Lee unlikely to join Cal Lee wants to work for the University of Hawaii football program and UH coach June Jones wants to hire him. But both said yesterday that is unlikely to happen this fall.
UH staff this fall
But the St. Louis AD has had talks
with the Hawaiian Islanders and a
source says they've offered him a jobBy Dave Reardon and Nick Abramo
dreardon@starbulletin.com nabramo@starbulletin.comLee and Jones have spoken to each other informally several times about the possibility of the St. Louis School athletics director joining Jones' staff as an assistant coach or filling a yet-to-be-created administrative position at UH. The latest they talked to each other was yesterday.
But both stressed that the timing probably isn't right for this fall.
"We would love to have him here," Jones said after talking with Lee. "But there's not a job available right now and Cal has a job he likes, at least for now. At this point we would like to try something creative, but I just don't know how it can happen. We'll probably do something in the future."
Lee, the winningest high school coach in the state's history, has been first in line for a job on the UH staff since he stepped down as St. Louis coach last year.
He has been offered assistant coaching jobs at UH at least three times in the past six seasons. But the timing was never quite right for him.
Lee also said yesterday he wants to confer with officials at St. Louis before seriously considering any new jobs.
Lee said he is "just in talking stages" with officials from the Hawaiian Islanders about possibly becoming head coach of the arenafootball2 team.
"Their season's not even over yet," Lee said. "It's better to talk about that later."
But according to a local source close to the situation who did not want to be identified, Lee has been offered a job by the Islanders.
The source said Lee is interested in taking the Islanders' post, but hasn't made a final decision.
At issue in both cases is whether Lee can remain as St. Louis School AD and work for a college or pro team at the same time. He hopes to remain AD at the high school for at least one more year, Lee said.
Incoming UH athletics director Herman Frazier will have at least one assistant athletics director spot to fill, but for Lee to fill such a position, he would have to leave St. Louis.
"I am still at St. Louis," said Lee, who has worked for the school for 31 years as a teacher, coach and administrator, and said he wants to remain there for at least one more year.
He said a published report yesterday that he had been offered a specific job as UH recruiting coordinator was inaccurate. Jones and other sources at UH also said much of that report was incorrect or purely speculative, including Jones "confirming" that he offered Lee a job that would be funded by the football booster club.
"No one has talked to me about that," Lee said. "It makes it look like I'm hiding something, which I'm not."
Lee will be in Canton, Ohio next week for a summit of selected high school football coaches from around the nation. The event is sponsored by the NFL.
The source close to the Islanders' situation also said Lee met with the team's co-owner/operator Charles Wang in New York earlier this month.
Several attempts to reach co-owner/operator Kimberly Wang were unsuccessful. Kimberly is Charles' daughter, and she's in charge of the franchise's day-to-day operations.
One possible drawing card for Lee taking a job with the af2 team, aside from a new challenge, is money. Charles Wang is a billionaire who owns software giant Computer Associates, the New York Islanders of the NHL and the New York Dragons of the Arena Football League.
As St. Louis' football coach, Lee compiled a 241-32-5 record and led the Crusaders to 18 Interscholastic League of Honolulu championships, including the last 16 in a row. St. Louis also won 14 Oahu Prep Bowl titles and the inaugural state championship in 1999 under his guidance.