin Gilbride.

"It's been so great for him," Gilbride said of his son, who transferred last fall from Brigham Young to play for Hawaii. "He enjoys being over here. He loves the school, loves the people, enjoys the programs, both football and baseball.

"The bad thing from a family point of view is we never get to see him. It's been three months since I've seen Kevin. Before that, it was six months and he was only home for five days. So, it's really great seeing him again."

Gilbride's son is locked in a battle for the starting quarterback job for Hawaii. Jones replaced Gilbride as head coach of the Chargers in 1998.

They have remained friends off the field. That's one reason young Kevin Gilbride decided to come here last fall.

"He's still got to earn the spot and that will be the ultimate determination whether it was a good move or not," Gilbride said of his son's decision to transfer to UH. "But in terms of being with good people and good coaches, I'm sure he made the right decision."

Like teammate Nate Jackson, Gilbride is playing football in the morning and baseball in the afternoon. His father will be here all next week to see him play in both sports, something that suits the younger Gilbride just fine.

"It was exciting to see him walk out on the field because it has been since Christmas since I've seen him," Gilbride said of his father's arrival. "For him to be able to come out and catch some practices, and see some baseball games, well, it's a thrill for me."

Gilbride could see some playing time during the Rainbow Easter Baseball Tournament. He plays outfield and first base, but his primary concern is still football.

"I haven't been able to pitch any because spring ball is taking so much out of my arm," Gilbride said. "By the end of practice, my arm is really sore.

"Right now, the big thing for me is to make my decisions and get the ball out. Physically throwing the football, my arm gets tired quickly. And that means toward the end of practice my ball lags a little bit. I'm working on that."

Jackson AWOL

Jackson has been serving two masters of late and it seemed to get the best of him yesterday.

The talented free safety, who is also playing outfield for the baseball team, missed practice yesterday morning, much to Jones' displeasure.

"He's probably between here and Waianae somewhere," Jones said. "But he's supposed to be here. I know this much, the next time I see him, he's going to be doing a lot of running for not being where he's supposed to be."

Local product Jacob Espiau filled in for Jackson.

Tempers flare

There were several altercations during yesterday's workout, prompting Jones and his coaching staff to remind the players they need to have discipline.

One skirmish led to linebacker Matt Wright being kicked out of practice and another led to a 25-man pileup.

---

By Paul Arnett , Star-Bulletin